Power Sprint Race Report... um, I mean Novel

What a glorious day! Today dawned with beautiful blue skies, streaks of puffy white clouds, and perfect temperatures.

Unfortunately, the race was yesterday. When the remnants of tropical storm Barry blew through town, dumping 18 inches of rain on the area. (Okay, okay... I exaggerate. It just dumped 18 inches of rain on me. Each minute.)

When I rolled out of bed in the dark, I heard water hitting the ground but I assumed that it was our sprinkler system. My race preparation for the predicted rain was along the maturity level of chanting "rain rain go away come again some other day" to myself. That, and after I went outside to load my bike and realized that it was in fact raining, grabbing a large plastic storage container thanks to some good advice from TriGirl Cyndi. I was still in denial, noting to myself that it was just sprinkling and would likely stop soon. Scouter's last words to me were, "We're not coming."

I pretty much did everything wrong. You know how they say that you should never try anything new on race day? More great advice that I didn't take. I decided to swim in my TriGirl race top, which I'd never done before, and to do the whole event in my new tri shorts which I'd never even worn before. And I filled my water bottle with Accelerade which I'd never even tasted before. Yes, I'm very smart.

Thank goodness the Y is only 10 - 15 minutes away since we were supposed to be there by 6:00. As in a.m. I have to say, that seems a wee bit early. A longer distance would seem to justify the early start but a sprint? Not so much. I tried to shake off my desire to go back to bed and forget the whole thing, telling myself that this was the time the event started, and if I wanted to do the event I needed to get my butt in gear. Also telling myself that I had committed to pick up Kathryn and it was way too early to call and cancel. She would kill me. After preparing my usual pre-race meal of an English muffin with peanut butter, I picked up Kathryn, stowed her bike, and we were off. Kathryn had her game face on and was ready to rumble. (And to jump the gun a little, she kicked ass!)

We managed to get one of the last few parking spaces in the Y lot, surprisingly, and we rolled over to transition with TriGirl Cheryl who is a total sweetie. The racks weren't numbered so we grabbed spots beside each other, pretty far from the optimal bike exit spots which had already been claimed. On the bright side, we had plenty of room and were able to share my plastic container which was big enough to hold both our socks, my hat and sunglasses. I left all my crap in my transition bag so it would be somewhat protected from the elements. Other more prepared participants had brought plastic garbage bags and/or large plastic bins to protect their stuff. Cheryl was particularly impressive with her bin full of every possible need. I'll just say this was a learning experience for me on what not to do and the underrated (by me anyway) benefits of good preparation.

After a lame attempt at transition set-up, we headed to get timing chips and body marking where we saw lots of cool TriGirls! Body marking was clearly the place to be for the sexy people. Carmen, Susie Q, and Jonah were all sporting markers. Jonah hooked me up and I have to say she has beautiful handwriting. You know how bodymarking usually looks like a 2nd grader freaked on you with a Sharpie? Not mine! It was so gorgeous I felt a little sad scrubbing it off later. And it actually came right off - must have been the multiple hours of getting pounded by rain fall that loosened it up or something. But I'm getting ahead of myself again...

We completely missed the pre-race briefing and joined the cluster of athletes behind the pool a bit before 7:00. We hooked up with a posse of TriGirls. TriGirls and sisters Jennifer, Jackie and Caroline were there for their first ever event along with lots of others. We saw Grandison and her tiny little pregnant tummy hanging out by the pool exit, ready to snap unflattering photos of us exiting the pool area. Perhaps that is how she will fund her children's college tuition... blackmail photos... Fortunately, the rain was giving us a momentary respite but I was still shivering and chattering. I'm sure it was a combination of cold, nerves, and adrenaline. I saw my friend Joe who is such a sweetie, he offered me his tee shirt - literally the shirt off his back - to help warm me up. I declined but chatted with him for awhile which made the wait go quickly.

I was really nervous that I had posted an unachievable swim time and that people were going to swim all over me... which was confirmed when I realized that I was actually seeded ahead of Jackie who is most definitely faster than me. Nope - not going to happen. People were chatting in line and re-seeding themselves so I jumped right on that and moved myself back about 10 spots, still a little aggressive time wise but not quite as bad.

Before I knew it, it was my turn to enter the pool area. Some wise person hosed off my feet and I stepped into warmth. Ahhh... just hanging out in there would have been fine by me... Yet into the pool I went. I was relieved to see that the starter was giving almost a full pool length break between starts. Maybe I could stave off a pass! And I was off...

