Distance: 750 meter swim, 15 mile bike, 5K run
***RESULTS***
Overall Female
Open Female
Overall: 1:16:25, 12th overall female, 8th open female
Swim: 11:12
Bike: 39:55
Run: 22:02
***PRERACE***
Another busy but very FUN weekend adventure. Original plan was to head to Raleigh, NC Saturday and then over to OBX Sunday to visit my dad on vacation. I decided it would be fun to find some ride or event on Sunday morning. We ended up at the Triangle Triathlon (part of setupevents NCTS). Matias's crazy work traveling had him back in FLL early early Monday morning...so OBX fell through and we would head back home Sunday.
The past month has been a beater trying to recover from some solid training this season. I have been having some breathing trouble, especially while biking. I feel as though I can not get enough air in and when I do take a real deep breath it feels as though I have strained some chest muscles. The breathing problems started before the Savageman training ride and chest pain began after that. After some doctor visits and talking with The Delaneys (Rehab To Racing) they diagnosed bronchospasm, or contraction of the windpipe...usually allergy related. With this occurring it would be easy for me to strain chest muscles, especially during these beater rides. I was feeling better knowing what was going on but still worried about overdoing it.
Saturday - After a nice long swim, while Matias ran, we were on the road for Raleigh, NC. We hit a lot of traffic leaving the area and did not make it until around 6:30pm. We checked into the hotel, found some good eats at Outback, and were in bed at a reasonable hour.
Sunday am - We arrived at Lake Crabtree County Park by 5:30am for packet pick-up. Matias decided to switch over to the Open/Elite category and convinced me I should do the same...so I did. We got our race packets and headed over to transition to set up. Matias and I ended up right next to each other in transition...so that was fun :) It was really a strange feeling not knowing anyone at the race besides ourselves.
***RACE***
SWIM - Open Male and Open Female started together in the 1st wave. Everyone looked SO serious...and they all seemed to know each other and had on the same uniform, except Matias and I. Cripes...what had I gotten into. Most of them were on this Triangle Multisport-Inside Out Sports Triathlon Team (TMS-IOS), a team of elite amateur and professional multi-sport athletes from around the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. The water was 86 degrees (no wetsuits allowed)...I love warm water :) As the starter counted down we all lined up in a row...and shortly we were off. Busted start...everyone was all up in my space. Ughh...no getting away in this one. Hit the turn around and it calmed a bit. I felt like I was in the middle of the wave. I sprinted into the finish beating another female out of the water by maybe 2 seconds.
T1 - Pretty uneventful...was off on Bananas.
BIKE - The course was a 4-leaf clover...out of the park and around a mostly suburban area. It seemed the start of each loop was in a small valley with some climbing at the start of each loop and descent back into the middle. A female passed me before getting to the 1st loop...then came some climbing and I started to catch up and pass her back. Another female came up on us and shouted at me..."YOUR DRAFTING...GRR." And then she passed the other lady and yelled to her that I was drafting :( They were TMS-IOS teammates. I felt bad...I was not trying to draft off her. I get passed on the downhills and then gain and repass on the climbs. Can be a lot of back and forth...not tring to cause problems. But felt strong throughout the ride. I gained on people on each climb...even caught a few people.
T2 - Socks or no socks? Last few races I have gone without and paid for it. I could NOT get one on...NO SOCKS. GEEZ. Then I ran out the wrong way to get out of transition...NICE.
RUN - Take 50 for the Newtons. After some serious blister issues, I was still sure I was faster in these shoes and was determined to break my feet into them. I had been putting iodine on my blisters several times a day for the past month...I was told it would make my feet tougher. And had also been putting moleskin on my feet where blisters were likely to occur. I had started out with some on but it fell off..the usual. I started out and felt good. I am definitely becoming more used to the bike to run feeling. Less people are passing me on the run. Hit Mile 1...no blisters. Mile 2...I picked up the pace. I felt strong finishing and NO blisters! The TMS-IOS tri team finished really strong. Matias finished 2nd overall and won a pretty awesome mug...HEHE!
***POSTRACE***
I feel I am recovering from running and racing more quickly now. Before I would have to take at least a week off running after a race involving running. Now its maybe only a few days. My body is getting there. And thanks to Mary and Al for helping me figure myself out yet again :) I love you guys.
***LESSONS LEARNED***
-Practice transitions.
Up Next: NYC Triathlon July 20, 2008
7.14.2008
Triangle Triathlon
7.02.2008
Laura's General Smallwood Race Report
"Okay... just settle down," the voice in my head was trying to calm me. " Let the air come. Don't force it." Panicking during the swim happens to other people, not me. I'm a swimmer - at least I used to be. Now I was hoping just to get through the swim, heck I was hoping to take another stroke. I was as close as I have ever been to waving the kayaks over.
I signed up for the General Smallwood International Distance Race several months ago, but switched to the sprint distance the day before the race. For a variety of reasons, I was not feeling prepared for the longer distance. This race was the first of two official DC Luna Chix races, where the whole team either races, volunteers or both. I love being part of a team - the camaraderie and the support on race day is awesome.
On race morning, the Luna Chix team and friends gathered at the tent and then headed down to the swim start. There was quite a bit of time before my wave, so it was nice to have team mates to hang out with. The women's international wave started early enough ahead of the women's sprint wave that we were able to cheer Katie out of the water (she was the second woman out!).
A couple minutes later and I was in the water with the rest of the women doing the sprint race. I was doing this race with no expectations except to get a good, though expensive, brick work out. My focus on the swim - long strokes, roll the body and sight often. I tend not to sight and often find myself adding significant yardage to the swim, so I planned to sight frequently. And that's when it happened: I picked up my head and I got a foot to the jaw and water where I should have gotten air. I tried over and over to get a breath, but nothing I was getting no air. I tredded water and thought to myself, "alright - calm down, let the air come because if you don't you won't finish this race." (When I told this to my neighbor he laughed and said, " You know, most people would be concerned about drowning. You, on the other hand, were thinking about the race." - perhaps I should reassess my priorities!) After what seemed like minutes, but I am sure were only seconds, I was swimming again and with each breath the air came easier. If I harbored any expectations for the race, they were gone.
I exited the water and jogged up the long path to the transition area, where I changed into my bike gear. I am really starting to love the bike. I did not preview the course beforehand so I did not know the second half was almost all down hill. I love the speed! It seemed I did all the passing while on the bike - in fact, I don't think I was passed by any women at all. Still - it was no where near race effort. I had a good ride, but definitely could have gone faster.
As much as I enjoy the bike, I struggle with the run. The second quarter mile was up hill and I was passed by several racers, including a woman from my age group. It's just a training run - not race...right? Well darn it anyway! The last mile and a half of the run was through a wooded path. I love trail runs, so I picked up the pace a bit. I ran across a little bridge and up the small hill to the finish line. It was a good work out. I put in a good effort to be sure, but I was far from spent.
I headed over to the Luna Chix Tent and met up with Emily. We cheered in the rest of the Luna Chix team as they crossed the finish. Emily scouted the early result postings and was cautiously excited as it appeared she took first for her age group in the sprint. Katie also took first in her age group in the international race. So I decided to hang around a bit, eat some barbecue and cheer my teammates as they took their place on the podium. They were giving chairs instead of hardware...nice. When my name was called for third place in my age group, I felt like a 6 year old opening a birthday present. It was a silly giddy feeling - "really me...but I didn't really race!" It was a complete surprise and the first time I've ever placed. Of course, now that I've had time to review the results and reflect on the race, I have to chuckle a bit. There were only 14 women racing in my age group and I suspect many of them were beginners. This coupled with the fact that I did not give it my best race effort.... But still, I got a chair!
7.01.2008
General Smallwood International
***RESULTS***
Overall: 2:28:30, 7th female, 1st in AG
Swim: 22:38, 2nd female, 1st in AG
Bike: 1:10:20, 4th female, 1st in AG
Run: 51:24, 20th female, 2nd in AG
***PRERACE***
I wish one could skip the day before a race. I always feel so awful...tired, lathargic, achy, irritable, etc. My pre-race strategy of having a couple glasses of wine the night before has been helping me sleep and relaxing me the night before a race. Woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty ready to go. Matias, Team LUNA Chix DC new manager and LUNA Chico, and I were at the Park by 6:30am.
