July 25, 2015
Results
7th/190
1st 30-34
Pre-Race
Woke up at 430 am to eat some breakfast and double check I had all of my race gear ready. Shara and I decided we wanted to be out of the house by 530 am to make the trek up to Camp Westwood in Coventry. We arrived at the venue nice and early, picked up our chips and bibs, and set up our gear in transition. With some extra time on our hands, we decided to check out the temperature of the pond. The pond felt like bath water. Shara and I began to contemplate the idea of not wearing wetsuits. Knowing the wetsuit would offer me some extra buoyancy, I had a decision to make. On the flip side, my transition out of the wetsuit isn't exactly smooth either. In the end, I decided to wear no wetsuit. After my BIG decision, we went down to the beach and waited for the race to start.
Swim-10:46, Rank 34
As I lined up for the swim, I tried to plan out the path I wanted to take. I took a look at the way the current was flowing, proximity of the buoys, and sized up my competition. Go Time! I ran into the water, took a quick dive in, and tried to surge to get good position. Every which way I swam, I ran into someone. I opted to swim in a straight line and hoped the field would spread out. Swimming around some of the various buoys, I couldn't see a thing through my goggles. They were all fogged up. I told myself to just swim hard and keep pushing. In reality, I was struggling. From an effort standpoint, I was giving it my all. Approach the end of the swim, I knew I was not where I wanted to be. I ran out of the water and gassed. Huffing and puffing, I knew that I needed to put the swim behind me and start a new race on the bike.
*Side note: Not wearing the wetsuit was a big mistake. I also wonder if the my tri shirt created some extra drag (I could definitely feel water entering the shirt). Lesson learned.
T1-1:03, fastest ever since I didn't have to drop the wetsuit.
Bike-40:02, Rank 23
Pre-race reports of the bike course had me concerned. I heard the hills on the course were relentless. After a long trot from transition to the start of the bike course, I mounted on the bike and took off. The early part of the bike course was downhill. Competitors were flying. I was getting passed by a few guys but tried to maintain a steady pace. After a few miles, the hills began. Pre-race reports of the bike course were true: relentless. While I don't consider myself a climber, I was started to pick off some riders on the hills. Mentally, this was good for me. The course continued to roll. Riding along towards the last quarter of the bike course, I thought I was getting another flat. I slowed up a tad and looked at my back wheel. It looked fine. I'm just paranoid about getting a flat after my last race and recent issues on the road. Back on pace again, I was starting to pick off more riders at the end of the ride. I pulled back into Camp Westwood and shot towards transition.
T2: :45
Run-18:45, Rank 3
Like Gazelle, Matthew, and Shara, run time is my time in a TRI. I was really worried about the run. With my recent knee issues, I was unsure how my knee would respond after completing the first two disciplines of a TRI. With a very low volume of running lately between my injury and honeymoon, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I'd do okay but did not expect to have my regular advantage. Running out of transition, I tried to settle into a solid pace. Feeling taxed from the swim and ride, I wanted to be in control on the run. Right before the mile, I caught up with the Gazelle. We exchanged some words of encouragement and tried to pick off runners. Since Gazelle hammered the Blessing the night before, I was especially impressed by how strong he looked. He gave me a little push in the run, which really helped. BLS, who was also volunteering, cheered us on as she manned a water stop (Thanks Beth). Before I knew it, I was headed into the woods for the last 3/4 of a mile of the run course. Entering the trails, I immediately slowed down trying to avoid the various rocks and roots. After surviving the trails, the final portion of the run was on the road and I tried to crank it in. The run was uneventful and I finished strong.
Pros: NO leg pain, no flats, AG win, enjoyed the challenging course, Shara took 2nd, Gazelle & Matthew AG wins, fun day
Cons: struggled in the swim, wish my bike was faster
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| WTAC Crew..strong showing all around. Photo courtesy of Schonning |
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| Congrats Shara on finishing 2nd place overall for females! |
