Long-Awaited Race Report

So maybe you haven't been anxiously awaiting my witty, self-deprecating race report, but humor me and pretend you have, OK? :)

Sunday was the New Jersey State Tri, my A race of the year. Prior to Sunday, I had done one Olympic triathlon, and that was three years ago. At that time, I was running a lot more (and a lot faster) but biking and swimming less. My time in that race was 3:14 or 3:16 or something or other (the race site no longer lists results from 2008, so I don't know for sure).

My #1 goal was -- and still is, sadly -- to break 3 hours for an Olympic tri. With the Mid-Atlantic in the grips of Heat Wave #5, I knew Sunday would not be my day. I hoped I'd be close, though. Maybe 3:05ish? 3:10 at worst?

THE SWIM
If you've been reading this for a while, you know I have had issues with open water anxiety. A great experience with a practice open water swim (and The Swim Whisperer) two weeks ago gave me much-needed confidence. Prior to the race, I was nervous, but more butterflies nervous than "Oh my God I'm going to die" nervous. I was in Wave 7 out of 11, and the race started about 10 minutes late... which meant I didn't get in the water until about 8:10 a.m. This is significant because the announcer told us at about 7:20 a.m. that it was already 83 degrees out.

Our wave started... and I was fine. Better than fine. I had strategically positioned myself toward the back of the pack (120 or so people in my wave), away from the thrashing. I paced myself and used my friend Michelle's advice, chanting "stroke stroke breathe" in my head to get into a rhythm. Friends Jennifer and Katrina also made an appearance in my brain, reminding me to beeee caaalllllm. It worked. No anxiety, no nervousness, no fear. I swam and swam and swam. Yes, I was kicked, punched, scratched, whatever. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had the sun in my eyes (note to self: buy tinted goggles!) after the second turn. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had a minor asthma attack about 15 yards from the finish. Didn't bother me at all. I emerged from the water, waved at D, and began the long, uphill run toward the transition area. 1,500 meters in 36:05.

THE BIKE
It took me quite a while to feel good on the bike. My legs were so tired! I couldn't understand it after such a relaxed taper week last week. I should have been rested and ready, but instead I felt as though I'd done a 40-miler the day before the race. Finally, I got into a bit of a rhythm and settled in for the 25.5 mile bike ride. Even though I'd practiced riding in aero position as much as possible, the flat bike course meant I was in aero for the majority of the time... and I wasn't ready for that. About 3/4 of the way through, I just. hurt. (Warning, TMI coming!) I couldn't get comfortable, and the thin padding on my shorts wasn't helping. (My race shorts have an even thinner pad than the thinly padded tri shorts I wear in training.) Plus, I was very crampy, and the 3 Advils I had taken at 5:30 a.m. had already worn off. I couldn't wait to get back to transition to take more Advil. Being in aero position put a lot of pressure on my crampy gut. I sat up quite a bit, and at one point I stood and dropped my heels to stretch a bit.

There was a little wind on the bike course, but honestly I have no excuses for why I didn't do better. It just wasn't my day. The bike and I were not friends on Sunday. 25.5 miles in 1:27:29 (17.5 mph average).

THE DEATH MARCH, AKA THE GREAT BONK OF 2011, AKA THE RUN
After downing 3 more Advils, taking a few puffs from my inhaler, eating some Sport Beans and drinking from my water bottle, I started running. At first, I felt OK. I was hoping for about a 9 minute pace for the 10K run, and I probably did the first mile in slightly more than that. I had forgotten to put my watch on, and it was actually a good thing. If I'd seen how slowly I was going in the later miles, I probably would have given up!

Due to the excessive heat, I made a decision to take water and/or Heed at every water stop and WALK the water stops. I have to hand it to CGI Racing; they had water at about every mile, plus two misting stations (the second of which was more of a drenching station... we ran through a puddle about an inch deep from all the water!), plus bags of ice and icy cold towels. They did everything possible to keep us safe and cool. I took advantage of EVERYTHING they offered me -- water, ice, towel, misting, a girl with a hose near the transition area, more water, Heed, more ice, another towel, etc. I must have walked 1.5 miles of the 10K, and I know each mile got slower and slower. Folks, I totally bonked out there. I just had nothing left to give at that point. I later found out that it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 at that time.

All I wanted to do was finish, time be damned. After the 5 mile marker, I stopped producing sweat altogether. Never a good sign, but I kept shuffling along, knowing I was so close to the finish. As I came around the turn to the finish chute, I heard my brother, uncle, D, and my friend Darlise (who kicked ass and did a 2:54!) cheering for me. Oh, how sweet a sound! 10K in 1:05:24 (10:33 pace).

(That's me coming to the finish after 3+ hours of racing. So happy to be done!)

My total time was 3:13:29. I'm disappointed, but I know I did the best I could on that particular day.

Will I do an Olympic again? Probably, and I won't wait three more years. I'm such a big fan of CGI Racing that I will probably sign up for the same race next year. It can't possibly be worse, right? ;)