Texas Star Tri Recap

Second race in two weeks.  I know I have a problem.  I love to race and it shows with my schedule.  ;)  This race was decided upon about a week or so before race day.  There was a card (for the second or third time) on my car when I left the YFreedom race.  It always just conflicted with the TriAggieland race, but not this year.  So it was on!  I got all registered and then realized what I had done.  It was 10 days until race day.  Good thing I had stayed on track with at least running since the YFreedom tri.  So there was that.  ;)  I went back and read the race description and realized it says it is a cross country running course.  I meant to contact the race director about that, but never got around to it.  Plugged away with my training schedule and realized I was almost in taper week again already.  Good times.

The weekend before we went back home to visit family.  Which turned into no training session on Sunday.  Well that was the last long run and swim brick....okay.  I did not really think it would get done and was not overly sad that it did not.  Perhaps I will be well rested.

Monday rolled around and it was weights....so I made the conscious decision to take that day off.  After traveling it is always hard to get back on track for me.  Plus I had so much work to get done and it was taper week after all.  Yeah...  Got the rest of the taper week training done with pretty decent paces and efficiency.
Wednesday we drove the 45 in good traffic (read it took about 1 1/2 hours) to Splashtown for the kids to play.  It was thundering and lightning.  So we ate some crap food at McDonald's, turned around and came home.  I do not like to ride so the driving is on me.  Stayed up late working on my project.

Thursday it was crummy weather so I did laundry (always do it early on race week) and got a lot of work done.

Then Friday we went back to Splashtown and got a decent day in there.  We were there for about 3 or 4 hours before we got kicked out for weather.  For me, Splashtown involves standing in the wave pool while my future triathlete swims amongst the droves of people.  I know she will do well in open water swims because the crowds of people and waves do not seem to bother her.  She also likes to swim around in one of the pools so I stand around over there.  Lots on my feet time.  =)

Saturday there is a baby shower in the same town as the race.  I got to do packet pickup then instead of race day.  =)  We drive out there and on the way back hit up Splashtown again to get in the other rides that they did not get to on Friday.  More wave pool and pool time.  I was spent!  We got home around 9:30 or 10.  It was then that I realized I had not gotten much done to prepare.

It is a good thing really that I have become pretty good at getting my stuff together for a sprint tri.  So I throw my stuff together and try to make sure that I make a mental list of what I needed to do in the morning.  I did not remember to do a few things the night before which I usually do:  Check the air in the tires and make up water bottles for the bike ride,  but the bag is packed and ready to go.  Off to bed.  The baby comes in and asks me to read a book for her.  At this point it is 11 or so, but I cannot tell her no.  So she snuggles in and I read to her.  She kept rolling over as if to go to sleep while I read.  It was too lovely to not do it.  =)

I was probably asleep by midnight with is pretty normal for the night before a race really.  Only thing is, the alarm was going off at 3 am!  And it was right on time....stupid brat!  Anywho....I actually woke up about 5 minutes before the alarm....seriously!?!



 I got up and went through my normal routine.....bathroom, did the dishes, bathroom, made up my water bottle, did some laundry, made breakfast for myself and hubby (his goes in the fridge).  I was strangely hungry so I ate around 4 am.  I got the bike and other stuff packed and took my just in case 1/2 dose of Immodium.  Not sure if that is really necessary, but it is something I started doing a long time ago and will forever keep doing it.  I needed to leave by about 4:15 or 4:30 so I would have plenty of travel time.  I made it in 1 hour 15 minutes which included the stop in the bathroom on the way in.  Thank goodness Whataburger is open 24/7 there.  It could have been a bad accident to have.  The way to the race site was very well marked and there was so much parking it was crazy!  I got my bike out and aired up the tires.  The prestavalves were fighting with me and I was thinking it was just par for the course since there were some other things that were not working out that morning too.  Being sleepy did not make it any nicer....I head over to transition, get body marked, my chip and find my spot.  There are assigned spots so it was easy enough.  Got my gear set up, put on my sunscreen and headed off to the bathroom.  After that I stopped at the car and got a bite of turkey and ate most of the banana.  This is very strange for me to be so hungry before a race.  It was a bit worrisome.  I moved on though.  I went in to check out the pool area and was so shocked!  In the small town of Montgomery, Texas who would have thought that there would be two pools in the natatorium?  Not me that is for sure.  So I would be in the water within 7 minutes of starting time instead of 15 like I had calculated.

