...And They Came To Race
I knew something wasn't jiving correctly in my mind from the moment I stepped up to complete my race day registration. Next to me stood another athlete with his fancy Cervelo Tri bike and deep dish Zipp wheels. I thought to myself that he looked out of place!
The Trailblazer Triathlon takes place in the town of Medical Lake, Wa., population 4000. The triathlon is a fund raiser for the town and is held in conjunction with Medical Lake Founders Day. This weekend of fun doesn't even register a blip on the local event radar. I expected the race to be very small and mostly first timers, newbies and rookies like me. By the time the 4th Cervelo rolled by, I was starting to figure out I had pegged this race completely wrong!
As I set up my transition area, I couldn't help but hear the conversation around me... and it was All About Ironman!!! Ironman Coeur d' Alene is next Sunday, and these were local racers using this race as a warm up! There was so much buzz about IMCdA and other races, I kind of felt swept up in the excitement, like I was actually there! People were really nice and overly talkative! It was a lot of fun!
After the pre-race meeting, all the athletes were loaded into the back of trucks (now I know how those cows feel) and driven around to the other side of the lake. This wasn't an out and back swim, it was a straight across the lake swim! Awesome! (I hate going around buoys!)
Ok... so here is the race report.
Swim: It was steep and rocky getting into the lake. Some people got in and treaded water, while others stayed up on the shore. I found a flat boulder to stand on in about thigh deep water. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the trucks that dropped us off to get back around the lake. I was feeling sorry for the people without wetsuits because it was pretty cold! Then the race director waved a red flag to signal us to get ready, and then blew the air horn. And off we went!
This was my worst swim to date. Fortunately, I was a good distance away from the safety kayaks. Since I did nothing that resembled the freestyle stroke, they would have interpreted my flailing as a person in distress!
I started out well, but had to slow down after bumping into the feet of the guys in front of me. For some reason, I just couldn't get it together again after that. I flailed and floundered my way across the lake. It was so ugly, I'll spare you the description, lest I have to relive it. Oddly enough, my swim time was ok. It just tells me how much I can still improve at this sport!
This is a picture of the swim exit at Coney Island Park. The start of the swim is the rocky point seen across the lake. This is actually a little less than a quarter mile, but it sure looks like a lot further! The park is a dot of lakefront lawn which slopes steeply down to large boulders before a vertical drop into the water. At the swim exit, you had your choice between two ladders or a very short, steep ramp. I chose the ramp and was assisted by a nice strong hand that was pulling swimmers up out of the way.
T1: Up the hill, through the park and across the street to the transition area. Lost a little bit of time when I couldn't get my bike shoe on correctly, but no biggie. Off on the bike!
Bike: Nice bike loop around one of the other lakes in the area. (There are four here within a few miles of each other.) The bike was a lot of fun as it brought out my competitive spirit. I was passed by a woman (previous Ironman) who I had been chatting with while in the potty line. I passed her back, she passed me, and finally, I passed for the last time and won the bike. That made me feel good.
T2: I love T2 cuz it's so friggin' fast!
Run: I'm not the greatest runner, but I'm still out here plugging away! Someday... The run took place on a paved trail that encircled the lake in the picture. Within the first half mile, Iron Woman passed me and left me in her dust! Although, the run was still eventful. By about mile one, I slowed down to give some encouragement to a gal that was walking. In the short time we ran together, she invited me to join her mountain biking group! I told ya people were really nice! (Urs would say a little too nice, I think!) :)
The final results:
Swim: 400 meters +/- 8:09
T1: 1:36
Bike: 12 miles 39:33 Avg. Speed 18.3mph
T2: :20
Run: 5k 26:11
Overall: 1:15:51 69/106
Now, this is only my 4th triathlon, but I have to say, this was the best one so far. The athletes were outgoing and friendly and the race was cheap! $30 bought everyone a nice T-shirt, a finishers medal and really nice trophies for each age group two deep! This will definitely be a must do race next year!
The Trailblazer Triathlon takes place in the town of Medical Lake, Wa., population 4000. The triathlon is a fund raiser for the town and is held in conjunction with Medical Lake Founders Day. This weekend of fun doesn't even register a blip on the local event radar. I expected the race to be very small and mostly first timers, newbies and rookies like me. By the time the 4th Cervelo rolled by, I was starting to figure out I had pegged this race completely wrong!
