I'm a triathlete! I finished my first triathlon after a 15 year hiatus. I placed 2nd at the RTPD youth triathlon in 1992, but Morgantown last weekend was much more satisfying. I have to admit that I was very very nervous for this race. Starting my triathlon career with a half ironman may have been a little too ambitious, but that's just how it turned out. I had planned on doing an olympic distance race last month but a painful kidney infection prevented me from participating. So here I was, a newbie amongst all of my vetran friends and family. Gary and I travelled with Beth, Eric, and Jeff, and we met my sister in the giant hills of West Virginia.
After registration we decided to bike the run course. To my surprise it was a very flat straight stretch along the river. Around mile 5 we turned towards campus and met the concrete giants. The hills only encompassed a few miles of the 2 loop coures, but they were pretty steep. I had a bit of a panic attack while we were riding the steep hills and was terrified of getting stuck in my pedals or hitting a car so I left the group and headed back to the car. It was a little too much anxiety for me to handle at the moment.
After the bike ride we drove the bike course. We were just pulling onto the course and a girl backed into Eric's truck. Poor Atnip mobile. Everything turned out just fine and the bike course seemed pretty flat as well with a couple long steady climbs. I expected rolling hills and steep climbs based on the description: "This challenging 56 mile bike will now feature a 2 loop course on the rolling country roads north of the city".
On our way to the hotel Gary and I started discussing race strategy. Maybe a little late, but since I didn't have a clue about planning the day it was now or never. I think our discussion only produced more nerves and I'm sure I thouroughly frustrated (as usual) my poor husband/coach. The idea I took home was to have a conservative bike. Good plan.
Race morning. I woke up feeling very calm which was nice. Race morning of a marathon I am usually pretty nervous. Rob drove Tracy, Gary and I to the start and we set up our transition spots. (Is that what you call them?) I pretty much looked around at the other set ups and mimicked. I put on my brand new Pro Motion wetsuit and being careful to use my fingerips still managed to tear a small hole near my hip. Oops. Everyone assured me it was fine, and no, I would not fill up with water. We walked down to the start and watched the first waves start. After we watched Gary, Eric, and Jeff take off we got in the water.
The swim. Beth, Tracy and I started in the same wave, and it was comforting to be with people who know what they are doing. We were off at the sound of the horn. I was glad to have started at the front of the pack even though I had been a little doubtful about my swim strength. It turned out I picked a good spot. The swim was not crowded at all and the bouys were very large and easy to see. I swam hard but focused on a strong long pull. I am mostly a right side breather, and I am disappointed to say that I think I only took one breath to the left the entire swim. It is much different than breathing in the pool. I was surprised to see how everyone seemed to swim very wide of the bouys. I stayed narrow and it seemed to work well. The swim felt longer than I thought it would, but I did better than I expected with a 29:32.
The bike. I took Gary's advice and decided to take the first loop easy. The transition from the swim to bike was long, and by the time I got onto my bike and settled I looked down at my heart rate and it was 169! I had forgot to start it on the swim, so I don't know if it was from the swim, or the long transition. I took a few minutes trying to calm down and reduce it 25 or so bpm. Luckily it didn't take long. The first loop felt easy and I found myself intentionally holding back. It was nice to see Beth, Gary, and Tracy out on the course, since the loop had a few out and backs as well. I tried to keep my HR in first lap in the 140s, and the second lap in the 150s. Since the course was SO flat it was very easy to do. It was an easier course than anything I have ridden here in Lexington. I was still a bit nervous that my legs would be dead for the run from lack of experience. 3:08:02, 17.9mph
The run. First of all, thank goodness for the Port-o-Potty on the start of the run course. The second I exited the john people were lining the path cheering for the runners, which made me laugh because I didn't think my pee deserved a round of applause. It was appreciated anyway. I got to see Jeff, and Gary once on the run which I loved. It is a lot of fun for me to see people I know on the course, especially Gary. I got to see Beth and Tracy twice, also, and we exchanged words of encouragement. Everyone looked so strong! The run felt pretty good, I kept to my run/walk, but modified a bit. I had been doing a 10 min run to a 1 min walk in training, but with the aid stations and turn arounds and everything I changed to a 5 min run and a 30 - 45 second walk. When I looked at my watch I was surprised to see that I was running a sub 9 min pace. I was happy, but unsure if I could keep it up. I'm pretty sure my second lap was 2-3 minutes slower than the first, but still not bad. I finished the run in 1:57:23, only 7 minutes slower than
Derby Half Marathon in April. I was expecting to run 2:15-2:30.
Official Time: 5:39:51
I was very pleased with the race. I did not have a goal time since this was my first race, but I honestly thought it was going to take me between 6-7 hours (7 hours being on the disappointed end, 6 hours being the thrilled end). I also though that this race would really scare me away from Ironman, but it did just the opposite. I am still very nervous, but now also very excited!
Tracy and me at the transition the day before:
Home stretch!
Tracy looking strong:
Labels: half ironman, mountaineer, triathlon