Off to try to use the restroom one more time.  This is also just something I do.  The bathrooms were a good 3 or 4 minute walk from the pool area so I was jogging on the way back since transition was EMPTY!  They were making the announcements that no one could understand and then it was time to start EARLY!!  Wow!  The Star Spangled Banner played and then it was time.  Ear plugs, headband and swimming cap on.  Making chit chat with the traithletes around me.  Let the guy behind me know I may breast stroke if I get tired.  I always like to give a heads up.  One lady said they had gone on the bike course twice the day before and it was hilly!  At both U-turns, you turn into a hill.  Yay!

Before I knew it, it was time to get in the water.  That was the coldest water I have been in since the JCC one.  It was an awakening getting in for sure.  I pushed off and kept my pace pretty well.  I tried to not stop at the ends and felt it by the end.  But this is race day not play around day.  If it does not hurt, you are not trying hard enough.  It was two way traffic with us on the opposite side as usual for race day.  We were swimming from the left to the right of the pool.  It was not too hard to keep up with.  As the pool got deeper the line was skewed so I had to make a conscious effort to stay out of the middle of the lane.  There were some who kick a lot while they swim.  I can attest to that since their wake was strong!  Holy moly!  I did not get hit or passed and actually passed one lady.  I just realized that I DID NOT GET PASSED!  I put a time that was a bit faster than I normally swim so I was feeling the pressure to step it up at this race.  I usually put the actual time I swim the distance and get stuck behind someone without fail.  Well this water was about 13 feet deep so I was not going to get stuck treading water.  ;)

I get pulled out of the pool and take off for transition.  I felt really good about my swim even right after it.  I had counted the racks out of the pool area which is good since someone else had a brightly colored mat almost the same color as my towel.  On the run I get my goggles flipped into my swim cap.  Then in goes the headband.  I was still pulling the ear plugs out when I get to my bike.  Those get dropped on the ground.  I sit down and get my clips on.  Stand up get my gum in my mouth, sunglasses on, helmet on.  Grab my bike off the rack and off I go.

The gentleman telling us which way to go out of the parking lot was great!  He had given his entire spiel to the man in front of me.  I was about 4 or 5 seconds behind.  I said to him, "I will follow that guy!".  We had a good laugh.  And off I went.  It was uphill (small slope) out of the parking lot.  I knew it was going to be hilly after that.  It was a good sized hill right off the bat.  I was shifting all over the place.  I did end up in the largest gear I have since it was making me bounce too much no matter where I was geared in the middle ring.  The course was beautiful!  It was hilly I will give you that and there were hills right after you turned around at the two U-turns, but the scenery was lovely.  I will never understand why someone who is all aero and with the fancy helmet and bike (so I would assume they race often) will not say, "On your left" when passing on the bike.  It was windy (either from the wind or my awesome speed- ha ha).  I will tell you this though, for every uphill there is a downhill.  I managed to keep a 17 mph pace even with all of the hills.  We got one last downhill ride into the turn for the parking lot.  It was awesome to speed in like that.

Get off the bike at the dismount line and run my bike over.  My legs are protesting at this point.  I remind them we have one more little short 3 mile run to do so shut up and get with the program.  ha ha.  

Rack the bike, off with the helmet.  Off with the clips and sit down and get on my Vibrams.  I have been wearing the old shoes since they are so much easier to get on.  Stand up and get my running number belt on and I am off.  I do not grab a drink since I made sure to keep up with my water on the bike.  Planning ahead pays dividends.  We begin to go, you guessed it, up a hill on the run.  This is a pretty stready climb through the parking lot broken up with a couple of flat places.  When the description said cross country trail it was not kidding.  We went through parking lot for about 1/2 mile maybe and then it was off road.  There were trees and roots and ditches to go down and up again.  It was pretty fun really!  I was thikning of the pictures you see "What a trail runner things they will trip one (picture of a giant root), what they actually trip on (picture of a twig)"

Thank you Michael Scott (Run Nerds Rock) for finding this pic for me.


