I went through many boxes before I found my triathlon gear, but when I found it, my race belt still had a race number on it from my last triathlon. August 2012. Ooooops. I thought I did one in the spring of 2013, but maybe not :-)
During nursing school I swam maybe 10 times.
I biked maybe 10 times.
All short and easy, because it was exhausting :-)
Good news: I ran almost every day, sometimes twice a day.
I signed up for Xterra Lory about 1 month ago and had my training all planned out. Well, that didn't go the way I hoped and I ended up swimming once in week 1 (1000 m) and once the day before the race (1000 m).
Running was right on track with tempo runs and track practice and even a few long runs.
Race day showed up and I had no idea if my wetsuit would rip from being retired for so long.
The weather was beautiful and the 59 degree lake was perfect.
The wetsuit didn't rip. SUCCESS.
The foggy mountains made it a perfect race start.
I even warmed up. The swim was around 800 m long and I knew my max was at 1000...mhhhh...I swam halfway to the first buoy and breast-stroked back.
Ironically I swam the exact same pace as I did when I trained in the pool 7 days/week. Ha. No more of that. 2 times a month is enough :-) I stopped 3 times to let water out of the goggles ( I borrowed them that morning because I couldn't find my OW ones).
I took my Sailfish wetsuit out of retirement. That suit is fantastic. No tired arms, no chafing. I actually really enjoyed the swim :-)
I like the road for riding and trails for running. Trails for riding make me feel scared. I lost A LOT of time on that ride. The first lap, I got passed by...I stopped counting how many peeps. The second lap was fun but still kind of slow. I am not sure if I liked the "moving over for passing" and being stuck in a "traffic jam" that happens in Xterras. I just smiled and tried to tell the competitive me that this is fun and a workout and not a race. I really enjoyed just being out there and riding fast (for me).
Onto the run, which I thought was 4.2miles, but actually was 5.2 miles.
2.5 miles up, 2.5 miles down.We ran not only over the first hill, but continued onto the second one!!!
I passed a few ladies but had no idea what place I was in. JR later told me after the finish that I came off the bike in 10th or so, so he didn't want to tell me during the race because he thought I would be sad. Good husband.
At mile 3, on a steep downhill part, I launched off my left foot to jump over a rock, but unfortunately landed on a sharp rock with my right foot. Ouch. It sounded like a chiropractor adjustment, but it did't feel good. I hobbled back for the last 2 miles, but was just happy to be out there.
I ended up 4th overall. This race attracted a lot of pro's and I was happy to be right in the mix after all that time off. I opted out on the water slide. I didn't have enough momentum and honestly didn't know what to do :-) Awkward moment :-) Later JR said it was probably a good idea, he saw a lot of people with bloody arms and legs who slid down it ;-)
My foot kept swelling and turned black and blue. Time to go get an Xray. Luckily nothing was broken, but a possible ligament tear (as per MD). Today is day 4 and it still feels funny and hurts, but tomorrow I want to go running again. This no running is not working for me :-)
I will definitely increase my riding between now and the next race (not the swimming), and I am so excited to ride my new FUSION bike. It is going in the mail today and I am hoping to have it built by this weekend. I cannot wait to ride for this great company, their bikes and wheels are fun and fast!!! But the bike needs its own blog.
