Racing Stream of Consciousness
I said this was going to be a fun trip from the packing all the way until the moment I stepped foot in my apartment again. And fun it was! I had to pack everything I would need into one backpack - both transition gear and general clothing to wear home. This was because I had to navigate the subway system with my bike and knew that the bike alone would be challenging.
I left the apartment, navigated the sidewalks, stairs, and turnstiles just fine. Got on the subway and promptly fell over Scott and onto my face as the train started moving. Well, just making sure I keep up the habit of only falling while standing still. Very nice gentlemen helped me up, I brushed it off, and managed to navigate the train station, buying a ticket, finding P (the guy I was travelling with who brought TWO bags and his bike) and getting on the next two trains without incident. Oh yeah. Except for the minor problem that falling onto Scott had jacked up his rear brake. P promised to fix it once we arrived and we were off.
Arrived in Montauk, biked the 3 miles into town feeling totally hard core as SUV after SUV with tri bikes strapped on top went whizzing by. Picked up our race packets, found our hotels (which were within 1 mile of the transition area), got dinner (mmmmm...fresh fish!), fixed Scott's brake, and had the "psyche yourself out" pep talk. I obsessed about making sure I had as many things taken care of in advance as possible, set three alarms for 5:30 (transition opened at 6 and was first come first serve), checked my right hip to discover a huge softball sized bruise forming, and was in bed by 9pm.
Today's forecast: 61 with scattered showers in the AM (58F at 6am). Water temp: 60F
Slept like a log and woke up feeling refreshed - naturally since getting out of bed was like stepping into the artic. It looked like it had rained all night so I was hopeful that the storm was gone. It was freezing outside so I put on every piece of clothing I had brought with me except the pants I wore on the train.
Got to transition early. Set up. Bike on rack, helmet open upside down - two gels and my race belt inside. Laid out towel, bike shoes open with socks on top, running shoes with running hat on top, extras bag (tylenol, laces, bandaids, extra contacts, extra socks, antibiotic ointment, etc). Walked around. Looked at the buoys in the lake (it is a salt water lake), stretched, used the bathroom (for 600 participants there were 4 porta-potties!!!!!!), found my bike from swim exit, found bike exit from my bike, caked myself in BodyGlide and put on the wetsuit. Went down to the water and found my wave already in the water. I was half way out to where they were treading when the gun went off.
The benefit of 60 degree water? It feels warm when the air temp is 58. The swim was magnificent. I was too preoccupied with siting to notice that time was going by and before I knew it I was back at the beginning. Clock read 45:00.
T1 6:00+ Maybe I had a tea party in there. I certainly took enough time! Dried feet, put on socks, stashed gels in jersey, put on long-sleeved shirt, race belt, and helmet. It was starting to rain. Headed out of T1 to staff yelling that the roads were slick.
The benefit of rain on a bike ride? It washes off the salt from the lake. I spun easily to warm up my legs and headed for the first turn around which was in sight of the ocean. If you've ever lived near the ocean you'll understand the significance of this in the rain: wind - evil beautiful wind. It was so strong I almost got knocked over. I smiled. Headwinds have a wonderful way of turning into tailwinds. I warmed up and cranked Scott into the big chain ring. First hill - hey, that's smaller than the hill in the park. No problem. Headwind - that's right. Got to make sure I earn this. I love this! Uphill means downhill on the other side. Downhill means 30+mph. 5 miles. 10 miles. Caught the girl I came out of the swim with. 15 miles. More headwind. Barely cracking 11 mph and the legs were starting to burn. That's nice. Burn on burn on. Glad to know I'm working out here.
Time to break out the showtunes stored in my brain. First line out of a song that popped into my head "just slow down". Ooh! Wrong song! Next. Hmmm...shuffle shuffle...ah yes. Eminem. Perfect. "You better lose yourself in the music, the moment/You own it, you better never let it go/You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow/This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo" Limp Bizkit "keep rollin' rollin' rollin'" 14, 15mph into that headwind. Boats started appearing. Must be close to another turn around. Turn around. Get into aero. 19, 20 mph. "keep rollin' rollin' rollin'" I was getting passed left and right. People making comments about the brutal weather. What brutal weather? This rain? These hills? This wind? Rain. I'm not overheating. Hills. They're miniscule compared to Central Park's Harlem Hill. Wind. We were sheltered from the worst of it in all but three places. Besides. The last time I biked in that kind of wind I had semi-trucks flying by me. Try staying upright when your wind patterns are changing every three seconds. I'm loving this! What? It's already over? I'd only been out there a little over an hour and was just settling into my groove!
T2 3:00+ Couldn't feel my feet. Changed socks. Threw on my running hat. Was thankful I bought yankz last week as the poor guy next to me was struggling to tie his shoelaces with numb fingers.
The beauty of frozen feet? You can't feel any of the normal pain at the beginning of the run. Started out running at a nice high cadence but slow speed. People kept passing me. I was yelling encouragement as they ran by. It distracted me from my numb feet. Mile 1. One down 5.2 to go. Right calf and ankle started cramping. That's ok. That always happens. Keep going - stopping won't hurt less. Just work it out. Shake out the ankle on the push-offs. Aid station. Great. Run through it. Kept moving. The feet had warmed up enough to feel like I had an extra sock shoved into my left shoe. Did a mental sock inventory. One pair I'd just taken off. The other pair I had put in my backpack. Must be the numbness. Just keep running. I'll walk the aid station at mile 2. Mile 2. Where's the aid station? [insert colorful phrasing] there is no aid station. That's ok. See...there's a slight incline there. You'll get relief on the downhill just past it. Mile 3. I was starting to hit my stride. The feet had warmed up but I was starting to get hungry. I shuffled up a hill and turned a corner as a spectator yelled "keep going...you're doing great!" I ate a gel. By the time I ran back by the spectator my pace had picked up as the gel started kicking in. He yelled "you look stronger coming back than you did going out!" I kept running. More people pass me. Talking about how long of a day it has been. I was thinking "it's only been 3 hours! This is not long people!" I replied "we're almost there. Enjoy the ride!" Mile 4. Aid station. I walked it. 15 seconds. Start running again. Hills are my friends. They contain a wonderful relief on the other side. I want to stop. Do you REALLY want to stop? HELL NO!! Mile 5. 1.2 left. I've got this in the bag! Keep moving. If you've got anything left pick up the pace. Ummm...brain...did you tell the legs to go faster? Yes. Well what the heck? We're still going the same speed! I know...they're not listening anymore. Ok. Fine.
200 yds to go. The sun has come out. It's warming up. I accelerate into the finish. Unofficial time: 3hrs 25minutes. I'm screaming, I'm smiling. I'm ready to go do it all again. I AM A TRIATHLETE! I am not last!
I have way too much energy for having just finished this race. Come on. We have to go again! I didn't give it everything I had! I'm babbling and P is just laughing. Wait! How did he do?! 4th in his AG?! That's great! But so frustrating...missed the podium by one place! GUH! Refuel. Clean up transition. Everything I own is soaked. Head back to the hotel. Shower. Put on long-sleeved jersey again as it's the driest thing I have with me now. Go to award ceremony. Times have been adjusted. P has finished 3rd in his AG! He's on the podium. They read the awards. 3rd place 20-24 category. Not P. WHAT?! 2nd place 20-24 category - P! Woohoo! 4 to 3 to 2! Outstanding!
Raffle tickets. Ooh! I won some Hammer Gel! 15 minutes later. Load up and bike back to the train station. Minor hill. GUH! Granny gear. Sucking wind. Ok. Point made. I'm tired! I'm tired but I AM A TRIATHLETE!
Official finish time: 3:18:42.5 (age group: 25 out of 29/overall: 470 out of 503).
Recap and more objective comments tomorrow.
I left the apartment, navigated the sidewalks, stairs, and turnstiles just fine. Got on the subway and promptly fell over Scott and onto my face as the train started moving. Well, just making sure I keep up the habit of only falling while standing still. Very nice gentlemen helped me up, I brushed it off, and managed to navigate the train station, buying a ticket, finding P (the guy I was travelling with who brought TWO bags and his bike) and getting on the next two trains without incident. Oh yeah. Except for the minor problem that falling onto Scott had jacked up his rear brake. P promised to fix it once we arrived and we were off.
Arrived in Montauk, biked the 3 miles into town feeling totally hard core as SUV after SUV with tri bikes strapped on top went whizzing by. Picked up our race packets, found our hotels (which were within 1 mile of the transition area), got dinner (mmmmm...fresh fish!), fixed Scott's brake, and had the "psyche yourself out" pep talk. I obsessed about making sure I had as many things taken care of in advance as possible, set three alarms for 5:30 (transition opened at 6 and was first come first serve), checked my right hip to discover a huge softball sized bruise forming, and was in bed by 9pm.
Today's forecast: 61 with scattered showers in the AM (58F at 6am). Water temp: 60F
Slept like a log and woke up feeling refreshed - naturally since getting out of bed was like stepping into the artic. It looked like it had rained all night so I was hopeful that the storm was gone. It was freezing outside so I put on every piece of clothing I had brought with me except the pants I wore on the train.
