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July 21, 2008
NYC Triathlon Race Report - My Calves Will Never Be The Same
So here we are, another race report and again, I still don't know how to start these things. I guess some things will never change. :)
The alarm went off at 2:50 am on race morning. Yes, that's right, 2:50 am. Dear Lord. We were in the car and on the way by 3:30 and at transition a little after 4. I had a little time to find the bathrooms and go over bike exit and entry. I also checked out the swim exit, all things I hadn't done the day before.
Okay...here we go!
Once transition opened up at 4:30 I got my stuff set up, headed to the bathroom again and then started the trek to the swim start. Walking along, I was seriously sweating about a gallon a minute. It was in the low 80s but humid as humid could be. Like southern humid. And my calves were really hurting. Seriously - was this how today was going to be? I was hot, tired and cranky already and the race hadn't even started yet!
So as we walked along in silence I gave myself a little pep talk. I told myself that EVERYone was going to suffer today. That EVERYone was going to be hot. That EVERYone was going to be slower than usual. And that the race was going to be a slugfest and that's just the way it was going to be. I told myself not to worry about time or splits on the run. Not to worry if I felt like sludge or that I was tired. My goal was to place in the top 5 for the amateur women and earn a spot at the Dallas Open and that's IT. Just be in the top 5.
Things happened quickly. We got to the swim start. I jogged a little. I drank as much as I possibly could. I waited as long as possible before putting on my wetsuit. I said my goodbyes to O. And then I lined up in my wave's pen. I watched the pros dive into the water. I pleaded with my goggles to stay on during my dive in. :) And then before I knew it, we were lining up and the starters horn was going off. There wasn't enough room for everyone to stand in front on the dock but I wasn't too worried - I just stood behind some big guys and dove in about 1 second after them.
The Swim - Attack of the Jellyfish
The swim! I was really pumped for this swim because of the well known fact that it's FAST. Point to point in the Hudson and very much "current assisted." I wasn't complaining! But somewhere along the way I think I started to take the swim a little too lightly. As in, the current will just take me down and I won't have to work and I'll still get out of the water in 15 minutes.
Umm...no.
Yeah, you still have to SWIM and swim hard. And hands down it was the roughest swim I've ever been in. I've swam in much worse chop (like in the ocean) but there were just bodies everywhere and the whole entire swim I think I found open water to swim about 3 times. You had to be aggressive if you wanted to get around people or over them or under them or whatever the heck you could manage! Very aggressive which was good practice for me. I tend to always shy away from that stuff and try to just find open water but I know I need to learn to swim hard in a pack.
Anyway, about those jellyfish. When I was swimming my face and wrists were stinging. It wasn't really painful, just sort of annoying and to tell you the truth I didn't really think much of it other than the fact that I assumed we were swimming in a dirty river and there were "things" touching me. When I got out of the water I looked at my one wrist because it was REALLY stinging and it was just really red.
Later, everyone was talking about getting stung by jellyfish and I was like "wow, no way...I wonder how I avoided that?!" But then when Maija was explaining to me what it felt like it dawned on me that yes, that was what was stinging my face and wrist. I never did claim to be the brightest crayon in the box. :)
T1 - It Was a Long One
The run up out of the water and to our transition was pretty long. On concrete. Let's just say my feet were not happy. When I finally got to transition and was running in the grass it was like a sweet, soft pillow! Needless to say, I was glad to get my cycling shoes on.
The Bike - My Favorite
I never have much to say about the bike. It's probably because I mainly just put my head down and ride as hard as I can. (I don't actually put my head down because then I couldn't see and that would be bad, but you know what I mean... :)
I will say the bike was hillier than I thought it would be. Not steep hills, but the kind where you don't even know you are going uphill until you are really pushing hard and you look down at your computer and see you are flying by at a speedy 13 mph. :)
I didn't have a good concept of what place I was in so I just kept pushing and pushing and the first 15 miles or so I passed a good number of people. And then I didn't pass anyone. I caught up to a gal who was also an amateur and although I tried to pass her (and did a couple times) she just kept coming back. We did that a few more times until T2 finally arrived.