In the lot we met up with Cris and headed over to transition. I set up my stuff...not much to set up...huh. Then wandered here and there till I found all the LUNA's gathering to put up our tent behind the trees and portas (yea...good spot). It as really exciting to have a tent and LUNA presence at the race. We had a lot of new people come over and check out what we were all about.
Finally it was time to head down to the lake for the start.
***RACE***
SWIM - The swim had been moved to the back-up position for some reason. With the water temperature at 85 degrees no wet suits would be allowed. The course was a triangle (1 loop for Sprint and 2 loops for International). Each wave jumped off the dock into the seaweed...very large groping seaweed...and treaded water to wait for the GO. My wave consisted of all females in the International (pink caps...yeah dog). I positioned myself in front and calmed my breathing and waited for the GO. We were off. I sprinted to get away and shortly got out with a few in front of me. We quickly caught the wave in front of us. This was going to be a disaster (all these waves and loops and the Sprint race coming in quickly behind). I lost track of the pink caps in front of me and hoped I had dropped most of them. Then it was just dodging people. Towards the end of the 1st loop I noticed a pink cap directly in front of me. I kept with her. As we were close to shore starting the 2nd loop the seaweed and shrubs were a mess. I kept getting tangled in it...all over my face in my arms around my ankes....eeeeYIKES. HAHAHA. Bust on through. Kept with the one pink cap in front of me...maybe a body length behind. I think we were 1/2. Finally the end...ran out towards T1...it was a long way.
T1 - Quickly transitioned to the bike and was off.
BIKE - YEAH! I was in 2nd place. Always hard to tell how you are going to feel right when you start riding...so I just push it anyways. I saw the girl ahead of me just ahead and I was gaining on her. Shortly I passed her. I needed an Atomic Bomb. I had taken my computer off my bike since it never works anyways so really had no sense what my pace was. My plan was to hit 5 miles every 15 minutes. 1st big hill came...there was Matias taking picture/videos..."YEAH BANANAS!" HAHAHA I was hitting the 5 mile markers under my 15 minute goal...so I was feeling pretty good. There were a few big rollers the 1st 15 miles and then things got a bit flatter but still some rollers. The last 5 miles I had a lot of bike steam left so picked the pace up a bit. Someone yelled to me..."Your are #1!" Ha Yea...not for long...the run. Now I really think I will start looking forward to the run and enjoying it. Well I do enjoy it now...but just trying to get myself there...blisters, body, etc.
T2 - Quickly transitioned to run.
RUN - I physically felt good going into the run. I had left plenty of energy coming off the bike. I just hoped hoped hoped the blisters would keep it to a minimum. I had put on some moleskins before the race but some of it had fallen off in the swim. The 1st mile or so my stomach was a mess (most likely from the electrolyte drink I had chugged in T2). At the 1st water stop I threw some water on my head (thanks Mariana) and felt a bit better. It was a bit hot but not bad. Mile 2 here come the blisters...yea. Gonna be interesting. So frustrating when you have the energy to GO but your feet freakin HURT. Could be worse...my hip could hurt...but that feels like a lamppost. Oh great...and out and back. When you are getting passed on the run an out and back is not so fun but very nerving to see people coming up on you. The 1st place winner female passed me, followed by a couple other females. BUMMER. Oh well...only about 2 miles to go. Feet hurt...BOO sad. The last mile turned into the forest and dirt path, which made me feet hurt more. I tried to pick it up. Through the forest I was passed by two more ladies but kept them within 30 seconds to the finish. Finally it was over and I believe I had made my goal time of under 2:30!
***POSTRACE***
Team LUNA Chix DC did so awesome. No one seemed to excited about racing at the start, but in the end everyone had a great day and had fun most importantly.
***LESSONS LEARNED***
-Push it harder on the bike.
-Wear socks.
Up Next: NYC Triathlon July 20, 2008
