I found my Mussel, sort of, but it did take a while! Whew! That is one word to describe my efforts at the Musselman Triathlon last Sunday. Actually a few other words come to mind, too...but I will not write them here.
Photo credit: Priscilla! (Thanks!!)
Photo credit: Priscilla! (Thanks!!)
I tried to hydrate well going into the weekend and even make sure I drank Gatorade on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We left Friday afternoon and drove about 2/3 of the way before stopping for the night. Getting a hotel room was a bit of a fiasco and prompted me to reserve one ahead of time for THIS Friday and the trip up to Placid... Anyway, we did not set an alarm for Saturday morning to ensure lots of sleep so we got a later start and were apparently directionally challenged but eventually made it to the lovely town of Geneva. And it IS a lovely town but for some reason I was hyper stressed out and wondered if I should be racing at all! Made it to packet pick up and the first of the mandatory pre-race briefings in the old Opera House (what a fantastic building) followed by a yummy lunch at the place next door. Sadly, I cannot remember the name of the place but I loved the sports memorabilia, with the exception of all the damn Yankees stuff!
From here we went to check into our room a little bit West of Geneva after a stop at RiteAid for a few items. Relaxed for a bit then headed to the park to check out transition and have a yummy dinner at the Team Z tent city. The fajitas were awesome! (As were the Coronas which really helped take the edge off my stress...) After dinner we racked our bikes then headed out to do final race preps for the next morning. It was a 12 mile drive back to our hotel – not too bad and knew that race morning we would cruise right along.
Race morning as always came too early. Transition opened at 5:00 AM and I was hoping to get there as soon after as possible. That did not happen. But we finally made it and unfortunately I forgot my towel and had to trudge back to the car for it. Ack. But finally had my area set up and went to find my breakfast and finish yet another Gatorade! Got the wetsuit on without incident (i.e., no rips or tears) and before I knew it the race was starting and I was heading over to the corral!
Swim 38:54 13/47
Well, I was prepared for the walk through the water in the swim – nutty – but boy was the sea grass awfully annoying! I got tangled up more times then I cared to count! I got bobbed around by the waves and did not mind them too much, except for on the second leg – got a bit off course here. No major contact from other racers, either, so all was well. The third leg of the lake and of course the fourth leg in the canal was much better. The canal was pretty sweet actually! I could see spectators out along here – at least I think I could. Loved the helping hand getting out of the water at the boat ramp, too. And since my foot will never be the same again (thank you plantar fasciitis) I opted to walk to transition...
T1: 4:21 43/47
What’s the rush? It was going to be a long day! I did not forget anything and just took my time.
Bike: 3:43:07 41/47
Well, my bike position was better than T1 (and T2 for that matter) – amazing! I had wanted to push as hard as I could on the bike, within reason. But of course that was not to happen. The first 15-20 miles were rather tough for me. I think I should have eaten a Gu before the swim – maybe that was the problem? It really took a while to get into a groove. However, I eventually did get into a groove and loved from mile 20-ish to 50. Maybe it was the wind! :-) We were told about the spectacular views coming downhill at about mile 26 – WOW!!! What a reward! That was truly the best and I told the marshal that he had the best spot ever directing bike traffic! The views along here were pretty darned nice too, after making the turn. The views up the ‘hill’, hmm, not so nice. Haha! I eventually got over that hill and continued on. I did not really mind the rough road section for that matter – it was actually kind of interesting. I liked seeing the airplane! Also interesting, but rather annoying was the blatant littering that took place right in front of me! She actually held her arm out and purposely dropped an empty gel package on the ground. Maybe she missed the race director’s plea about keeping all trash with you in the mandatory pre-race briefing? Anyway, I did pretty well until around mile 50. I think the heat was getting to me and maybe should have had a salt cap...or something. It was great getting back into the park though and seeing the sea of Z green! I got to the dismount line and unclipped on the left – as usual. The ground was slanted a bit on that side and was having a hard time getting my right leg over. I finally managed to swing it over, then ‘zing’! MAJOR quad cramp!!! (ouchie) Note to self: practice dismounting on the other side in case of uneven ground in the future. Nutrition-wise I used a Gu every half hour plus alternated water and Heed in my aero bottle (I probably went through 3 full bottles of Heed).