T2 - Let's Get a Move On
This time there was no searching for a rogue visor. It was right where I left it. :)
The Run - Survival Mode
Right out of T2 you climb a sizeable hill and then run across the closed down 72nd Street into Central Park. It was just awesome. People were lining the street and cheering and I have to say being a woman in that situation is always amazing because everyone is always yelling "you go girl!". I was really excited. And I really didn't feel too badly!
I saw O and my college roommate/teammate/good friend right as I entered the park. It was so great to here and see them and O told me I was in 3rd place!! YIPPPPEEEE!! Up until that point I really had no idea of where I was at so I was pretty psyched to learn my top 5 goal was within reach. But I had a lot of work to do.
I went through the first mile in 5:53. WHOA Nelly! I think someone got a little excited with all the cheering along 72nd St. :) I was also trying desperately to keep contact with the 2nd place girl who was the one I was back and forth with on the bike during the final 10 miles. But she was quickly pulling away.
I went through the 2nd mile in 6:07 and was holding tight. But as I lost contact with 2nd place I started to falter a little. Mile 3 came and all of a sudden I was really in a world of hurt. The heat, the humidity. OH my.
I remembered the pep talk I gave myself before the race - how it was going to be tough for everyone out there and I should expect to feel this way. Hang tight and keep pushing.
At one point I wondered if I was really still moving forward or if somehow I was now actually moving backward? :)
It was definitely getting very tough but I have to say I was very proud of myself for talking myself through it. Because let's face it, after the 4 mile mark, I was just in survival mode. 2nd place was long gone. I told myself over and over again YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU WILL DO THIS. Run hard to that next cone. Run hard to that next aid station. Run hard until you get to that next volunteer. I was pulling out all the tricks.
FINALLY I got to O and Mary Beth again and they were yelling like wild. O was screaming "only 600 to go" at which point I put my head down (this time for real) and just ran as hard as I could. My whole body was just so, so tired. And hot. And ready to be done. But finally, the finish line! Victory!
I crossed the line in a heap and the volunteer that put the very, very cold, wet towel around me will forever be my hero. It felt SO good. They took me to the medical tent but only for a brief visit to get my feet under me. And then off to find O and Mary Beth and my mother in law who was also there to watch!
As I was walking through the finishers area one of the pro woman came up to me and said "you were really strong out there today" and I have to say, it made my day. She really didn't have to do that and it really made me feel good. Because I didn't feel strong, especially on those last couple miles of the run. I really appreciated her words and reminded myself to do the same for someone else the next time I race. Funny how something so small can make a big difference.
Regardless, I found my peeps and then proceeded to sit on a bench and drink bottle after bottle after bottle of water. I was sooooooooooooo thirsty!! :) And pleased.
I gave it everything I had and when I was really suffering on the run I didn't panic, I just kept as positive as I could. That's a big step for me. The heat is not my favorite and humidity is even worse, but I have to learn to compete in it because just about all big triathlons are in the HEAT. I learned a lot about myself yesterday.
I did end up as the 3rd amateur and my time was a PR 2:10:17. Of course it won't be recognized as an official PR given the current assisted swim time, but that's okay. :) And I'm going to Dallas! I'm really excited for that. Very, very excited! I hope I can meet Cathy there! :)
Oh, and amazingly enough, I achieved one of my other goals for the year - to break 40 minutes for 10K. I hadn't even given thought to it yesterday because of the heat, humidty and hills in Central Park. But when I looked up the results to see my splits I was so happy to see I (BARELY) squeezed under 40! I was glad I sprinted that last little bit to the finish line! :) As Jim Valvano would say "never give up, don't ever give up!" because you may just be doing better than you think... :)
Overall it was a great experience and we had a great time in NYC. O and I left with a lot of ways to improve our experience next year in terms of cutting down on all the walking around pre-race! (my calves are seriously never going to be the same - they are so sore from all that walking!) Although we were also considering maybe trying the Lifetime Fitness race next year instead of NYC. But then again, I did like that fast swim in NYC... :)
Either way, we are now home (after a VERY long ride yesterday due to the PA turnpike being shut down!) and got a good night's rest. My feet are totally wrecked as usual after a race and the previously mentioned calves are angry...but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. :)
Huge congrats to everyone else out there who raced this weekend. All those IMLP people who suffered in the rain and cold - you are amazing! And everyone else too. No matter what the conditions, we all have a lot to overcome to cross that finish line! And finally, my thoughts and prayers to the family of the competitor who passed away yesterday morning in the Hudson. Sad beyond words.
