Racer: Tracy Endo
Race: BRATS Salute to the Military Tri
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Location: Warrenton, VA
Race Type: Triathlon - Sprint Distance
Age Group: Female: 40-44
Time: 1:36:31
Age Group Place: 3
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Race Report:
Race morning
Craziness! I had set my alarm on my cell phone (my normal mode of waking) for 4:50 a.m. but for some reason decided to set the alarm on my watch for 5:00 a.m. just in case. Well, it's a good thing I set that second alarm because, for some unknown reason, my cell phone alarm didn't sound. I was all prepared to grab a few things and head out the door but I also had to wait for my son to gather his items since he was a last-minute racer in the kid's tri. So, we got a little of a late start. Thankfully, my GPS said the race was only 40 minutes away (compared to the hour which I thought I would have to drive). So, we made it there on time. There was a lot of confusion at this race. I, along with many other racers, parked in a certain parking area only to be told (after we had all unloaded our bikes and were getting ready to walk over to the race) that we had to move our cars. This became delay #2 for me. So, we move our cars and get our gear down to the transition area. Many of us started walking over to get our markings but then had to turn around to get our actual bib in order to pick up our chip. Delay #3. Even though the delays were small they all started adding up and I found myself rushing at the last minute to get where I needed to be and that put me under a little more stress than I wanted at the start of the race.
Swim (300 yds) + Transition 1: 7:48
I'm still bad at guessing how fast I'm going to swim but this time I felt I had a better idea than before. I was seeded pretty close to the front so I was a little worried about that. However, once I got in the pool (outdoor pool...I thought it was going to be indoor...) there were only 2 people that passed me. So, I guess I wasn't too far off. I felt I could have done better in the pool after spending all winter following the "Total Immersion" program but I still felt is was an acceptable time.
T1
Probably one of the slowest transitions I've had in a while. Had a short run to transition. Once I got there, my legs felt a little wobbly, I didn't make fast changes, but it was satisfactory. I'm not sure about the exact breakdown of swim vs T1 but I think the swim was in the 5:45 area and the rest was T1.
Bike (12.4 mi) + Transition 2: 47:32 Average speed: 15.7 m/hr
Not the bike ride I expected. First, I had an issue with my tire which I thought I fixed before the race. My tire wasn't lined up correctly and the brake pad kept touching it making it difficult, at times, to pedal. On top of that, I haven't been in the saddle much this year thanks to the lovely weather and my lack of desire to ride in the cold. There weren't any major hills - just rolling hills - but my energy was almost drained half way through. I couldn't believe how exhausted I was at this point in the race. After about 1-2 miles of huffing and puffing I finally got a burst of energy and started peddling away. It wasn't the bike ride I wanted but it would have to do.
T2
Not too shabby. Everything seemed to go just as planned...only slower.
Run (3.1 miles): 38:14 Pace: 12:20
Well, the good news is, I actually finished the run. The bad news is about 1/2 mile into my run my IT band (that's what I'm assuming it was) started giving me some MAJOR PAIN! I've never had IT band issues and the pain I was feeling was a pain I've never had before. I stopped and stretched a little, walked a little, ran a little, had pain the entire time. The pain went from bad to worse to bad to "I can deal with this for 3 miles." I prayed that God would let me cross the finish line and I would give him all the glory for this race. I had to drop my pace considerably and I had an obvious limp but, I crossed the finish line with my limp! YEAH GOD!
Summary and lessons learned
Always set two alarm clocks
Always stretch...stretch...stretch...
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