Triathlons are not new to me, but sprint tri’s? A whole new beast. I know how to race/pace for an olympic and a half iron distance, but these short distance races are all new. That became wildly apparent three (swim, bike, and run) times during the race…
After doing as much prep work as I could, I actually found myself in bed by 10:30 the night before. I always try for an early bedtime, but rarely does it actually happen. Though I think 4:30 in the a.m. comes far too quickly no matter what time you call “lights out”. I decided to wait til morning to make the last minute judgment call of whether or not to bike myself to the race site or use my car. Pressing snooze 3 times pretty much made my decision for me. Car it was. In fact, I started the day way later than I wanted and ended up cutting it pretty close. i ate my egg whites while i quickly braided my hair, scarfed down my oatmeal while zipping up my tri suit, grabbed my bags and crossed my fingers that I remembered everything. I sorta miss the nerves and anticipation I used to get on race morning– I was so much more prepared…
I arrived at Mickler’s, which i’ve gotten to know quite well. it’s either my turn around point on my weekday rides or a landmark I pass on my longer rides. either way, i see this place pretty much daily. After waiting in line to pick up my chip I found my rack and set up my transition. It was a small race - capped at 500, which was sorta nice. Most everyone there was out there to have a good time and it was clear that the pressure that comes with a lot of races wasn’t present.
Photo Credit: Marni Sumbal
Swim
The race was a beach start (obviously, i mean i do live in florida!). I was in the 3rd wave (along with all other women), just behind the Age Group Men. The water was pleasantly calm and cooperative– a first on raceday! Unlike bigger races, our coundown was just that. A verbal countdown “10 . 9 . 8 . 7 …. 3 . 2 . 1 .. GO!”. It works, I suppose, but it definitely made me smile :) We were off. After a good run and several dolphin dives we were able to start swimming. I found myself falling back into my old pattern of completely losing all form and swimming like I’m a newbie. What gives? I kept trying to mentally change my patterns and let my form carry me, but for whatever reason I was having a hard time. I was swimming ok, but not great and certainly not fast enough. I was swimming at a pace just a tad faster than I would a warm up and once I turned the 4th and final buoy and realized the swim was pretty much over, I knew I didn’t stand a chance to make up for the lost time. Even a sprint at this point wouldn’t cover the ground I lost. Tooooo slow.
Swim Time: 8:49; AG Place: 4
T1
Holy cow. WORST . TRANSITION . EVER .
So the unfortunate thing about a sprint race is that you really have no time to spare. Losing time during transition is pretty hard to make up. A speedy T1 is crucial. It was a long jaunt from the swim exit (through the sand) back up to transition, which I actually felt like I held a pretty good clip and passed several men along the way. As I entered T1 one of the volunteers called out “8th place in women!” I thanked him and rushed to my bike. I tried to scrape as much sand off my feet as I could but decided time was more important and pulled on my socks on my (pretty filthy) feet. Helmet and sunglasses on and feet in my bikes, I pulled my bike off the rack and ran toward the mount line. Here’s where things went wrong. I regretably found a spot directly behind another guy trying to mount his bike and since he had trouble, I couldn’t start and I had two other people file in on either side of me. i was stuck! As soon as I got the chance, i fumbled a little and clipped my foot in and started to take off.. well, part of me. I can’t remember the last time I had a hard time clipping in… but today I just couldn’t get my left shoe to click. More wasted time…
T1 time: 2:42
Bike
This is the first and only race I’ve ever done with my power tap, so i was really excited knowing when I got home I’d be able to see the data from an actual race! I wish I kept repeating the word “race” in my head over and over again, because somehow in the 16 mile course, I seemed to have forgotten that’s what this actually was. I wasn’t holding back, but I certainly wasn’t treating it like a TT. I felt strong and I was passing men like it was my job, but I hate having the feeling that I could have done better. I want to get to the point where I can just lay it all on the line and feel confident that I gave it my all. I’m not there yet. There was one bridge we did coming and going and I’m not gonna lie, I’ve lot a lot of my hill strength I worked so hard to build last year. I fell behind on both ascends. I was good about sipping my water every couple of minutes, tho it wasn’t hard to remember to hydrate with the incredibly hot florida sun beating down me.
