Waiting for Split Times

Got out of the house this morning at 5:15am, and boy, was it pouring! But there was no lightning, so that was a good sign. It rained all the way there, and I prayed that it wouldn't start thunder and lightning so I could do my swim. I was really looking forward to the swim since I did the open water clinic there in July. The rain continued during my time in the transition area as I frantically tried to find a garbage bag to cover my stuff, since I didn't even think to bring a bag to cover everything. I just had little ones to cover my shoes-silly me. My friend Kim had an extra one, so I placed everything in it and sealed it up. They closed transition at 7:20am, even though my wave was not scheduled to start until 8am, so for forty minutes I chatted with my new compadres, and waited for my turn in the water.

I was in the 10th wave, and we started our swim around 8:10am. The water was warmer than the air, and I was nice and toasty since I was wearing my illegal wetsuit (on other words, I wasn't eligible for any prizes since I was wearing it). So much for the 92 degrees forecasted, huh? It was about 70, but chilly in the rain.

The swim was good...not too hard, and gratefully, no one ran me over. I did have a couple pokes in the face, and ankle hits, but that was it. I have yet to check my wetsuit for damage, but I think its ok. After the swim, I lost my head a little and it took a few seconds to find the path to the transition area. There was so much mud that I slipped a few times, and hoped that my towel would be dry enough to wipe off my feet before the bike.

It took a few minutes in transition to get the wetsuit off, find my shoes in the plastic bag (they were soaked), and get them and my helmet on. The first section of the bike (ie the first 100 yards) was all uphill...a hell of a hill for my wobbly legs. The course was a little less than 13 miles, and it was hilly...but not too bad. I got to try my aero bars for the first time (yes, I know, I waited til the last minute to try something new, but it worked out) and they saved me a lot of drag and a little time...though my neck and shoulders were not used to that position and got very tired. I figured better that then having to be on the bike longer and having the part of my hand between my thumb and fourth finger in pain (which it has been during practice due to some nerve damage from a rollerblading accident many years ago). The last part of the bike was thankfully down that first big hill, but I breaked most of the way so I wouldn't slide from all the rain (and too avoid going to fast over the big gaps in the asphalt-ouch!).

At T2, I changed my socks (thanks Kristin, for telling me to bring another pair) and put on my dry running shoes (not sure how that worked with the biking ones being so wet), grabbed my race number belt and started running...I actually made it 4 blocks or so before I had to walk. I had the worse calf pain, though my toes and knee surprisingly did not hurt. I alternated running and walking for the rest of the course, and was glad that I was able to run more than walk despite my lack of training on the run. I made it to the finish at 10:09am, which I think is exactly two hours from my start, but I have to wait a few days to get my split and final time to confirm as I did not bring a watch with me. All in all, I felt good at the end. I did not want to run anymore, but if I had to do something else, I think I could have. I definitely was not as tired as I thought I would be, at least not until I made it home.

Mark videotaped all of my transition points with his iPhone ( I LOVE that thing), so I was able to watch myself today with the rest of the family. That was nice, though I definitely realized I want to lose this baby weight. I did this triathlon 15 pounds heavier than my first in 2007, but I felt better this time. My training was better this time around even though I was injured, and I had the support of my TRY to TRI class at the Y, and my Masters Swim class every M and Th night, which was great.

So marks the end of my first tri of the season. Ocean City Tri, here I come (Sept 13)!