As ya'll know Mike and I got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed to Bright's Grove for my first (and this year probably...only) triathlon of the year. We got there in plenty of time to have our pick of place on the bike rack, and head inside the school for our packet pick-up and marking. There was no line-up, and they were super organized - including our "swag bags". The shirts this year were really nice...here we are sporting our shirts the next day at the kids race
Also included in our bags were a toothbrush and deodorant. After we got all marked up, we headed back to transition to get all our stuff laid out and ready. About 40min before any of the races were starting there was a mandatory pre-race meeting, at which they went over the courses a little bit, and highlighted any of the important "rules" that you needed to know about.
I had entered the sprint triathlon distance this year which was a 400m swim, an 18km bike and finished up with a 4km run. The race started right on time with a one wave swim start for the sprint...so at 9:10am...we were off
Swim
I felt most prepared coming into this race for the swim portion. I have been doing quite a but of swimming this season, so I felt very comfortable with the distance that I needed to cover...that was until I got in the lake that day. Unlike Mike, I do not have a wetsuit, so I was wearing a one-piece speedo suit. I was really getting trampled in the water (which in turn meant I was getting well hydrated during the swim ). The final straw for me though was at one point someone's foot got stuck down the front of my suit, so at that point, I regrouped and decided to finish out the swim with a side stroke. This meant that I was no longer getting kicked in the face, I wasn't swallowing water...and I could see where I was going, and where others were. I realize that this stroke was not going to get me out of the water as quickly as front crawl would, but it was about survival and enjoying myself...so it is what it is. Once exiting the water, we had to climb over a little wall and up on to the staircase, run up the stairs, and then about another 200m to the transition time (all of this is included in your swim time). Swim for me ended up being 11:09. I'm not going to lie...it felt a lot longer then that when I was out in the water, so I was actually pleasantly surprised.
T1
I knew that this transition would be my longest, since I was going to be gearing up for the rest of the race at this time. Although I have a road bike, I do not have bike shoes and clips, so during this transition I was putting on my socks and running shoes to wear for both the bike and run. T1 was 2:30
Bike
Before the race had started, I had told my MIL that I would like to complete the bike in about 45min. I set out on the bike and for some reason or another, it took me a few km's to get my breathing calmed down and under control. But once I did, I just hunkered down the best I could and enjoyed the scenery. The head winds were CRAZY, so it did make the bike a little more difficult. I was at least looking forward to a little tail wind after the turn-around, which did happen for a few km's before the crosswind came and stayed for the rest of the race. Bike was 44:11
...and this year when I hopped off my bike, I was actually able to jog back into transition (something I was not able to do AT ALL last year)
T2
I racked by bike, took off my helmet and put on my visor and was pretty much ready to head out on to the run. My watch didn't synch up while I was in transition, so I actually just cancelled it before heading out of the T2 area. T2 was 55sec
Run
The run was the one are that I thought I was actually really going to struggle with. Right away, I wanted to walk and my knee was bothering me, but I didn't (and can I just add that I was so proud my myself for that). I just kept repeating to myself "slow and steady", "just keep going"...and that's exactly what I did. I just kept chugging along. After the 1st turnaround, I had a little cheering section (my in-laws, Kennedy and our neighbour from the cottage). I got some high-fives, and a little boost from seeing them....I was almost done...just keep pushing. Since my watch hadn't linked up, I actually did not know what my running pace was, but I knew that I was on schedule (if I kept pushing) to finish under 1:30...which made me a little excited. Run was 28:02
And I finished with a time of 1:26:56...and I physically felt great too!!!
This has by far gotta be one of my favourite races to participate in. The course is flat and beautiful. It is always very well run and organized. And we cannot forget about the best part...the post race meal, put on by the church ladies
The weather held out for us, and we actually could not have asked for better racing weather. It was a great race, and I am very happy with how I did, and even more important then that - I enjoyed myself and had a great time...and for me, that's what it's all about.
What's your go to post-race food?
Are you in it to win it, or out to enjoy yourself?
Love this post! The sprint-tri sounds like fun. Sounds like you rocked it! And yummy food at the end! Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteGood job !!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chelsea...have you ever thought about trying one?!?
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris!
ReplyDeleteRead the comment I wrote on Mike's post...lolol
ReplyDeleteWell...you could always do the duathlon...run...bike...run...that sounds right up your alley!
ReplyDeleteGood job Michelle!! That food look amazing! Maybe I will do the du next year.
ReplyDeleteI love that you did the side stroke while swimming. The swim portion is the main reason I have no desire to do a triathlon but I could handle a side stroke!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job beating your goal times for the bike and overall!!!
You did awesome girl!! I LOL'd about someones foot getting stuck in your swimming suit!!! The mental picture I get from that is hilarious. I'm sure that was not funny though, so I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you for not walking during the run too!
As long as I'm breathing I will never do a tri. I would just freak out during the swim. I'd rather run 100 miles. :)
Sounds good...you know we'll be there again!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim. If swiming just ain't your thing you could always do the du-athlon...run...bike...run
ReplyDeleteI was like seriously?!?!?...I knew I was not going to be winning, so side-stroke it was :)
ReplyDeleteGreat work!! I knew you were looking forward to this when we talked about it the week before! Nice work beating goals too, kicking butt!
ReplyDelete