While returning to training, I was constantly looking at
races. I still am. I had no idea when I would be able to race again but I
wanted to know what my options might be. I had one rule: I could not make any
decisions until I could run 3 straight miles. Technically, I have not met this
goal. I’ve run over 3 miles but it included walking breaks and since those few
runs I’ve had to take a step back. Still, I could not shake the itch to race
even if it meant going easy. 3 years ago, I did the Greenville Sprint Triathlon
3 week after my first “super” sprint triathlon. That marked the beginning of getting
into this crazy sport. I thought it would be the perfect race as a welcome back
to the world of triathlons. My goal for this race was to have fun and to PR.
Even though my run is almost nonexistent, and my ride is still coming back, it
was well within my current fitness level to crush my previous time.
The third goal, was to not cry before, during or immediately
after the race. You see, this race happened to be the same day as my mom passed
away 2 years ago. I could think of no better way to mentally get through the
day than being surrounded by likeminded crazy triathletes awake well before the
sun comes up and wearing pajamas over spandex, while swimming my heart out,
hammering on the bike and going for a little jog.
Race plan of attack: swim HARD, ride HARD, run not hard.
My first reaction to a pool swim in a race is: I hate
other swimmers. You get stuck behind people and it’s difficult to pass. I
realized though that I am a good pool swimmer. I have a lot of room for
improvement in open water but pool swimming I can do. Plus, this was a 50m pool
which is a rarity to swim in. I went out hard and got competitive. I wanted to
pass as many people as possible which proved to be difficult at times because
there wasn’t enough space or time to pass before the wall. It meant my swim
effort wasn’t steady but I’m used to varying my intensity while swimming so I
was in my comfort zone. I didn’t think my time was anything spectacular but I
passed several people, never got passed and put my best effort forward start to
finish for a whooping 400m. After seeing my female ranking, I’m very happy with
how I did. I honestly don’t understand how I ranked so high.
Swim: 6:59, 5/82
I did a power test on my bike recently and just like
after every other test, I complained I felt I could have gone harder.
Therefore, I didn’t want those numbers to hold me back. I wanted to unleash my
legs in whatever state they were currently in and see how fast I could fly.
This was also my first race on my sweet new racing wheels which I was super
excited to test out. I had a minimum power number in the back of my head but
beyond that it was unknown how hard I would go other than… well really hard.
Like the swim, I started out riding competitively. I
tried to pass people without being a jackass that would blow up 10 minutes
later. Then I spent chunks of time being alone. For the most part I passed
people. I think I got passed by a few guys? I kept my head down and I hammered
it as long as I could. My power was only a few watts lower than my power test but
for twice the time. I think that confirms I could have tested higher. 9/82
female for the bike split so very happy with that as well.
Bike: 43:34 9/82
Towards the end of the ride I was a little afraid I’d
fall off my bike while getting off. My legs were fried. The peppiness I had to
run with my bike out of T1 was all gone so I happily walked my bike in for T2.
I recently dusted off the cobwebs on my circa 2010 post surgery knee brace
which has helped my knee pain a bit while running. I took the time to put that
on because at this point, the clock didn’t matter much anymore. Then I started
my happy little jog out of T2 where I made sure to keep my pace in check. I ran
with a heartrate cap and I was happy to even do that as it was faster than I’ve
run the last several months. Even with my slow pace, this was the fastest and
longest straight run without walks I’ve done since before IMNZ. That’s not
saying much since it wasn’t even a full 5K but I’ll take what I can get. It
felt like the whole world was sprinting past me but I was in my happy little
bubble trotting along. I’m sure all the people I passed on the bike were
laughing at me assuming I rode to hard. I didn’t care. A girl I knew in my age
group passed me. I didn’t care.
Anyone who races knows that feeling towards the end of a
race where you think “this is so stupid, why do I do this, I’m never doing a
race again!”. I had the exact opposite reaction. I was so happy to be out there
again racing. It might not have been “racing” per say at that moment, but I was
out there. I was plotting out in my head all the races I wanted to immediately
go home and sign up for. I thought about my mom but in a happy way, not
reliving that day 2 years ago. I was happy. I can sit here and laugh at my run
split ranking. I’m not even frustrated that I lost first place by only 21
seconds which I had in me. I executed my race plan perfectly!
Run: 29:20 50/82
Overall 1:22:13, 17/82 overall female, 2/7 AG
This race was exactly what I needed. To remind myself of
why I love this sport so much. To remember why it’s worth fighting for it. To
give myself a distraction from the bad memories that August 13th
hold for me. Sure, I went home and had a few crying breakdowns but this helped
offset it. I haven’t signed up for any of those races yet because I’m still
waiting for my run to progress. Hopefully it will get there soon.
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