9/30/07: Cinco Ranch Tri Report!

The quick low-down and my thoughts immediately afterwards:

*This was the first tri (out of 4 that I have done) that I really truly had fun doing!!! I actually smiled on the bike and was grinning ear-to-ear as I finished the run! What a great feeling!

*Adjusting my aerobars perpendicular to the ground was the right thing to do, albeit not the smart thing to do the day before the race. Very comfortable and made me feel fast, even in that sucky headwind.

*Speaking of bike whoas, my pedal fell off while I was putting my bike in the transitition area. Thanks to the kind folks at Bicycle World for fixing it for me! Also, my aerobar tape slipped off while I was riding (very slippery and dangerous, may I add!) and, the biggest thing of all--this race made me realize--

IT'S TIME FOR A NEW BIKE!

I defineitly plan on buying a NEW bike in the next 6 months or so. I can't WAIT! I just need to see how much I can spend... and hopefully I will know this in the next 3 months...

*It was great having so many friends cheering for me during the race. Thanks to all that came out and supported me...and a very special thanks to my Strider babe Hillary who cheered me through the entire race!

*The swim wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, even as muddy as it was. I was painfully slow though. As in, wayyyyy last in my weight class. And close to last in my age group too. I've gotta continue to swim in the off season if I want to become stronger for next season, which I want to, may I add.

*I absolutely KILLED the run, even though my right leg had tightened up in my hamstring and I was in some severe (but short-lived) pain. Although Kelly and I agree the run was short, I finished the 3 miles in 24:22, or 8:07/mile!!!! No one passed me at all...and it was the greatest feeling ever finishing sooo strong!

Can't wait for the next season...with the improvements I had in this race (overall in ALL aspects of the race), I am totally excited about next yr!

NOW BRING ON THE MARATHON :)

-
Yes, overall I had a great race and I am happy with the results. Was I the the fastest in the swim and in the bike? No. Was I fastest on the run? No, but I was fast enough to be happy with my performance! :)

I did really enjoy this race though, although i had to wait around forever for my wave (I was in the last wave-with GUYS!!!). Yes, the swim was muddy but not as bad as as the old Cinco swim from what i heard. The bike was 'long' but i really enjoyed the niceness of the course. I felt like I picked up a really good rythmn on the last half of the 19 mile bike. I think I averaged about 18 or so on the last 8-9 miles. The run...well the run overall was good for me other then my damn leg...arghh. mas stretching to do...

plenty of food, friends and fellowship at the finish. As long as they don't change this race around too much next year, I def. plan to do it again. This was a great race for me to end the tri season on. Now go check out the pictures for proof:) http://www.karenthibodeaux.com/Thumbs.asp?BibNbr=856&event=1442

THE STATS:
14th out of 18 women, in the Annie Oakleys
400m swim: 13:24.3
T1-2:33
19m bike: 1:08:01 (ave 16.8/mph)
T2-1:30
3m run-24:22 (ave 8:07/mile)

TOTAL DAMAGE-1:49:51 total