Jennifer and I had talked about starting off easy to get comfortable and warmed up in the water, and hopefully preventing hyperventilation or starting out too fast. And that's what I did. The first 50 felt great... nice and relaxed. Som would have been proud of my strokes! In the second 50, I started thinking, oh shit! My top is unzipped. I'm getting extra drag! Then I had to start laughing at myself, thinking that the extra five pounds on each thigh was probably just a bit more of an issue than a flapping top. I actually think it worked out better because I wouldn't have liked anything tight around my neck. The next few lengths got me to the half-way point where I was thinking oh shit only half way? Am I going to do this? I talked myself through it, reminding myself that I swim in that pool every week (okay, okay, some weeks...) and can do 1000 without stopping. The next 50, I started seeing bubbles from the guy in front of me. What?!? That can't be. Sure enough, it was! The next 50, I did a slow breastroke trying not to climb up his ass. I didn't think I had time to pass him and I was kinda enjoying the break. Som would NOT have been proud! Slow guy stopped at the wall to let me pass, and I sprinted the last 50. Wow, that wasn't so bad. I hopped out of the pool, hearing a group of TriGirls at the door cheering for me, and jogged of to T1.

SWIM 5:46 (7th place in age group!)

The path to T1 was gravel covered with a little teeny strip of burlap resembling a balance beam, yet somehow I stayed on it. Was I confused and the 5k actually started right after the swim??? Oh, no, finally, there's the transition area. I popped in, sat, dried my feet and face, put on bike helmet, sunglasses (feeling a bit silly in the downpour), new fingerless bike gloves, socks and bike shoes, took a shower and ate a full breakfast.

T1 3:39 (25th in AG)

I headed out of transition at a slow jog. Some jackass sprinted past me, stopped right in front of me, and hopped on his bike. Was it the same guy I passed in the pool? Quite possibly. TriGirl Cyndi, wisely decked out in rain gear, was cheering and snapping pictures to get me started on the right note for the bike leg.

The rain seemed to pick up as I headed out. Funny how that happens when you add a little speed of your own. I couldn't see much but was happy to have the protection of my sunglasses, which had the light lenses only because I had been too lazy to change to the dark ones. Ever. I navigated the early traffic lights and turns to hit Shady Grove Rd. I've ridden this route at least three times so I felt comfortable. I was breathing a little heavy, and I thought, yeah, I was breathing heavy when I rode this section with Pat. Just give yourself a little time to settle in, I thought. I even drank some which is unusual for me on the bike. I was grateful for the nutritional value of the Accelerade because at some point, my pre-taped Gu had fallen off. It made it to the transition area but the rain probably pelted the tape off. Or I knocked it off futily shoving my race number around to keep it from rubbing against my leg. I also realized about this point that I had forgotten to reset my bike computer so I had no idea how far I'd gone. I could see current speed but that was it. Oh, well. Another preparation lesson learned. I had done the same damn thing in my October sprint but obviously it didn't resonate.

I can do this, I told myself. I biked the last 10 miles of the Cap to Cap in torrential downpours, much colder than this. I passed two women on the Shady Grove leg and was approaching a group of three others as we headed towards the turn onto Ashland Road. I turned, thanked the volunteers, and took another drink. Then I put the hammer down and passed another woman and two guys, including transition dick. HA! Take that! Before I knew it, we were at the turn onto Pouncey Tract. I love this part! One of the guys I'd passed earlier passed me back. Unlike the women, who all said something encouraging when I passed them, this guy just muscled by without a glance. I passed him back and suggested that we count the number of times we could do that. That got a chuckle out of him. And he made a similar comment when he passed me again a few minutes later. At that point, my legs were feeling tired and I had to let him go. I was giving it all I had. A super fast woman and man zipped by me. I pretended I was riding with Richard; he was right behind me. I spotted a TriGirl jersey ahead of me and wondered if it was Jackie. I kept my eyes on her back the rest of the way.

Right before we turned off of Pouncey Tract, Dick passed me. Now that can't happen! I got a much needed shot of adrenaline to power through the last two miles. I passed Dick again about a mile before the bike finish. The last 1/2 mile of the bike portion was great because we rode past the runners. I saw Jennifer and shouted some encouragement. She was looking strong! Down the hill to the dismount, clip out, break, don't fall (whew!), jog across the timing mat back into transition. I gave the bike all I had to give and felt really good about it.

BIKE 38:31 (9th in AG, 19.3 rate)

Into T2 I jogged... and jogged and jogged all the way to the other end where I had set up my stuff. Peeled off new gloves, bike shoes and helmet, had a snack, called all my friends, laced up my running shoes, and was off.

T2 1:28 (26th in AG)

As I exited transition, TriGirl Carmen spotted me and went crazy. She was definitely cheerleader extraordinaire! Not only did she cheer for me, she got the finish line announcer to call out my name and wish me luck on the run. It was just the boost I needed at that point.

