Saturday marked my second racing of the NYRR Sprint Triathlon in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and a year since my first triathlon ever. Although last year I had high hopes for the race, and at my most optimistic, wanted to finish in 1:30:xx, due to a minor mechanical issue with my bike (brake line hitting wheel = Galit going @6mph for the first 8 miles), I finished in 1:58:59 - 25/28 in my AG and 408/436 OA. Lame. Disappointing. Even for a newbie triathlete. This year I was intent on redeeming myself.
Originally I had the same aspirations as last year - finishing in under one and a half hours. But at swim practice a few weeks ago, Nate threw out a casual - "I bet you could finish in under 1:15", and my crazy, obsessive, competitive self had to see it that was possible. Crunching the numbers, I saw that it would be, if and only if I ran an ideal race. Read: Swimming in under 9:00, Biking at an average of 20 MPH (39 minutes) which I had never done before either in practice or in a race, and running in under 25. Plus of course, having super-fast transitions. I thought it unlikely that I could attain this goal, but if you don't shoot for the stars, how will you ever fly?
I had my race day plan in place - wake up at 4:15 AM, get dressed, have a proper pre-race breakfast (toast, almond butter, banana, plus a cup of iced coffee), get my stuff in my car, then pick up Nate at 5 and make it to the race by 5:30 - when transition opened. As usual, my stuff was packed the night before, and my hydration was in the freezer - very important as the high temp was supposed to reach 98 degrees. Since I was sleeping in Amit's room (the only one with A/C), I set both my alarm clock and hers, in case of mechanical failure, and fell asleep. Fortunately, I slept solid until 3:00 AM, when I jumped awake . When I saw how early it was, I went back to sleep, and told my body to wake me up at 4AM. But apparently, it didn't want to listen. The next time I jumped out of bed, it was because the sun was rising - much late than the 4:15 wake-up time I had programed into TWO alarm clocks. I ran to my room to double check the time, and saw that it was 5:15. Thank goodness I had packed my bag and laid out my clothes the night before!
I ran around doing the last minute things I had to do - get dressed, eat, get coffee ready, call Nate 9who was going to walk over), contacts, brush teeth, bottles out of freezer, go, go, GO!! When I got downstairs at just before 5:30, Nate was there - he tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to calm me down, and helped me get my bicycle in the car. Then we were off. Thank goodness for empty roads! We got a little lost in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, making the same mistake as last year, but finally ended up in the parking lot. After some wheel inflation snafus on my part (causing yet more panic from me), we finally headed over to transition.
Fortunately, once there, there was not much more to do. Lay out cycling shoes, sneakers, helmet and sunglasses, running cap and running hydration. Put on my HR monitor and watch, and that was it - time to head to the port-o-john for one last relief stop, and await race instructions before we all headed in to the pool. It feels like I've done it so many times before, that now all those pieces click into place.
Because the swim was in a pool, instead of starting in waves, and in most races I've attended, we each go at 10 second intervals. In order for people of similar speeds to swim at the same time, and not cause pool congestion, they had us line up based on anticipated 400 meter speed. I lined up at the end of the 7:00 minute, and beginning of the 8:00 minute swimmers. After watching the super fast 6 minute swimmers snake through the lanes (first swimmer was out in under 6!), it was soon my turn to go. I got a countdown from 5, then ran across the timing mat, and feet first into the pool.
