That crazed look in my eyes is pure adrenaline!
I wasn't last!
But, I was pretty darn close!
"How was the Northern Columbia Tri?" you ask. Thanks for asking!I'll be happy to tell you...
It was brutally awesome! Kevin and I got there with no problem. We drove the course in reverse, as we dropped our stuff off at each transition area. That's when it really set in that some of the hills were pretty tough.
The swim: 440 yards of a lake swim.
There were a lot of weeds for the first 50 yards. I knew that Kevin wasn't doing well with the swim. He got in the water before the race to warm up, and came out freaked! He contemplated not doing the race, at all. I passed him quickly, and some how knew he was heading toward one of the buoys to rest. I got around the 1/2 way turn before I was passed by any one from the second wave of swimmers. That's when I got kicked in the head! Shortly after that, I swallowed water, and I'm pretty sure it went to my lungs. Then, I saw the Sheriffs boat heading toward a buoy to help some one who was in trouble. That threw me for a loop because I was thinking that it might be Kevin, but I kept going.
The timing mat was placed at the edge of the water, so my swim time was "real time" It was 11:52. That's a 2:42 pace, and put me at 133 out of 154 participants.
The bike: 19.8 miles
Bike time started the second you got out of the water- it included the swim to bike transition time. This is where I lost at least 5 minutes, maybe more. I couldn't breathe. My head was pounding from the kick I took. And, I was really worried about Kev at this point, because I heard some one say there was a man down in the water. Let's just say that I was not in "race mode" at this point. Just as I pulled myself together and started to refocus, the milk crate I was sitting on to get my shoes on, shattered underneath me! It's not very confidence boosting to think that my weight shattered a milk crate, as I'm trying to complete a race.
Okay, I pulled it together and got on my bike. I love my bike. I was doing okay. I didn't pass anyone, but I was holding a really good pace. Then, at mile 8, Kevin caught up with me!!! This is when I started dogging it, and now I know that I should've had a GU at that point. But I didn't. I was still fighting the headache and the desire to puke up the lake water. Kevin passed me (I told him to run his own race and not wait for me). Then I hit the first hill! That's where I knew I needed to do a GU earlier. I couldn't make it. But, in my defense, many people around me were walking their bikes too. I made up lots of lost time on the flats and downhills, but never caught Kev. The other hills were rough, but not as bad as the first one. All in all, I think I gave it my all on the bike. The hills were much harder than I estimated. The scenery was absolutely beautiful!The course was well marked and intersections had plenty of volunteers/ state police to keep us safe.
The bike time also included the time for the second transition area. Again, I could've been at least 3 minutes faster in this area, but I just let myself slow down way too much.
So, all in all, my bike time was a pathetic 1:36:40. That gave me a pace of just over 12 miles per hour. It's a very sad time. If the transitions had been separated out, my time would've been more like 1:26:00. So, now I know to push it much harder in transitions, and not slip out of race mode.
The run: 4.5 miles
OH MY LORD!! First of all, at this point in my training, 4.5 miles is a long run. So, even in a stand alone race, that would've been tough for me. The run started on an uphill!I ran most of it, but then my calves froze up on me, and I started to walk. Mile 2 was another uphill. Yep. The entire second mile was uphill- steep. 5% grade for some of it. My knees started hurting a lot- sharp pains. So, I walked part of this hill too. Mile 3 was downhill- some as steep as 7% grade. I went as fast as I could without hurting my knees. Then, the last half mile was uphill again. I know the scenery on the run was beautiful- but I don't remember much of it.
Final run time: 58:36. Ready for this....my mile splits were 13.01.. How frustrating is that? I was so close to being in the 12 minute range.
Overall:
My final time was 2:47:09
Kevin's final time was 2:29:42
I'm so proud of myself and Kevin for doing this!
There are a bunch of things I learned- like don't try to sit on a crappy milk crate for the transition area!
I'm taking some time to process the event and every thing I learned.
I know what to focus on for my next tri- and I have a baseline to set some goals with.
Here's a picture of us at the finish line:
