subaru women’s triathlon
naperville, il
6.24.2007
750m swim/13.8mi bike/3.1mi run
pre-race
Wake time – 4:15 am. I’m staying with friends of mine in Bolingbrook, so it’s really handy in that it’s close to the race. I showered, grabbed coffee, pumped up my tires, made my bagel and peanut butter and even had a few minutes to sit sipping my coffee and water. It’s so nice not to wake up and rush around. We loaded everything in the car and headed to the race.
We arrived before 5:30 and they so kindly dropped me off very close to the start (huge help!). I got my body marked and headed into the transition area. This – by far – was the biggest transition area I’ve ever seen!!! I believe they said there were 2200+ women registered for this event. WOW! Anyway, the bike racks were by swim heat, so I was very fortunate to get a rack on the aisle. I quickly set up my transition area and went to find my friends.
Everyone had to clear out of transition by 6:45, so we headed to the water. There were 32 heats for the swim! I was in heat 16, so I didn’t go until 8am (the first heat went at 7). I sat on the grass, somewhat watching the other waves go in, but mostly just thinking about the race and what I wanted to accomplish. When they called heat 14, I headed over to the "beach" area and got ready to roll.
swim – 15:07
This was such an interesting swim. The "lake" was actually a big, odd-shaped pool with a sandy beach area at the shallow end. There was no out and back, but rather a zig-zag pattern in the water. You would swim down, round a buoy, swim back toward the beach, round another, swim back down…you get the picture. I think we made 5 turns – I told you it was strange. Alright, so I’m on the beach getting ready to go. I’m feeling pretty nervous, ‘cause I’ve had a couple unpleasant lake experiences recently, but just thinking strategy. As they call our heat forward, I decide I’m going off the front. So, I lined up far to the left and in the front. Then they tell us to walk down into the water. Keep in mind, we’re only about shin deep. A few more seconds and we’re off. I just hit it hard and tried to stay towards the front and get away from people. That worked for a few yards, and then I slowed it down a bit and settled into my rhythm. I felt great – really strong, and my breathing was pretty controlled. This is good. It was funny ‘cause most of the gals would walk at the beach end (you could walk as you approached the buoy, and then as you turned and headed back out)…I just kept swimming ‘cause I felt like I had a good thing going. There were a few spots where I got mixed up with some gals, but I remained surprisingly calm and just kept going. This swim was such a relief for me since I’ve had a couple bad ones.
t1 – 3:14
So, due to the location of the "pool", it was a long way to the transition area – AND the transition area was BIG. I didn’t expect any records for these transitions. I was pretty pleased though, ‘cause my feet hit that sandy beach and I ran all the way up the hill, onto the pavement, and then onto a brick path. This path took us to a grassy section that led around into the transition. My feet hurt, but I kept running all the way to my bike! I tossed the cap and goggles, threw the helmet on and slipped into my shoes. I had to take my sunglasses off, ‘cause they were all fogged up. So, I arrived at the bike mount line with the sunnies hanging out of my mouth.
bike – 38:07 (21.7mph)
I had a tiny bit of trouble clipping in with my left foot, but once I was snapped in, I was off! This course was fabulous for me…the bulk of it was pretty darn flat, with just two or three slight and gradual inclines. The wind was a bit of an issue heading out, but I just settled in and hammered. I really didn’t even go all out, but wanted to keep it above 20mph. I wanted to pass all the gals with the number "16" on their calf. This was our swim heat, so I knew for sure they were part of my competition. I have to say, I didn’t get passed by anyone on the bike, which was cool. I thought, if I could just aim to be the fastest bike time in my heat, that would be pretty good. I also knew that these gals would be passing me on the run! J
Two laps on the course and I was coming into the finish. That was a bit of a bottleneck, which is a little frustrating. These girls would stop right in the middle of the dismount line and nearly crash into the people next to them. Thankfully, I safely dismounted and ran into the transition area.
t2 – 2:11
I found my spot on the rack, put my bike up, tossed my helmet and glasses on my towel, and kicked off my shoes. I took time to put on my socks this time, ‘cause I wanted no excuses on the run. I grabbed my hat and race belt and headed out the run exit.
run – 30:10 (9:43)
This run didn’t start straight uphill, which was very nice! I saw my friends on the sidelines, just as I was heading out on the run. Lonnie said, "you’re almost done…I have a brownie waiting for you!" How’s that for motivation. ha ha
I settled in and felt like I was running pretty comfortably. I was breathing hard, but controlled and my legs felt decent. Since I touted my not getting passed on the bike, I must mention that I saw several "16’s" pass me on the run. Talk about frustrating….I just knew I needed to stay within myself.
As I came into the water station at mile one, I checked my watch and it was 8:48…I was running faster than I thought. I needed to pull it back a little. I wanted to reach mile two’s water station in 19 minutes, and I did just that. I just kept telling myself that I felt good, and I would be sooooo mad at myself if my run time posted a higher than 10minute/mile average for my pace. I kept saying, "now is when you can make a difference…not when you cross that line." I guess it worked, ‘cause I crossed that line in under 30 minutes.
Someone needs to mention to race volunteers that they really shouldn’t comment on how far a runner has to go if they don’t really know. This dude said, "only half a mile" when it was really more like ¾ or so to go. Then, I round another bend and they say, just around the corner and you have ½ mile left. What?! Anyway, I felt good and was able to pick up my pace a bit. I even had a tiny push left as I had that finish line in sight. Aaaaaahhhh, it was done!
My friends were again at the finish. It’s always so encouraging and so much fun having people out there cheering you on – thanks Simpson family!!!
overall – 1:28:47
Overall Place: 227 out of 1881
Place in Gender: 227 out of 1881
Place in Division F3539: 47 out of 420
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