Training Log Archive: kissy

Tribella Women's Triathlon -- Super Sprint

I got to the race site at 6:00 am, mainly because I couldn't sleep any longer and thought, "Why not." There were several other racers already there, so I didn't feel like a total race nerd. I saw Coach Annie right away, and we set up our transition areas. I was at the end of a row, right by the bike in and out. It was pretty sweet. Pretty soon the rest of the group showed up, and we were getting a little nervous excited.



After everyone was set up, we went down to the reservoir to get in and get used to the water and to swim a little to warm up. This was my fourth triathlon, the first after about 25 years, and all of my previous races were ruined by the swim section, so I was a little nervous. However, our coaches have done such a great job getting our confidence up, telling us little tricks, that when the whistle went off for my wave, I just started swimming. And it went great!! Not one second of panic, even when this other woman was basically swimming over me! I was almost crying when I got out of the water because I was so happy.

And then I found the best thing on my way to the transition area -- wetsuit puller-offers!! Volunteers standing along the path to pull off your wetsuit!! Fabulous.

T1: 2:27. My transition went well. I didn't forget anything.

C • Totally awesome! 13

Then my favorite -- the bike. This went super great! I was passing a lot of people and only got passed myself twice. I felt so good once I got on my bike, and I had a bottle of Vitalyte, which tasted delicious. Luckily, the weather was cooperating, and it was a beautiful day.

T2: 1:26. This transition did not go as well. I had run out of the transition area and was on the path for the run when I realized I had forgotten my race belt with my number on it! No number = DQ. So I raced back to get it, feeling so stupid. According to Garmin, I lost 3.5 minutes on this stupidity. Oh well, lesson learned. That is why I was doing this race...for practice.

So, this sucked! It was getting a little hot by now, and I think I rode too fast on the bike...well, too fast for what I can do today, because I was quickly running out of energy. My nice 1 / 3 routine was quickly blown apart, so I ended up walking much more than I wanted to. Also, the course map they gave us was wrong, so when I was expecting to turn around, we still had some more to go, and that played a mind game with me. Another lesson learned - measure the course on a map to make sure the race course map is correct.

As I was getting closer to the finish, a woman passed me and then started walking. I looked at her leg -- they markered our age on our legs, and saw that she was 51 -- in my age category! My goal became to pass her and not let her pass me back. The very end was an uphill finish!, but I powered through and she never passed me back.

The best I can say about the run part is I survived. Plus, if you take away the 3.5 minutes from my transition mistake, it's right about where I thought I would end up, so that's good.





After the race, I met up with my team again, and Coach Annie told us to go get our results. It was pretty sweet setup, a lot like SportIdent. You went to this computer station and typed in your bib number, and a printout similar to the ones from the small standalone split printers we use gave you all of your splits. And I saw the magic result:



Second in my age category! Woot!! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited. Actually, we had 4 podium finishes for the team! A very exciting day.

This was not a lot of training time, but it was a huge accomplishment. I swam the .25 mile route without stopping and without panicking...barely.

From now through the end of July, there will be a .5 mile course set up out in the lake, complete with people in kayaks to help if you need it. And tonight was the first attempt at swimming out into a lake, with no chance of stopping or standing up. I was a little scared, and at the beginning and when I turned around, I came very close to panicking when the buoys looked soooo far away. But I slowed down, and calmed down, and it went okay. Which is good because several of us have signed up for a Super Sprint Tri this Saturday, and the swim distance is .25 miles. So, nice to know I can actually do it.

I came back to the lake on my own to practice some more. Unfortunately, it wasn't long until the thunder and black clouds became too difficult to ignore. Oh well, I got in 3 laps.

Then I went for a run. It was actually quite nice...no sun, some rain, and then some hail. At least it wasn't hot!

Body Pump. I felt strong today, although my stomach is still not happy.

I waited until the heat subsided somewhat, and then went out for a leisurely ride. I was just going to ride around the park, but after 3 loops, I was bored, so I headed for the Cherry Creek trail.

I was surprised at how deserted the park was. I guess between the scorching temperatures, Pride Day festivities downtown, and Father's Day, everyone was off doing something else. And when I got to the trail, it was pretty deserted, too, except for the homeless. They were out in force, together with the drug addicts shooting up under the bridges. A new addition to the trail appears to be needle collection boxes, which I guess is a good thing but sad that we need them at all.

Anyway, it was a beautiful evening, and it felt nice to get out. I didn't want to be gone too long, though, because it turns out Graham is sick, too, with the same stomach thing I have...but much, much worse. I guess it wasn't something I ate, but rather a bug of some sort.