I've got to tell you I felt like T-total shit on the run. And I'd forgotten to pack my Garmin. Train by numbers, race by numbers. I had absolutely no clue how to pace myself without it. I grumbled some more at myself for my poor preparation. I felt like I was running with a good 3 inches of water in my shoes and they felt too loose. Stop and re-tie them? Nah. I also lamented the no-iPod rule. I really hate to hear myself pant.

About that time, I guy I'd been chatting with in line for the swim ran by with some encouraging words which I really needed about then. I consoled myself with the thought that this uphill climb would translate to a nice downhill finish. Did I mention that I felt like shit on the run? Yeah, almost the whole thing felt uphill to me. I saw some TriGirls finishing their bike including the phenomenal Deanna B, then made the turn at the half mile point.

I've run this route before. I can do it. My favorite running song, "Just put one foot in front of the other..." from some kids' Christmas movies, was running through my head. I thought about my ankle and registered surprise that it wasn't bothering me at all. Damn, there goes that excuse. WHERE is the turn around point??? I spotted Jackie ahead of me again and tried to pace myself off of her. I have no idea how fast she runs, but what the hell. She ran past Jennifer who was heading back, high fived, and shortly thereafter I did the same thing. Just keep going going going. Jackie made the turn-around. The volunteer laughed as we passed each other and wanted to know why we didn't high five (we both had on our TriGirl jerseys so he knew we were teammates). "Too tired. At least I am," I panted. SHIT SHIT SHIT. Only half way. What the hell was I thinking, that I can do a longer distance race?!? F&^% that shit. I was clearly at my most literate at this point in the race.

After the turn around, I saw some other TriGirls including the adorable Melissa. I kept going to the water stop, grabbed some gatorade and walked for a few seconds. At that point some crazy funny young guy ran by me and as I tossed the cup and started running again, he yelled something like, "And she's turning on the jets! Let's kick it up a notch!" And he was off. I laughed at his rapidly distancing back. I wanted to walk at this point but really didn't want another TriGirl to catch me being a lame ass so I kept chugging. Made the turn for the last half mile. Now where was that downhill? How could I have thought this was uphill earlier? Registered the fact that I actually felt better on the last mile than the two previous. As I approached the end, TriGirl Karen who does some major distances and barely knows me yelled encouragement, reminding me that I only had 100 yards to go. Cool! I gingerly trotted down the muddy incline, saw a group of cheering TriGirls, and picked it up for the dramatic photo finish.

RUN 27:00 (13th in AG, 8:42/mile pace)

Yes! It's over! Final results (although I didn't know it then): 38/182 women, 10/30 age group, 155/448 overall. Time: 1:16:23. I'm very happy with those numbers.

I walked around for a minute, caught up with Jackie and Jennifer again who both had great races, then grabbed my water bottle from my bike rack. I realized I hadn't stretched - a common thing I forget after an event and regret later - so I stretched for about a second before wandering off and forgetting all about it. Which I regret. Again.

I headed to the finish line, joined a group of teammates to cheer on finishers. Soon I headed up to the road to see people coming in and encourage them at the last dash as Karen had done for me. I started chatting with Leslie's husband who was so cute and proud of her. He had a huge amazing camera and he took pictures of every TriGirl who went by. Better than Brightroom! Nice. I wanted to see Kathryn finish, which I did (she incorrectly seeded herself on the swim and started later than me). I tried to find her at the finish line but couldn't and started worrying that I was going into hypothermia so I headed into the warmth of the Y. I saw Meghan in the locker room and she wrapped me in her towel which was the happiest moment I had all morning. I tried to blow dry myself which was hopeless. Then I grabbed my sweatshirt from a locker where I had crammed it before the swim - ahhhhh, that helped. I wanted to leave but the rain was torrential at that point so I ended up hanging out in the lobby, chatting, shivering, teeth chattering, turning blue. Kathryn came in and we caught up. Her husband and kids had braved the weather to come watch her race so she was heading home with them.

Even though the race wasn't over, organizers were letting participants get their stuff out of transition so I grabbed my wet soggy pile of crap and headed to the car. People were asking if I was alright as I shivered my way by them. I cranked the heat in my car as high as it would go and it still took a good 10 minutes for my teeth to stop chattering. Another lesson learned: bring a dry change of clothes.

I got home and showered until the hot water ran out, then put on the warmest clothes I own. Hugged my kids. Ate. Drank some water. Ate more.

Then it was time to prepare for the TriGirl post party we concocted to cover Grandison's SURPRISE baby shower!!!!

Post-race festivities to come...