One of my 2011 goals was to complete a tri. Who knew they’d be so addicting?? I’m def going to tone down the marathons next year in favor of a longer distance tri. My fourth and final tri of 2011 has def left me drooling for more.
This race was never one the radar, but after dropping the Oly from my calendar because I couldnt justify spending the money ($150 including hotel), I was like a junkie lookin for a fix. Luckily, the group that puts on my Aquathons (for only $20 – fantastic organization) sent an email advertising a $30 sprint tri. That’s basically unheard of. $30??? Yes, please!
It was a small race (only about 200 people) so finding the site, parking, body marking, and transition set up were incredibly quick and easy. Other than the 80 min drive and the 5:30 am wake up call that went with it, I really couldnt have asked for a better event. Well, maybe a better name. Lake Mayo sounds really gross.
The lake was calm and pretty. Not Mayo-like at all!!
The morning was humid (100%) but deliciously cool (69º) and I was happy, until I decided to wake up Gary. Despite charging all night, Gary refused to turn on. I knocked him around a little but I couldn’t remember how to do a hard reset. Luckily Mr T was in the car and ready to step up.
Thank you, Mr T for being dependable.
Since I ran back to the car, I missed the announcement in which they told people they could wear flip flops to the swim start and they’d gather them and bring them back to transition at the end of the race. I wish I had heard it – it was really really rocky and painful.
We were released in large waves. and the swim to the first buoy was really crowded. I didnt get kicked but I kept getting knocked around, which made it harder to find my rhythm. After the sharp turn (we swam in an upsidown V) it opened up but I think I slowed a lot after losing the group. I was really comfortable unti the end. There was a campsite nearby and as I got close to the swim exit, I had to inhale their campfire smoke. Boo.
750m Swim: 19:35. Still not as good as my wet suit swim, but def better than last month’s 21:50. I’ll take it.
My Transition
My weirdo neighbor almost hit me with the cooler when she threw it over. WTF on the newspaper? If her transition is that messy, I’d hate to see her house!!
Transition included running up a steep hill (I hate when they do that!). I decided to skip the socks for the bike because wet socks seem to bother me more than no socks. In the end I’m very glad I skipped the socks, since mother nature had a present for us. T1: 2:52
I was only about 2 minutes into my bike when it started to rain. No, it didn’t rain – it monsooned! Think Forrest Gump Vietnam rain. It was coming down hard!!! I’ve biked in sprinkles before but never in a downpour.
Since I didn’t have Gary, I had no how far I was at any point and the ride just seemed to do on and on. It was the ride that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friend! The rolling hills did not stop. I’m a horrible climber and I was on the verge of hydro planing on the downhills, which made for a scary ride. I did not gu or take a sip of Nuun water during the 16 miles because it was too scary to take my hands off the bars. Had the course been flatter or the rain been lighter I might have felt comfortable, but I figured no hydration/nutrition would hurt me less than wrecking. The rain alternated between heavy and monsoon but never let up the whole ride. It stung on the downhills and made visibility difficult. I wasn’t miserable, but I really happy to get off my bike. 16 miles 1:08:03.
The rain had done a number on my transition area. I actually had to dump water out of my Miniumuses before putting them on. I was so glad I took them instead of the kinvaras. A guy in transition said the trails were sloppy and there was a river flowing through the whole course. Who doesn’t like to run in the rain during the summer???? If you say you dont like it, you’re a weirdo. I was really excited for it! T2: 1:45
There was a water station about 300 meters into the run with two awesome volunteers standing in the rain. I gulped down an entire cup and the guy said “now go play in the woods.” Oh, did I play!
You never know what they mean when they say trail run…but this was a true single track trail run. It was muddy and slick and oh-so-much fun. The climbs were steep but really short so you felt like you were accomplishing something with each one. The mud made it hard and there were times I had to used tree roots like stairs. I passed 4 women on the trails, none of whom looked like they were having fun. One of them had on kinvaras and as I passed her, she said she wished she had worn her trail shoes. Sorry kinvaras, I love you but you’re kind of prissy and dont do well in the mud.
I’m happy to report I never fell and I never lost my way. I’m also glad I had Mr T, as trails slow me down even more and it was nice not even trying to think about my pace. I felt like a kid. After a long, horrible bike….this was exactly what I needed. I was slow, but I was filthy and happy. Bring on the Warrior Dash! 5k run: 35:48
I wish I could have stuck around, taken pics, ate some of the food….but all I wanted to do at the end was be dry. Of course, the clothes I brought for post race were in my transition bag, which was soaked. So I gathered my sloppy mess and headed home.
Total time 2:08:01. I def need to get better on the bike, as of right now it’s my least fav event and I figure I only dislike it because I’m not doing it right. If only I can stop falling off the darn thing!
The next day I met up with an awesome loopster in Umstead – that blog to come 🙂
Jenster's Adventures 