T2: 4:54 44/47
I did take a potty break here so my T2 might have been faster! But on a positive note, I remembered to take my gloves off, unlike Kinetic, so no need to go back and drop them!
From here we went to check into our room a little bit West of Geneva after a stop at RiteAid for a few items. Relaxed for a bit then headed to the park to check out transition and have a yummy dinner at the Team Z tent city. The fajitas were awesome! (As were the Coronas which really helped take the edge off my stress...) After dinner we racked our bikes then headed out to do final race preps for the next morning. It was a 12 mile drive back to our hotel – not too bad and knew that race morning we would cruise right along.
Race morning as always came too early. Transition opened at 5:00 AM and I was hoping to get there as soon after as possible. That did not happen. But we finally made it and unfortunately I forgot my towel and had to trudge back to the car for it. Ack. But finally had my area set up and went to find my breakfast and finish yet another Gatorade! Got the wetsuit on without incident (i.e., no rips or tears) and before I knew it the race was starting and I was heading over to the corral!
Swim 38:54 13/47
Well, I was prepared for the walk through the water in the swim – nutty – but boy was the sea grass awfully annoying! I got tangled up more times then I cared to count! I got bobbed around by the waves and did not mind them too much, except for on the second leg – got a bit off course here. No major contact from other racers, either, so all was well. The third leg of the lake and of course the fourth leg in the canal was much better. The canal was pretty sweet actually! I could see spectators out along here – at least I think I could. Loved the helping hand getting out of the water at the boat ramp, too. And since my foot will never be the same again (thank you plantar fasciitis) I opted to walk to transition...
T1: 4:21 43/47
What’s the rush? It was going to be a long day! I did not forget anything and just took my time.
Bike: 3:43:07 41/47
Well, my bike position was better than T1 (and T2 for that matter) – amazing! I had wanted to push as hard as I could on the bike, within reason. But of course that was not to happen. The first 15-20 miles were rather tough for me. I think I should have eaten a Gu before the swim – maybe that was the problem? It really took a while to get into a groove. However, I eventually did get into a groove and loved from mile 20-ish to 50. Maybe it was the wind! :-) We were told about the spectacular views coming downhill at about mile 26 – WOW!!! What a reward! That was truly the best and I told the marshal that he had the best spot ever directing bike traffic! The views along here were pretty darned nice too, after making the turn. The views up the ‘hill’, hmm, not so nice. Haha! I eventually got over that hill and continued on. I did not really mind the rough road section for that matter – it was actually kind of interesting. I liked seeing the airplane! Also interesting, but rather annoying was the blatant littering that took place right in front of me! She actually held her arm out and purposely dropped an empty gel package on the ground. Maybe she missed the race director’s plea about keeping all trash with you in the mandatory pre-race briefing? Anyway, I did pretty well until around mile 50. I think the heat was getting to me and maybe should have had a salt cap...or something. It was great getting back into the park though and seeing the sea of Z green! I got to the dismount line and unclipped on the left – as usual. The ground was slanted a bit on that side and was having a hard time getting my right leg over. I finally managed to swing it over, then ‘zing’! MAJOR quad cramp!!! (ouchie) Note to self: practice dismounting on the other side in case of uneven ground in the future. Nutrition-wise I used a Gu every half hour plus alternated water and Heed in my aero bottle (I probably went through 3 full bottles of Heed).
T2: 4:54 44/47
I did take a potty break here so my T2 might have been faster! But on a positive note, I remembered to take my gloves off, unlike Kinetic, so no need to go back and drop them!
