Tri for the Roses Race Recap

Well, despite angst and doubt I completed my first sprint triathlon. And, bonus points, I far surpassed my goals- I finished 4th in my age group and 9th overall! In spite of my training being lack-luster and my run-throughs being less than impressive, I was able to push myself harder than I realized I could (kind of like I did during the Route 66 half marathon)- shows that racing is a very mental sport!

The night before, I eased my fears by doing what I do best- organize! Who knew you needed so much for a triathlon?! My bag contained: big and small towels (I was unsure if they provided something to dry off with, which they did), flip-flops, shoes, socks, a change of clothes, race outfit, water bottle, head band, goggles, watch, and ipod. Whew! Thats a lot.

 A quick shot before heading out that morning, nerves at their highest! Bag packed and ready to go!

Josh, being the wonderful husband that he is, volunteered to be my official groupie- taking pictures, lugging around my bag, and cheering as loudly as he could. However, I'm not a fan of this creeper photo- here I am walking into the fitness center. The triathlon was all indoors, which was awesome because it reached the upper 90s today! Racing in a 70 degree air conditioned room does wonders for your time.

Like any other race, first thing I did was pick up my packet. I was given a bib to pin on my shirt for the bike and run; you are also body marked with your number for the swim. #10 rocks!

We went in waves of 7 due to number of lanes and stationary bikes; I was in the second wave which started at 8:05. During the swim, I tried to remind myself not to hyperventilate and go too fast at the beginning. 

I felt like I paced myself well; my legs and arms didn't get tired but my lungs sure did! For me, swimming is so hard because you can't breath continuously like you can when running or biking; you have to condition your lungs to breath in a completely different way!

I finished my swim leg in 5:43, smashing my run-through times! Next, I ran to the transition area where I had my shirt, socks, shoes, and ipod waiting for me.

I hopped on the bike and began peddling as I got dressed- I had watched the first wave do this and it saved some major time during transition. I only had to bike 6 miles and I pushed myself hard.

The biking leg is where I did much better than I thought I would, knocking over 4 minutes off my run-through time and finishing in 20:27. Having someone peddling furiously next to me brought out a competitor-side of me that I never knew I had.

Before I knew it, I was off the bike and running laps around the track, 28 laps to be exact. Yea, I felt like a hamster running in so many circles. My trick was to choose a girl ahead of me and try to 'pick' them off one by one- very effective! It caused me to finish in 18:52, with an average pace of 9:26.

The person who was recording my laps finally signaled I was on my last lap and pointed me towards the finish. Victory!

My final race statistics:
Swim: 5:43 (initial goal-under 6min)
Bike: 20:27 (initial goal-21min)
Run: 18:52 (initial goal-under 18min)
Transition times: 1:23
Total: 46:25

Looks like I ended up being pretty close to my original plan! And look, a finisher's rose- my kind of race!

The top three in each age group, plus overall finisher, received a beautiful bouquet of roses. Sadly, I was a mere 1min,40sec from being in the top three of my devision. At least I have a new goal for next year!

And the best part about the day? My dad and brother came up to support me! Now that I think about it, they could have possibly been the key to me reaching my goals.

My muscles are super sore-I'll make sure and get good stretching in today and tomorrow.

And I think I might check out more spring triathlons- I feel so confident now! This may be my new obsession...exciting!