I was keeping a tally of how many women I passed and how many passed me and while I lost a couple spots, I gained more… until I got to about 10 mins out from the finish.. out of nowhere a group of 4 girls caught me and pulled ahead. This was when I realized I wasn’t pushing hard enough. It refueled my and I began working hard. Unfortnately the timing couldn’t have been worse. We were in a close pack at the only point in the course where our course was narrowed by cones and we had a limited amount of space. Naturally we were pushed together and couldn’t avoid riding pretty closely. One of the girls turned around and yelled for me to stop drafting her and I felt terrible, so I let go of the gas and let her pull ahead. It sucks because I did this race party b/c I want to meet people in the area and the last thing I want to do is get on peoples’ bad sides. In retrospect I sorta wish I pushed harder and ignored her comment and prevailed, but oh well. I pulled back into transition feeling like I had a pretty solid ride, albeit not as good as it could have been.
Bike Time: 37:31 ; Pace: 21.7 mph; AG Place: 4
T2
Redeeming leg of the race. In and out.
T2 Time: 0:40; AG Place: 2
Run
We had to do a bit of maneuvering along the parking lot before we got out on the road, which I took easy, trying to judge the condition of my legs (and more accurately, my toe). I hit the road and a volunteer gave me an update “you’re 9, and you’re 10″. There must be another girl right behind me. I started to build up to a steady pace and was feeling fairly strong. First race all season where I felt like I might be getting my running legs back. My stress fracture has taken more time than I ever expected to get back up to speed. Pun intended. 
One girl passed me (lickety split fast) but I was gaining ground on the girl ahead so I just pressed on and stayed confident in my own race. I hit mile 1 and my watch said 7:57. I tried to pick up the pace a bit and my goal at this point was to get faster each mile and sprint the end. I stayed on target and I passed the girl ahead of me. I was passed by another girl but then I passed another girl. I was staying consistently #9. I hit the turn around and stayed in the tracks of another woman for as long as I could before I felt confident I could make the pass. I did. But then I was passed. I was passed again. There was one girl in eyesight, but a pretty good distance away. I laid my gaze on the back of her head as I crossed mile 2 at 7:51. Keep going. My breathing was heavy but I felt strong. I kept my comfortable pace and tried to quicken my cadence just a bit. I was gaining on her. We rounded the last corner and I knew it was time to sprint. I should have actually started earlier but I couldn’t tell how close I was to the finish and I didn’t want another repeat of last year’s ITU. I kicked it in and closed in the gap between the other girl and me. I didn’t think it was possible, but here I was only a few body lengths behind. The possibility became more realistic so I pushed harder and harder and within the last couple seconds I blew by her and crossed over the timing pad just ahead. A couple deep breaths to regain my composure and I felt fine. I felt fine. I should have felt tired… I should have gone harder.
Run Time: 24:35; Run Pace: 7:54; AG Place: 2
Overall: 1:12:15; AG Place: 3; OA: 92/500
All in all, it was a fun race and a good way to spend a saturday (yes, saturday! i still get a weekend!). This distance is new and I’m not surprised I paced myself too conservatively. Maybe next time i’ll follow my friend Ben’s training motto: “Ride til you Puke”. Simple, yet brilliant. :)
After the race, I waited around for the awards and got a nice lil towel for getting 3rd place in my age group. I used it minutes later to wipe off the caked on grime before zipping back up and heading out for a recovery ride. I was excited to get to ride with my friend Marni and her friend from out of town, Jennifer. We headed back out and revisited the race course at a much more conversational pace. It was super hot, but it felt nice to spin out the legs. They’re both embarking in careers in dietetics so we pretty much talked food the whole way. I’m not complaining. I can talk food any day, any time :) It was really cool getting their take on the whole “raw” revolution and thoughts on training/recovery. I don’t do much training with others, and it was really nice. Marni and Jennifer made their way back to their car and planned to go to the beach but I kept going and wanted to get in as close to 2 hours as I could. It was getting close to noon and the sun was getting hotter and hotter and it was draining me pretty rapidly. I got back to the car after 1:47 and called it a day… well, on the bike. I made my way home, made a delicious, healthy whole wheat wrap with chicken and filled with tons healthy veggies. I ate standing up and (still unshowered) headed out to the garage to gas up the pressure washer and get to work… 4 hours later, my sidewalk, driveway, and the majority of my exterior was cleaner than it’s ever been. Barely being able to move at this point, I did some more work in the backyard before I finally rinsed off in my outdoor shower, slipped on a bikini, poured myself a corona and slid into my hot tub. 14.5 hours after waking up, I finally sat down for the very first time.
Long (but good) day.
