8/19/07: Ironbabe Sprint Tri Race Report!

Quick details:

Wow, another tri...my second of this season. I have to admit, although not having my best swim ever, I didn't give up and I went on to have a decent bike and an awesome run (sub 9:00). I feel like I am finally figuring this tri thing out...30th out of 50 in the 25-29 ain't too shabby...

Things I have learned that I need to make note of for next time:
*Warm-up swim before the actual race
*Wear a tri-suit (already ordered one...will have it this week)
*Take out all jewelry...during racing AND training

Oh and another side-note, I am officially signed up for Cinco Ranch Tri next month and I am also (finally) an official member of Houston Racing Club:) WOOHOO! :)

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So despite the fact that this race was LITERALLY out in the middle of nowhere (a good one hour drive from where I live in Houston), I was JAZZED beyond belief to finally get to do my first all-women's tri! I got plenty of sleep, hydration, and felt ready to kick some butt...

After stressing over where I was going, I finally got there and checked out the lake...beautiful! I was actually in the first wave which meant that the water wasn't going to be too crazy-murky by the time I got in it. I made sure and lined up in the back of my wave though...but I still felt a little pacnicked when I got in the water. Was it the color of the water (a neon greenish color?) or the fact I didn't get to warm-up in the water first?! Or maybe a little of both...anyhow, I was one of the last out of wave to finish. And I did get passed by several stronger swimmers in the next wave...ughh.

On to the bike...I finally put aerobars on my bike and was able to shave ONE mile-per-hour on my overall bike time. The bike course itself was beautiful and quiet. Only a few turns and it was a double loop course, which meant I felt confident enough on the second loop to pick up the pace alittle. I didn't pass many people here other then the few that were on mountain and hybrid bikes. Overall, I felt okay on the bike, but I'm still not use to the aerobars so I was uncomfortable most of the ride in the saddle. I need to probably readjust them a little...

Going into T2 I dropped my bike (again) in a similar manner to how I did at Jeff and Bredes, read about it here if you want: http://houstonrunner.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html. Urhh...that slowed down my T2 time a little. But the run is where I knew I would shine. I ate a GU, drank some water, and shook my legs out on the first mile. About half of the run was actually on trails and that felt great on my legs. At the half way point, I began to throwdown the hammer and pick people off to pass. Since I never pass people on the swim or bike, I was really excited to gain momentum on all those that passed me earlier.

I probably got too excited and about a quarter of a mile to go, I was fading quick. Plus, we were running into the sun and the heat was killing me. I had even walked through the two water stops (I NEVER WALK) so I knew I was beat and almost done. As I approached the 'mat' I passed a girl in my age group and slowed down, assuming the race was done!!! I heard myself say outloud "I just want to be done!" and felt tears in my eyes. I felt so bad. BUT I DIDN'T CROSS THE FINISH YET! That was just the announcement mat, lol. I surged ahead after realizing my stupid mistake and sprinted to the finish.

Immediately after I finish, I collapsed. It was really scary because when I fell I thought I was going to pass out or black out. A volunteer helped me to the ground and got me a cold towel. That final kick to the finish wore me out in a way I don't think I have ever felt at the end of a race before. Luckily, after catching my breath again, I was fine. It was a bad moment or two though...

I waited to watch a couple of friends finish and then ate at the post-party celebration. There was plenty of yummy food and drinks. I don't even think they ever ran out, which is what always happens for the later finishers (me included!) I even got a nice massage from the nice folks at Koala! Overall, a great race, although I did learn some more important tips on how to TRI better. And yes, I will be 'tri-ing' again in another month. I couldn't resist:)

One more note: Major kudos to the staff at Ironbabe sports for a greatly-ran (and pun intended too!) triathlon! These ladies (and gentlemen) ran this event so well that you would have never known that this was their first year doing it! Yes, it was a little expensive, and yes, it was far away, but they did everything right. I love my t-shirt and backpack and I will make good use of them to support future Ironbabe events!

Congrats to all the Ironbabes today!!! :)

THE STATS:
30th out of 50 women, in 20 to 29 age group
300y swim: 11:46
T1-2:1811m
bike: 40:27 (ave 16.3/mph)
T2-1:37
3m run-26:49 (ave 8:56/mile)

TOTAL DAMAGE-1:22:58 total