Got to transition early. Set up. Bike on rack, helmet open upside down - two gels and my race belt inside. Laid out towel, bike shoes open with socks on top, running shoes with running hat on top, extras bag (tylenol, laces, bandaids, extra contacts, extra socks, antibiotic ointment, etc). Walked around. Looked at the buoys in the lake (it is a salt water lake), stretched, used the bathroom (for 600 participants there were 4 porta-potties!!!!!!), found my bike from swim exit, found bike exit from my bike, caked myself in BodyGlide and put on the wetsuit. Went down to the water and found my wave already in the water. I was half way out to where they were treading when the gun went off.
The benefit of 60 degree water? It feels warm when the air temp is 58. The swim was magnificent. I was too preoccupied with siting to notice that time was going by and before I knew it I was back at the beginning. Clock read 45:00.
T1 6:00+ Maybe I had a tea party in there. I certainly took enough time! Dried feet, put on socks, stashed gels in jersey, put on long-sleeved shirt, race belt, and helmet. It was starting to rain. Headed out of T1 to staff yelling that the roads were slick.
The benefit of rain on a bike ride? It washes off the salt from the lake. I spun easily to warm up my legs and headed for the first turn around which was in sight of the ocean. If you've ever lived near the ocean you'll understand the significance of this in the rain: wind - evil beautiful wind. It was so strong I almost got knocked over. I smiled. Headwinds have a wonderful way of turning into tailwinds. I warmed up and cranked Scott into the big chain ring. First hill - hey, that's smaller than the hill in the park. No problem. Headwind - that's right. Got to make sure I earn this. I love this! Uphill means downhill on the other side. Downhill means 30+mph. 5 miles. 10 miles. Caught the girl I came out of the swim with. 15 miles. More headwind. Barely cracking 11 mph and the legs were starting to burn. That's nice. Burn on burn on. Glad to know I'm working out here.
Time to break out the showtunes stored in my brain. First line out of a song that popped into my head "just slow down". Ooh! Wrong song! Next. Hmmm...shuffle shuffle...ah yes. Eminem. Perfect. "You better lose yourself in the music, the moment/You own it, you better never let it go/You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow/This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo" Limp Bizkit "keep rollin' rollin' rollin'" 14, 15mph into that headwind. Boats started appearing. Must be close to another turn around. Turn around. Get into aero. 19, 20 mph. "keep rollin' rollin' rollin'" I was getting passed left and right. People making comments about the brutal weather. What brutal weather? This rain? These hills? This wind? Rain. I'm not overheating. Hills. They're miniscule compared to Central Park's Harlem Hill. Wind. We were sheltered from the worst of it in all but three places. Besides. The last time I biked in that kind of wind I had semi-trucks flying by me. Try staying upright when your wind patterns are changing every three seconds. I'm loving this! What? It's already over? I'd only been out there a little over an hour and was just settling into my groove!
T2 3:00+ Couldn't feel my feet. Changed socks. Threw on my running hat. Was thankful I bought yankz last week as the poor guy next to me was struggling to tie his shoelaces with numb fingers.
The beauty of frozen feet? You can't feel any of the normal pain at the beginning of the run. Started out running at a nice high cadence but slow speed. People kept passing me. I was yelling encouragement as they ran by. It distracted me from my numb feet. Mile 1. One down 5.2 to go. Right calf and ankle started cramping. That's ok. That always happens. Keep going - stopping won't hurt less. Just work it out. Shake out the ankle on the push-offs. Aid station. Great. Run through it. Kept moving. The feet had warmed up enough to feel like I had an extra sock shoved into my left shoe. Did a mental sock inventory. One pair I'd just taken off. The other pair I had put in my backpack. Must be the numbness. Just keep running. I'll walk the aid station at mile 2. Mile 2. Where's the aid station? [insert colorful phrasing] there is no aid station. That's ok. See...there's a slight incline there. You'll get relief on the downhill just past it. Mile 3. I was starting to hit my stride. The feet had warmed up but I was starting to get hungry. I shuffled up a hill and turned a corner as a spectator yelled "keep going...you're doing great!" I ate a gel. By the time I ran back by the spectator my pace had picked up as the gel started kicking in. He yelled "you look stronger coming back than you did going out!" I kept running. More people pass me. Talking about how long of a day it has been. I was thinking "it's only been 3 hours! This is not long people!" I replied "we're almost there. Enjoy the ride!" Mile 4. Aid station. I walked it. 15 seconds. Start running again. Hills are my friends. They contain a wonderful relief on the other side. I want to stop. Do you REALLY want to stop? HELL NO!! Mile 5. 1.2 left. I've got this in the bag! Keep moving. If you've got anything left pick up the pace. Ummm...brain...did you tell the legs to go faster? Yes. Well what the heck? We're still going the same speed! I know...they're not listening anymore. Ok. Fine.