Run: 3:05:51 43/47
Remember that quad cramp I got when I got off the bike? Um, yeah....it came back. I started jogging out of transition and kept it up, going past Z City and as I went along the quad cramping started up again. I took a salt cap and walked and nothing happened. Took another and the cramp left. Jogged then the cramp came back, so I repeated. Got to the first aid station and downed some Heed and took some Endurolytes. From here on out I basically walked with purpose and jogged when I could. At each aid station I took Heed and Endurolytes with an occasional cup of water. At about the halfway point I ate some Chex Mix and did manage to jog down most downhill sections. I needed to take one potty break as I was extremely hydrated, then walked with Z peeps when I could. As I started in the last swim wave I was concerned about the finish line being open when I finally got back! The gravel hill should be called gravel hell. I was especially careful here because of my foot! It was a relief to get out of that section but I did like the drum / bongo group! Of course, I like everyone else, was quite happy to have all the local people out with their hoses – and the one person who rigged their hose on a step ladder! I’m sure I would have had a hard time continuing on without all that. In fact, my quad – which eventually stopped cramping after enough salt/Endurolytes (maybe the halfway point; maybe it was the Chex Mix) had me thinking I should turn back! The farther away I got the more concerned I was. But I am stubborn also but certainly did not try to do more than I could. When I finally got back into the park I ran into Jill and Nelson! That was just the boost I needed. I walked/jogged with them pretty much till the finish when we kind of split up. Jill’s idea was to jog 3/walk 1 really helped. Kate came by to check on Nelson and she was very encouraging, too! There had been other Z people out there with words of encouragement, too – including those racing! I saw all the boats in the water cheering us on and all I wanted to do was jump in the water and swim to the finish! Finally, finally I made it. Whew. The finish area was of course full of Z green and always a great sight for sore eyes! Got my funky finisher’s medal and sat in the little pool. That was pretty cool!
Final: 7:36:07 42/47
I was thrilled that the finish line was still open as it was slightly past 3:00PM (6 minutes and 7 seconds past to be exact) when I came through. What a relief! And I had a Diet Coke. Two of them, actually...then another diet soda later with pizza (but did not take advantage of the free refill). So far this week I am diet soda free...
Lessons learned:
-Take a Gu before the swim
-Use the salt caps during the bike – I took a Gu every half hour and alternated water and Heed on the bike but with all the heat that was not enough
-Don’t be afraid to try the Gu on the run next time – maybe it will help
Next up: Ironman Lake Placid – Cheering & Volunteering! I am so excited to be volunteering and also cheering on some Team Z peeps that will be racing there!
Happy and Healthy Training!
Remember that quad cramp I got when I got off the bike? Um, yeah....it came back. I started jogging out of transition and kept it up, going past Z City and as I went along the quad cramping started up again. I took a salt cap and walked and nothing happened. Took another and the cramp left. Jogged then the cramp came back, so I repeated. Got to the first aid station and downed some Heed and took some Endurolytes. From here on out I basically walked with purpose and jogged when I could. At each aid station I took Heed and Endurolytes with an occasional cup of water. At about the halfway point I ate some Chex Mix and did manage to jog down most downhill sections. I needed to take one potty break as I was extremely hydrated, then walked with Z peeps when I could. As I started in the last swim wave I was concerned about the finish line being open when I finally got back! The gravel hill should be called gravel hell. I was especially careful here because of my foot! It was a relief to get out of that section but I did like the drum / bongo group! Of course, I like everyone else, was quite happy to have all the local people out with their hoses – and the one person who rigged their hose on a step ladder! I’m sure I would have had a hard time continuing on without all that. In fact, my quad – which eventually stopped cramping after enough salt/Endurolytes (maybe the halfway point; maybe it was the Chex Mix) had me thinking I should turn back! The farther away I got the more concerned I was. But I am stubborn also but certainly did not try to do more than I could. When I finally got back into the park I ran into Jill and Nelson! That was just the boost I needed. I walked/jogged with them pretty much till the finish when we kind of split up. Jill’s idea was to jog 3/walk 1 really helped. Kate came by to check on Nelson and she was very encouraging, too! There had been other Z people out there with words of encouragement, too – including those racing! I saw all the boats in the water cheering us on and all I wanted to do was jump in the water and swim to the finish! Finally, finally I made it. Whew. The finish area was of course full of Z green and always a great sight for sore eyes! Got my funky finisher’s medal and sat in the little pool. That was pretty cool!
Final: 7:36:07 42/47
I was thrilled that the finish line was still open as it was slightly past 3:00PM (6 minutes and 7 seconds past to be exact) when I came through. What a relief! And I had a Diet Coke. Two of them, actually...then another diet soda later with pizza (but did not take advantage of the free refill). So far this week I am diet soda free...
Lessons learned:
-Take a Gu before the swim
-Use the salt caps during the bike – I took a Gu every half hour and alternated water and Heed on the bike but with all the heat that was not enough
-Don’t be afraid to try the Gu on the run next time – maybe it will help
Next up: Ironman Lake Placid – Cheering & Volunteering! I am so excited to be volunteering and also cheering on some Team Z peeps that will be racing there!
Happy and Healthy Training!
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