As I set up my transition area, I couldn't help but hear the conversation around me... and it was All About Ironman!!! Ironman Coeur d' Alene is next Sunday, and these were local racers using this race as a warm up! There was so much buzz about IMCdA and other races, I kind of felt swept up in the excitement, like I was actually there! People were really nice and overly talkative! It was a lot of fun!
After the pre-race meeting, all the athletes were loaded into the back of trucks (now I know how those cows feel) and driven around to the other side of the lake. This wasn't an out and back swim, it was a straight across the lake swim! Awesome! (I hate going around buoys!)
Ok... so here is the race report.
Swim: It was steep and rocky getting into the lake. Some people got in and treaded water, while others stayed up on the shore. I found a flat boulder to stand on in about thigh deep water. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the trucks that dropped us off to get back around the lake. I was feeling sorry for the people without wetsuits because it was pretty cold! Then the race director waved a red flag to signal us to get ready, and then blew the air horn. And off we went!
This was my worst swim to date. Fortunately, I was a good distance away from the safety kayaks. Since I did nothing that resembled the freestyle stroke, they would have interpreted my flailing as a person in distress!
I started out well, but had to slow down after bumping into the feet of the guys in front of me. For some reason, I just couldn't get it together again after that. I flailed and floundered my way across the lake. It was so ugly, I'll spare you the description, lest I have to relive it. Oddly enough, my swim time was ok. It just tells me how much I can still improve at this sport!
This is a picture of the swim exit at Coney Island Park. The start of the swim is the rocky point seen across the lake. This is actually a little less than a quarter mile, but it sure looks like a lot further! The park is a dot of lakefront lawn which slopes steeply down to large boulders before a vertical drop into the water. At the swim exit, you had your choice between two ladders or a very short, steep ramp. I chose the ramp and was assisted by a nice strong hand that was pulling swimmers up out of the way.T1: Up the hill, through the park and across the street to the transition area. Lost a little bit of time when I couldn't get my bike shoe on correctly, but no biggie. Off on the bike!
Bike: Nice bike loop around one of the other lakes in the area. (There are four here within a few miles of each other.) The bike was a lot of fun as it brought out my competitive spirit. I was passed by a woman (previous Ironman) who I had been chatting with while in the potty line. I passed her back, she passed me, and finally, I passed for the last time and won the bike. That made me feel good.
T2: I love T2 cuz it's so friggin' fast!
Run: I'm not the greatest runner, but I'm still out here plugging away! Someday... The run took place on a paved trail that encircled the lake in the picture. Within the first half mile, Iron Woman passed me and left me in her dust! Although, the run was still eventful. By about mile one, I slowed down to give some encouragement to a gal that was walking. In the short time we ran together, she invited me to join her mountain biking group! I told ya people were really nice! (Urs would say a little too nice, I think!) :)
The final results:
Swim: 400 meters +/- 8:09
T1: 1:36
Bike: 12 miles 39:33 Avg. Speed 18.3mph
T2: :20
Run: 5k 26:11
Overall: 1:15:51 69/106
Now, this is only my 4th triathlon, but I have to say, this was the best one so far. The athletes were outgoing and friendly and the race was cheap! $30 bought everyone a nice T-shirt, a finishers medal and really nice trophies for each age group two deep! This will definitely be a must do race next year!
posted by Barb at 8:03 PM
4 Comments:
Great race report, Barb. I know exactly how you felt about not getting back into a swim groove after hitting traffic. My coach tells me to breast stroke a while to right myself and then return to freestyle.
That's four races. When's the fifth?
Stay tuned...
Nice race!!! I hate when the swim doesn't go well...it can really set you up for a mental meltdown. Fortunately you kept a level head and pushed on! Great job! I would love to do an across the lake swim!!! Very fun!!!
Holy crap Barb! Way to kick some butt. Nice race report.
Fantastic race! Great time! Don't worry about the "big guys." They're at every race. I used to be so intimidated. I guess I still am but there will always be people faster than me and people slower than me. I'm just me. Anyway, sounds like you did just that. The swim will get easier. I always feel like I have a hard time getting "in my groove" during the swim. All those people flailing about. However 8 minutes for 400 meters? Sounds like you did great.
Post a Comment
<< Home