200 yds to go. The sun has come out. It's warming up. I accelerate into the finish. Unofficial time: 3hrs 25minutes. I'm screaming, I'm smiling. I'm ready to go do it all again. I AM A TRIATHLETE! I am not last!
I have way too much energy for having just finished this race. Come on. We have to go again! I didn't give it everything I had! I'm babbling and P is just laughing. Wait! How did he do?! 4th in his AG?! That's great! But so frustrating...missed the podium by one place! GUH! Refuel. Clean up transition. Everything I own is soaked. Head back to the hotel. Shower. Put on long-sleeved jersey again as it's the driest thing I have with me now. Go to award ceremony. Times have been adjusted. P has finished 3rd in his AG! He's on the podium. They read the awards. 3rd place 20-24 category. Not P. WHAT?! 2nd place 20-24 category - P! Woohoo! 4 to 3 to 2! Outstanding!
Raffle tickets. Ooh! I won some Hammer Gel! 15 minutes later. Load up and bike back to the train station. Minor hill. GUH! Granny gear. Sucking wind. Ok. Point made. I'm tired! I'm tired but I AM A TRIATHLETE!
Official finish time: 3:18:42.5 (age group: 25 out of 29/overall: 470 out of 503).
Recap and more objective comments tomorrow.
posted by Habeela at 9:32 PM
19 Comments:
Woo hoo! How cool... your first tri, an olympic in the rain! I'm only on my 2nd season, but I don't think any other race will ever be as neat as my first one last year (except obviously, an Ironman finish). Just getting to your race sounds like an unofficial 4th event.
Congratulations, oh Kindred Spirit of the Olympic Newbie! I would hate to tell you my conditions today; beautfiul cool, overcast skies, warm lake, typical zero L.A. humidity... I feel like I was on vacation compared with what you went through. But the greater the challenge, the sweeter the victory.
Congrats - Awesome race report and great attitude while tackling all of the obstacles during the race!!
congratulations! i respect a woman who only falls standing still. it's what i do with snow skis on.
i think if i ever did a triathalon, i would never wash the number off my leg.
are tris better at getting out of the house because of th organisation they have for their transitions?
You are AWESOME! Rock on, girl!
un-bee-lee-vable!
your first tri -- olympic -- and you just crushed it!!
and, unless you are just putting on a happy face for us -- you acutally enjoyed it!!!
great race, great report, well done.
Congratulations! You did super and it sounded as if you didn't want the whole thing to end...even when you were so uncomfortable! That's true triathlon spirit! I bet you are wlaking on air today and re-living each moment. Nice report...I got cold reading it!
Whooo Haaaa... Outstanding....
Dad
Congratulations TRIATHLETE!! Well done!!!! That's a great time, too!!
awesome job on your first tri!
You are a Triathlete!!! What a great, clean race, you can see how well you trained by how you handled all the mental obstacles. Awesome. And the great, energized feeling at the end, that's the part that addicts you to the sport :) It's always there, no matter how hard you push. Well done Habeela!
Hey – I’m a triathlete in Atlanta, and I just found this great website you or your blog audience might be interested in. It’s sportsnutritionclinic.com – it lets you enter workouts, food intake, and a number of other factors and then gives you feedback on your within-day energy balance. It’s a great system, and it’s backed by some really credible people in sports nutrition. You should check it out! I was able to get a 30% off discount code that I’m passing along. If you’re interested, go to sportsnutritionclinic.com and
enter the code: SNCBC626 in the group/promo code field on the bottom of the signup page. Good luck!
Woo hoo!!! cyber high five. Electronic group hug! How 'bout us newbie triathlete olympic distance . . .er . . comptetitor people.
You have got the mental game wired. Can't wait for your next race. Rock on.
Great job on your first tri!
congrats... awesome job!!! what's next?
GREAT JOB!!! You are a triathlete!!! :) Loved reading about it.
yeah yeah...woohoo...Congrats on finishing your first tri. You've earned your stripes and deserve the triathlete label! woot woot
Great job and welcome to the ranks! A little more training and you'll be blasting the Steelhead course - see you there!
That's AWESOME! I hope I do as well in 2 weeks. 2nd in your AG? Awesome. Way to go for being so positive under such adverse conditions. I HATE the cold. Ugh. Especially swimming in cold water and then biking when you're all cold and wet. I HATE that. And biking in the rain? I'm a total wimp. By the way, I love that Eminem song.
Post a Comment
<< Home