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September 23, 2008
Age Group Nationals - The Full Report
I'm going to warn you, this could be long. I can really go on and on about this race and the whole weekend, they were so awesome!! I am so excited and so proud of how I did. And so glad the rest of the weekend was so much fun!
The Race Report is the meat so I am going to do this first and then regale my readers with tales of my weekend afterwards.
Pre-Race:
It was kind of cold and the bus took forever (they bussed us from a satellite parking area just outside the park, which made me very glad I used Tri Bike Transport which is the most awesome service ever). I did not get much of a warmup in - I think maybe 8 minutes of jogging - which is a little short of what I normally do but no big deal. I actually had a pretty decent spot in transition so I was pleased about that. I had a raging internal debate about wearing running socks, and I am glad I ended up on the wearing socks side of things. I am going to need new racing flats next year, my current ones require socks and as we all know every second in transition counts! I got down to the dock and put on my wetsuit and warmed up a bit in the water. Then I froze my butt off for about 10 minutes waiting to start :)
The Swim - 25:30 (1:34/100 Yards)
Well this was definitely a PR by almost 90 seconds. I never know how things are going in the water and I was sure my time would be around 30:00, because I always think that. I couldn't even start my watch because they had us hanging off the dock to start and it was kind of a logistical challenge! So I just hoped for the best until I finished. Looking at the times of the other girls in my age group, my swimming could still stand to improve a lot. So I will be working on that but I am also really proud of how much I've improved since last year. It was nice being in a smaller wave than normal, I didn't get punched in the head or anything! My sighting seemed to be pretty on as well which was nice.
T1 - 2:02
Oh my word this transition was a mess. I was freezing. I forgot how to put my bike shoes on. I dropped my bike. Clearly this is something I need to work on! But it didn't put me too far behind so that was cool.
Bike - 1:06:41 (22.4 MPH)
My bike totally rocked. I'm not gonna lie. I was in 19th according to my Awesome Equipment Manager at the end of the swim so I knew I needed to pass a ton of chicks. Luckily I think I passed 13. The bike course was definitely rolling the entire way, but considering the fact that I ride uphill a lot in the Denver/Boulder area, it was not that bad. There was only one hill (two if you count it twice as it was a two loop course) where I had to get into my small chain ring. And even that was nothing compared to Old Stage, the big hill in the Boulder Peak tri. I did seem to be just about the only girl in my age group who did not have a real tri bike and/or Zipp wheels. But I wonder how beneficial aero wheels would be on a rolling course, since they are heavier. Regardless I do want some! I recognized several girls on the bike (when I passed them) who normally beat me in the Boulder races so that was really encouraging. I kept looking back as I kind of thought this one girl would pass me back but no one ever did, so that was cool. I was worried I would burn my legs out on the bike but I really only know how to bike one way, and that is pretty hard and aggressively. So I figured worst case I would be in a decent position when I started the run and then hopefully I could hold a top 15 place.
T2 - 1:13
Another non-awesome transition. I got confused and looked for my bike in the wrong row for a minute. Then I had to put socks on which takes forever. But that's okay, it's an easy area to improve!
Run - 43:02 (6:56/mile)
Accorting to my Equipment Manager I started the run somewhere between 7th and 9th, so I was feeling pretty darned excited. Turns out I was actually in 6th so that is even better! Anyway, considering the ridiculously hilly course I am thrilled with this time. I think my splits were kind of like this: 7:05, 7:01, 6:47, 6:44, 6:38, 8:47 (last 1.2). But I don't really remember because I cleared my watch. You can tell there's a spike where this nice girl Courtenay caught up with me and ran with me for a while. I think we ran together from mile 2.5 to 4.5 or so. It really helped! Until another girl caught us and Courtenay went with her and I couldn't respond. I am so encouraged by this and I think I could run a 42:00 on a less hilly course. I did lose two places but considering the fact that at my last Olympic I ran 8:00 pace and lost six places on the run I feel like I have improved a lot!!
Overall - 2:18:25, 8th place F30-34
Wow, overall I would just like to say that I am so thrilled and happy and excited. I love my coaching program (thanks again for the referral, Beth!!) and it is definitely working really well for me. I can't wait to improve on my swimming and running over the winter after I take a few weeks of active recovery, and see what I can do next year. I still don't think I could ever go pro but I do hope I can make my program's elite team and mix it up with some awesome women in the Elite Amateur space.
I owe a TON of thanks to Randy, my amazing equipment manager and boyfriend (yes it has been a busy year, I got divorced this summer. This blog isn't really about that type of stuff so I didn't feel like sharing until I had a reason to). He spent a ton of time keeping me calm, encouraging me, telling me my place and splits, telling me how awesome my race was afterwards, and just generally being awesome and really really patient. I cannot think spending seven hours at a race is anyone's idea of a good time when they're not racing.
The rest of the weekend....
Well now I have written so much that I don't know how much I want to say about the rest of the weekend. Even my attention span can't handle it! But it was so fun. It was relaxing except for the race part and Oregon is so much fun. After the race we went wine tasting in the Williamette Valley which is absolutely beautiful and all the wineries are so hospitable and awesome. Portland is very confusing from a driving perspective but it is such a great town. It is a lot like Denver except that they have a big river and more trees. And they are definitely not on a grid system. Portland's airport has free wireless internet which is really nice. There are a ton of awesome restaurants. And no sales tax which is sweet!
That is about all. I am now in active recovery mode for a few weeks - I can't lie, I am kind of sad that my season is over, it has been so much fun!! - and then I will be starting up maintenance and applying for the elite team for MAO. Wish me luck, and thanks for reading!!
Posted by barb at September 23, 2008 12:50 PM
Comments
Barb,
Congrats on a grrrrrreat race! Oh my gosh you are improving so much, so quickly. Wow, I'm super impressed.
I'm sorry to read of your divorce. That's sad, but I hope it's all for the better.
Take care and recover well,
Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at September 24, 2008 4:24 AM
You might get sick of me saying this but really and truly Barb, I am thrilled for you. Trust me, you will continue to improve and improve and improve with the program. No limits! :) And I look forward to being your teammate next year. ;)
PS Great on your equipment manager! They are soooo important!
Posted by: Beth at September 24, 2008 5:33 PM