I was a little surprised to find myself completely calm. No nerves at all. I kept my stroke nice and smooth, and found myself passing people in each lane (we snaked through 8 lanes). Looking back, I could have been more aggressive than I was, but was enjoying a calm effortless swim. Before I knew it, I was done and out. (Swim: 8:41 - 64 OA)
Transition was ok - again, not rushing, but doing everything that needed to be done relatively quickly, running to the bike mount line, and go, go, go! (T1: 1:36 - 36 OA)
Ah, the bike - this is where I was putting all my hope that somehow my racing time would be faster than my fastest training time. Fortunately it was a flat course - 2 loops, yes, with speed bumps, potholes, some sharp turns, but a fast flat course nonetheless. I wanted fresh legs for the run, so kept my cadence pretty high averaging 84 rpm, which is great for me, and keeping my HR at 90% of max (I wasn't aware of this - I was just riding at a challenging but sustainable pace). I looked down at my watch at the1 mile alert - 3:12. I knew I'd have to be faster if I wanted to keep it at over 20 mph. So I started going a little harder. At each alert, when I saw that it was under 3:00 for the mile, I smiled a little inside. I knew that keeping that pace would bring me closer to my goal. Had a couple of Gu Chomps, at the halfway point, and sipped Accelerade when thirsty. I wasn't too concerned about nutrition in such a short race. At the 12 mile mark, I down shifted a little, to freshen up my legs a little before the run. I unclipped nearing the bike dismount line, hopped off, and ran through to transition. (Bike: 38:26 39 OA 20.1 mph average pace)
Transition was hook up bike, helmet off, shoes off, running shoes on, grab cap and Accelerade, and was off. ( T2: 1:47 143 OA)
My running legs were under me, and didn't feel leaden like last year. I was still thinking ride cadence, and though that's a good thing, I'm not runner enough to handle it. That meant that I was running the first half of the first mile at a much faster pace than I wanted or would be able to sustain for the 5K. I finally managed to control it and slow down a bit, and settled into a fast for me, but sustainable pace. Less than a mile in, a girl, the first I had seen on the course, passed me. Fast. I thought about trying to catch her, but knew there was no way that was happening.
My breath was coming in gasps, and it was strange to me that my legs were fine, but my lungs were burning. Feeling the heat begin to stress me, I did my usual at the water stations - grabbed 2-3 cups and poured the water over my head, chest and back - that helped a lot, as did the sprinkler ("misting station") that was set up. At one point in the run, we had to run around a circular flower patch - a volunteer there said "follow the cones" except they didn't angle one way or the other. After I ran right, he finally said, "No, the other way". Annoying. I love and appreciate the volunteers, really, I do. But come on! Know your left from the right, and use them as descriptive words! Though I felt like I was running hard, I looked at my Garmin, and was only at 97% HR. What? You're saying. That's high, dude! Well, yeah, except that in my last three running races I had my HR up at 99-102% of maximum. I was trying to work harder/run faster to get it up there, knowing that I've sustained that for 2-3 miles, but no dice. As I reached the finish line, I had tears in my eyes. What a difference from last year!! (Run: 24:34 124 OA 8:19/mile average pace)
I came in at 1:15:02. 2 seconds off of my goal time. My Garmin had stopped and started again, so I thought I had beat it. Still, those 2 seconds don't bother me TOO much. I'm pretty thrilled with my performance, which is something I rarely, if ever say. Is there room for improvement? Hell, yes! Running needs to get faster, and I believe that it will. I just need to do more of it. I can also be a little faster on the bike, and a lot more aggressive in the pool - I was 34 seconds faster than last year there, which is kind of lame considering how much I've learned since then. And transitions! I need to learn how to start with my shoes clipped into my bike, the flying mount and dismount to save some time.
But that's for the next race. For now, I will enjoy WINNING MY AGE GROUP!!!, being 6th woman overall, out of 251 women, and how much I've improved since starting this sport last year.
The next day, Nate and I headed up to Harriman State Park for the Muddy Buddy Mud Run - 6 miles, 6 obstacles, and a little bit of mud. It was fun and lame all at once. I enjoyed the trail running - my legs enjoyed the different surfaces, my mind enjoyed the challenge. We weren't pushing it too much since we had both done the sprint the day before, and so set a easy goal to reach - 1:30:xx. Since the race started at 10, it felt hotter and more humid than the sprint the day before. Same strategy with the water. And a few ice cubes down my top at the halfway point helped lower my core temperature a bit. The fun obstacles were a rope net wall with a slide on the other side, an inflatable over/under obstacle, and a rope/wall that you climb. The ok obtacle was the rock wall, only ok since it stood a mere 8 feet high. And the lame ones were the hurdles (saw horses and picnic tables), a maze, and even the mud pit, though that was kind of fun, too. Nate and I were squat stepping through the pit, when the announcer calls to both of us "Crawl!! You've got to crawl through!" So we did. We finished together in 1:01:58. (clock said 59:48, boo) Had we cared to be faster, we would have been, but it totally didn't matter - it was a fun run for us, and a fun day.
(And of course there was trapeze that night, but that's a story for another day)
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