Another Olympic Triathlon done...check it off the list...Nations is now over. What a day. Who would have expected that I not only would have to battle fatigue and head games, but also extreme weather. Instead of the heat of the DC Tri in June, Nations was all about cooler temperatures and rain...and more rain...and then showers...and then a few more showers.
I arrived at transition close to 6:00 am and it was already lightly raining. Luckily I had an old cheap-o poncho that I grabbed as I rolled out the door. Thank goodness! Upon arriving to my bike the skies opened up and rain started to dump down on us. I also discovered that the spot where I was supposed to set up my gear was literally a hole filling with water. I immediately felt dejected. I finally found a way to prop up my stuff by stuffing my Finding Nemo towel into the hole, setting up my stuff and covered it with a plastic bad. Nice!
As the rain started to fall I looked around and noticed many faces with the same look --- "what the hell am I doing here????" I was already starting to get cold and wet. I followed others' lead and put on my wetsuit to keep warm.
After a delayed start, I met up with some Snapple kids to wait close to THREE HOURS for our swim wave. The good news is that I was able to see many of the elite athletes in action. The bad news was that it was hard to stay motivated waiting around chatting with folks. Here's a pix of some of us wandering around looking for the bathroom.
THE SWIM [30:40; 46 of 261 in my age group]
Finally, it was time to swim! I foolishly played it safe and again lined up to the right. Note to self, if and when I do this shit again I need to put myself in a MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE position closer to the buoys. Stop being a loser! I am fast enough to push ahead quickly and would finish stronger if I didn't have to swim further to then cut back closer to the buoys after the 300-400 meter buoy. Live and learn.
Overall, I felt like I was cruising. I passed a lot of people and caught folks two to three waves in front of me. Interestingly, this one chick and I battled for quite awhile stroke for stroke. It was literally getting on my nerves to see her face every other breathe. I just wanted to kick her in the kidneys. I ended up losing her during a crowded turn toward the end of the course.
I felt really good coming out of the water. I motored up and out and felt great. I easily got my arms out of my wetsuit almost immediately and was chugging toward the gauntlet. I was annoyed with the folks walking up the ramp. Get out of my way people!! It seriously was a BIG pump to run through that crowd. Bonus that I saw Mark, Jenny and Coach Katie F.!
I was bummed to not break into the 20-minute zone, but I was comforted by others who said they felt a current on the River that morning.
T1 [5:21; 49 of 261 in my age group]
What a mess. Due to the mud I carefully navigated through the transition area. I was proud that I was able to get out of my wetsuit, but then had to balance so as not to fall into the mud that was now the majority of my transition area. Poor Finding Nemo. He was a wet, mud covered towel.
THE BIKE [1:24:12; 83 of 261 in my age group]
I really felt good on the bike. I passed a lot of people on the bike --- too bad most of them apparently were not in my age group. Though I lost a lot of ground here from the swim, I am happy because I felt technically more proficient this time vs at the DC Tri.
Thank goodness the only technical issue I experienced was that my sunglasses broke on the Whitehurst Freeway and I had to toss them. Bummer since whenever I passed someone I got water/dirt splashed in my face. Here's a picture coming into the final turn before heading into transition. Notice the fellow Snapple kid to my right. Go Snapple Go!
T2 aka ONE HOT MESS [5:24]
For reasons I still cannot explain, I went brain-dead when I entered the transition area with my bike. Even though I knew I was in row 14, I couldn't find my stuff. It seriously was NOT funny. I finally discovered that my stuff had shifted and was now slightly submerged in the cater that was my transition area. Thankfully a fellow racer stopped and actually helped me. She admitted that she was in no rush to start the run....which made us both laugh.
I again had to balance to get into my running shoes without falling into the mud. I lost SERIOUS ground here.
THE RUN [1:12:14; 161 OF 261]
After the drama in T2, I just never seemed to get my game back. I should have been pissed off, but instead I started feeling sick again on the run. By mile 2.5 my stomach was really upset and all I wanted to do was stop and throw up in a gutter. I just kept motoring, many times quite slowly, along. There were moments that were true misery. A fellow runner actually rolled up next to me to ask if I was ok.
In retrospect I think I still have not mastered how much glu and water to take in during the bike and run. I very likely am over hydrating because it's like I immediately get a sour stomach during the run leg and popping TUMS just doesn't seem to fix the problem.
A half mile to the finish I could hear cheering and as I crested the bridge I could see the finish line. I have never been so happy to see cheering crowds. Somehow I literally turned on the jets, increased my stride and just gutted it out into the finish line. I'll admit it --- I teared up as I got close to the finish line.
TAKE AWAYS FOR NEXT TIME
- Stop procrastinating and get my ass to Masters
- Accept that I need to line up more aggressively on the swim line and keep the fight strong throughout the swim
- Continue getting stronger on the bike by integrating more interval work
- Do everything possible to get my run back under control
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