Anyway on Friday I was bit worried because my legs still felt tired esp when I walked up stairs. So i did not really know what to expect. I talked with Kainoa and she told me just to go all out and not hold anything back since it is a short race. The main goal was to just go faster than last years 1:30:39.
As usual I like to get to races early just in case and so I have plenty of time for a warm up and to use the porta potties before a huge line forms. So we left the house around 5:30a with a cup of Via + chocolate milk in hand (Kyle had a double).
We got to the park and I got my packet and since we were so early I got my choice of spots on the rock - of course I went on the end. It did not take long to set up my transition since really don't need very much for a sprint..
I was a little worried because it was kind of cold and considered having a vest ready but in the end decided it was just a sprint it would not be long enough to really matter if I was cold or not.. and to be honest if I was going all out I would not be cold even going downhill. When I got back from my :20 min warm up run my Mom and Jerry has arrived with the HUGE sign and the camera.
I was the 7th wave to start and even though it was 29 and under I think there was only about 25-30 girls. Since it was so small I went ahead and started front and center. As we started I tried my best to stay with the few obvious swimmers but wound up in open water between the swimmers and the rest of the wave. So no draft for me but at least I did not have to fight my way or anything. Just as planned I went full out the entire swim which felt great.
As I came out of the water Kyle yelled at me that I was 5th out of the water - which must be why I'm smiling. I think it is the first time I don't look horrible coming out of the swim :)
I got in and out of T1 as quickly as I could and got on to the bike :) I was kind of shocked to see that my heart rate was well up at 181 bpm already but then remembered that is usually where it is when I race. Anyway I quickly got into drops and was off. Honestly i just focused and stayed after it. When I headed down Duthie Hill Road I was shocked I actually passe a bunch of people. I don't think I have EVER passed anyone on a downhill but I knew there was a flat runout and eveb a sligt uphill before the sharp right turn. It was really nice to know the course so well.
I looked for girls in my age group but never really saw any - it did not help they used skinny sharpies to do the body marking so it was not very easy to see.
I kept after it on the flats on 202 and after the right turn started the climb. I did exactly what I planned. I road strong up the 1st two climbs, kept after it on the flat sections and waited to really go for it till the last climb. I passed a ton of people and had so much fun. As always I LOVE this climb.
There is a couple of miles to get back to T2 after the top of the climb and I felt great and just focused on keeping the cadence and intensity high. I ate one plain gu on the way back and dark a bit more of my gatorade.
I rode hard all the way into T2 and had a good transition though I did take an extra second of two taking my glasses out of my back pocket... Oh well.
As soon as I started the run I was a bit worried my legs felt very heavy but i dug deep especially when Kyle said there were not any girls in front of me.
I ran as fast as I could and even though my legs hurt I pushed it as much as I could. It was kind of funny around mile 1.5 or so a friend of ours passed me for the second time and asked out I gained so much time in transition lol. I tried my best to stay with him but he ran a bit away from me - I did keep him in sight most of the run. I always forget how many hills are on the run. They are all pretty short but they hurt. I managed to keep my pace well under an 8 m/mi pace and as I got closure to half way i started to ratchet it down even more. At this point all I was looking at was my overall time and knew I really wanted to go sub 1:30:00.The last mile I ran fast as I could and totally ignored my screaming legs. I managed to get my heart rate up to 193 bpm lol and even better my pace under a 7 m/mi.
I had so much fun pushing myself so hard but I was so glad to be done.
Kyle my super sherpa and I
Kyle, my Mom and I
Final Results
1/4 mi Swim 0:07:32
T1 1:34
13.8 mi Bike 0:44:37
T2 0:54
4.3 mi Run 0:33:01
Overall 1:27:38
We hung out and chatted with everyone, grabbed some water, food and once they had results up I went and looked at the results. I was so excited because I thought I had finished 3rd in my age group. So we decided to hang out for the awards. My Mom used the time to take more pictures.
It took a while but eventually they did awards. They did the overall awards first - the overall female was in my age group so when they got to my age group I was shocked that they called my name for 1st pace. I could not believe it I have never really won anything so I was so excited for 3rd but 1st.. Really!!!!
To say the least I am very happy with my race. I executed my race plan, pulled off a 3 min PR and they gave me 1st in my Age group as well. I would defiantly say it was a good day. Not to mention a perfect confidence builder going into the next couple of months of marathon training. I will defiantly be pulling on this memory in training to get me out the door and make teh most of my training and listen to Kainoa. The rest of the day I could not stop smiling and even had a hard time taking my post race nap because I was just so excited lol
I have to say thank you to Kyle for waking up so early to support me and cheer me on through out the race. It was very motivating here him cheering and telling me where I was in my age group and having him there made it even better to do so well.
Also Thank you to my Mom and Jerry for being at the race cheering and taking so many photos. It really means so much know you were there supporting me.
I feel very lucky :D
2 comments:
Woohoo Way to Go Lady!
CONGRATULATIONS!
I too go early at least 2 hours before the race to avoid long lines at porta-potties.
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