This one is a tradition. It was my first triathlon EVER in 2006 and has become an annual event for me. It's pretty much the first triathlon of the season and everyone is there. That is what makes Lake Mills a really fun tri. You get to see many of your friends whether they are competing or just hanging out.
Last year, I learned that I am a long course person. I like racing for longer distances and can typically stay strong for long periods of time before I get tired. Short stuff just isn't my thing. I never get in a groove really and well, it hurts. Lake Mills is a sprint tri, so I knew it was going to hurt.
The weather was perfect as usual. It was sunny, mild and light winds. A perfect day for any early summer triathlon. I found a good spot in transition and headed to registration. I waited to check in and saw many friends. It was really fun and reminded me why I LOVE doing this stuff.
Pre-Race
After getting my transition area organized, I put on my wetsuit, slapped on some body glide and headed to the Lake. I wanted to swim on the course and get used to the chilly water before the race kicked off. I'm very, VERY, VERY glad I did that. The water was icy cold on your face, hands and feet. I was actually shocked at how cold it was. I wondered if I would even get used it and I actually got nervous about my swim. I was in the 10th of 12 waves this year, so I had plenty of time to hang out in the water waiting to start. I saw quite a few friends, took a few pictures and mentally prepared myself for the race.
Swim - 1/4 mile
I positioned myself in the center this year, since our wave appeared larger then normal and most people were choosing the outside or inside to line up. The gun went off and it was on - 2008 tri season! I started swimming easy and relaxed, but was getting bumped, kicked, swam over. It was frustrating and annoying, but since I don't start aggressively it's something I have to deal with. By the time we hit the first buoy, I was ahead of the majority of my wave and swimming along smoothly. I eventually started to dodge people from the wave ahead of me. This was a little frustrating since a number of these people were doing a stroke other than freestyle. I managed to find another girl who was my speed in the water and she was carving us a nice swim lane towards shore. We stayed together until the shore and headed for T1.
T1
I tried to get through it as smoothly as possible, but luck wasn't on my side. My wetsuit was a struggle to get off, I broke something on my helmet and had trouble getting my bike off the rack. Shake it off and move along....
Bike- 15 miles
I really wanted to do well on the bike this year. I wanted to take a minute off of last year. I started out kinda easy and then 'dropped' the hammer so to speak. I tried to ride at 170 watts as best I could, avoid getting passed and be careful not to draft. I didn't feel horrible on the bike, but I didn't feel great either. I seemed to be doing a decent job of riding strong, since no one was passing me and I was passing most of the people I came upon. I ballparked the time on my watch since I didn't remember to hit the split button and thought I came in around 45 minutes. Not a minute faster than last year, but not too shabby either.
T2
T2 felt slow. I struggled getting my shoes on and just felt like it was forever before I set out on the run. I crossed the timing mat onto the run course, grabbed a cup of water and I was off
Run - 3.1 miles
My goal on the run was just to gut it out. I had just run the MadCity half a week before and didn't know if I was recovered or not. My legs felt like they were turning over fast and I tried to slow them down, but they just kept on moving. I was passing one person after another and knew I was running quickly. Only one person passed me on the run, which was a great feeling. Even though it was only 3 miles, I couldn't wait to get it over with. That's the bad part about doing a race 3 years in a row - when it hurts, you know exactly how far you have left to go.
I finished in 1:18:44. I was 1 minute, 14 seconds slower than last year. Kinda disappointing, but still a respectable time. Afterall, this isn't my distance and I'm ok with that. I was very happy to see a 12 second improvement in my swim and a personal best at the 5K distance for me! I knocked 40 seconds off of last year's 5K time. The bike was a disappointment. I was 2 minutes slower than last year. Oh well - it was still a really good day.
I was disappointed though. Joe was going to try and make it. He was working the night before and he wasn't sure if he'd get there or not. I never saw him on the course, so I assumed he hadn't made it.
I ran into some friends, exchanged race thoughts, grabbed a coke and went to pack my gear. I checked my phone. No call from Joe. I thought he would have at least called. While packing my bag, I got a text message. Maybe that was Joe - asking how my race was. I figured I'd check it when I was done packing my bag up. Then the phone rang and it was Joe.
Turns out - he did make it to the triathlon and had been waiting for me at the finish for 20 minutes! What a great surprise! He had missed me finish, but still was there to support me anyways. THAT was the best part of my entire day. I'm so thrilled that he was there - even if he never got to see me race.
Final Stats:
Swim: 7:32
T1: 1:42
Bike: 46:32
T2: 1:10
Run: 21:50
Total Time: 1:18:44
Gender Place: 19/269
AG Place: 6/38
Next BIG Race of the season is Saturday June 14th: Liberty Half Ironman in Maple Plain, MN.
No comments:
Post a Comment