Posted by beth at July 21, 2008 2:20 PM
Comments
Awesome job Beth!!! Congrats on your top 3 finish and your amazing race!!!
Posted by: barb at July 21, 2008 4:45 PM
SA-WEET!!! I can't wait to meet you in Dallas, but I hope to meet you at Nationals first.
Nice work out there-Way to stay strong and meet that sub40 min 10K goal. That's so awesome.
Posted by: Cathy Y at July 21, 2008 5:13 PM
Way to go sister. THANKS for your amazing spirit!
Posted by: mary at July 21, 2008 5:22 PM
AWESOME JOB, BETH!!! I was so happy to see you get 3rd OA - nice way to hang tough, meet your goals and walk away content. Can't ask for anything more (oh, and a sub 40 min 10k is nice too!). Congrats on Dallas too! :)
Posted by: Jen Harrison at July 21, 2008 6:16 PM
Awesome race out there. I can't believe you ran so well in that heat and hills! You will be ready for almost anything now. You are one tough cookie! It was good to see you guys and I'm glad you had fun in the city. Maybe you need to walk Roxie some more to get your calves in shape :)
Posted by: maija at July 21, 2008 6:50 PM
um yeah...walking ALWAYS works different muscles. when i go site-seeing..ow!!
congrats beth. i was so pscyhed to see you rock the third place!!! it's so awesome your triathlon travels are taking you to so many places!!!!
Posted by: Audrey at July 21, 2008 10:21 PM
BETH!! You did so great! And congrats on the new PR.. forget the current, I think it counts. You report was awesome and left me dying to race again.
Congratulations, awesome performance!
Posted by: rachel at July 21, 2008 11:07 PM
Hey, wow, GREAT job!! I'm really impressed! Sounds like you're having a heck of a season so far. Also, about the jellyfish... check out today's NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/nyregion/22jellyfish.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Apparently someone died? Sorry, didn't mean to be Debbie Downer... you still had a great race!
Posted by: Alisha at July 22, 2008 3:35 AM
Awesome race Beth... recover well...
Posted by: Kranky C Dale at July 22, 2008 8:47 AM
Great job! Amazing to get a running PR in such humidity. You're my new hero!
Posted by: Candace at July 22, 2008 10:22 AM
It must have been that crazy track workout y'all did at camp during the heat of the day that toughened you up for NYC's heat and humidity. Beth, congrats on what sounds like a fine race. I cannot believe that you all swam through stinging jellyfish! In NYC?!
Anyways, recover well, especially those calves, and enjoy the great feeling of accomplishment!
Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at July 22, 2008 3:57 PM
As a New Yorker, I'm sort of happy that, although the list of bad things about NY now includes not only expensive parking fees but stinging jellyfish, you had a good time. I thought about you as I jogged through the sludgelike heat that morning. You are one powerful woman, and I'm not surprised one of the pro women told you so. I so looked forward to your report and it was great reading, not least because you did so well. On to Dallas!
Posted by: Roslyn at July 22, 2008 4:43 PM
Great Race report Beth! Enjoyed it & and Congrats again!!
Posted by: Kim at July 22, 2008 10:22 PM
AWESOME!! I finally am back to reading blogs after the trip/race/camp and SOOO glad I caught this race report of yours! Incredible... love the little pep talk you gave yourself, that awesome attitude sure gave you a PR that totally counts. I decided to count my swim pr's in a wetsuit so you can count yours too! ha ha!
NOW that run, super super SUPER! Way to give it all you got! Enjoy your recovery... MORE training to come right!!??
Posted by: breewee at July 23, 2008 10:18 PM
WAY TO GO BETH!!!!! You wooped the invasion of the jellyfish, stomped em on the bike and ran like the wind!!!
Posted by: kerri at July 24, 2008 8:28 PM