We emerge from the trees and there is an older gentleman who is breathing very heavily.  He was getting gu so I knew he was okay.  Ahead of us there is a mule type of golf cart on the path.  They are driving along the path.  I look over at him and say they are leaving us!  He laughs and starts to move a little faster.  There is more green space to run on and we move around a bank for an overflow ditch. Then I see the photographer who has already gotten my picture.  I asked him if he got the pain on my face in his shot.  He nodded yes.  I told him that was awesome.  The group of people near him begin to laugh.  I love to have fun on my races.  Otherwise, why would you do them?  It is at this point I realize how badly I wanted to walk.  I gave about 30 or 40 seconds later.  I counted and only walked for 20 seconds total.  I was following the guy in front of me who apparently was lost.  All of a sudden I hear, "Cones!  Follow the cones!"  We had gone off course.  Not far, but far enough since I had just freaking walked.  Ugh!  The lady who get my attention and I got his attention and he got back on course.  I ended up passing her since my pace was different.  About this time we are coming up on the parking lot again.  This will lead us into the track area with about a 200 m run on the track.  As we turn onto the track, the lady behind me has her family there.  They are yelling, "Go mom!  You are doing great!" or whatever other encouraging things....and then I hear her son say, "Go catch her mom!  Don't let her beat you!"  Ha ha ha!  At that point I sped up just a bit.  We come around the first turn and now shadows let me know where she is.  On the straight away I kept my spot but when we rounded the next turn, she was pulling away from me.  She was on the inside lane, but was certainly pulling away.  She had one heck of a kick and crossed before me.  I was happy for her...she was also not in my age group.  Whew!  She thanked me later for pacing her on the run.  Sure...you're welcome.  =)

Got the medal and a bottle of water.  Then it was mingling and waiting for awards.  Had someone take my picture

The award was heavy and it felt great to get first place in my AG.  First time doing the course...so a PR!  I stopped and got some Whataburger (grilled chicken sandwich) and even got some french fries.  I ate them and the bun....which I paid for the next day.  I do not eat bread so that was a treat.  I made the long drive home and was ready to be done for the day.  Yeah right!  There was shopping to be done so we could grill some chicken and then I had laundry to do and work to get done.  It is no wonder I felt horrible by Tuesday.  

All in all this was a good day.  I loved the challenge of the course and it will be a hard decision next year if scheduling conflicts between the two races again.

Y Freedom Triathlon Recap

So, I just realized I needed to get this one done before the next race.  I think I have a problem.  That being said, I have done this race for three years now.  I love the race and I love the meaning behind the race.  It is in place to honor the men and women who give us the freedom we enjoy each and every day.  There is a banner that you can personally thank someone for their sacrifices.  I have put a friend of mine's husband's name on there every year I have run the race.  So they offer three days of packet pickup and I chose the one closest to me.  When I get the bag I realized there is not a visor (creature of habit much?) but a really sturdy backpack this year.  New gym bag!  =)  My oldest went on a trip for a pole vault meet about 4 hours from us so I was not able to go with her.  I was bummed but she kept me posted so that helped me remain focused on my race.  I got my stuff together (which is getting strangely easy to do) around 10 pm or so.  My transition is so bare bones now, there is not much to pack.  I watched some TV with the littlest one and fell asleep waiting for the call to get my oldest.  I picked her up just before 1 am and then tried to get to sleep.  I know I saw 1:30 am and knew I had to be awake at 4 am so I tried to get some rest.

That alarm does not care who you are or what you did the night before.  It goes off and wakes you up.  So there's that.  My stomach had been feeling squirrely the night before, but I had chalked that up to being woken up to a text message and the fact that we all have allergies or a cold or something.  Went through the normal routine.  Potty, dishes, made some breakfast, potty, switched and folded some laundry, potty.  Packed up the car and checked my bags.  Got dressed and then ate.  The stomach was still a bit weird, but that is normal for this hour.  Took my customary immodium with my breakfast (the just in case dose) and went to the bathroom one more time.  (Figured out the tummy trouble was due to a new food I ate a day or so before- will not be having that again).

The drive to the location was not very long (less than 30 minutes) and the morning was pretty muggy.  It was already saying 80 degrees on the car, but that would be cooler than what I had been training in (noon-ish time for the past few weeks) so I was stoked!  I would like to apologize to the poor car that was following me into the parking lot.  We ended up taking the scenic route to get a spot.  I got parked pretty close to the front of the lot and was ready to go.  Got my bike out and my bag.  Topped off the tires before starting my walk over.  My clips are on the pedals and in the way again and tried to drag the ground.  Not normal for me, but oh well.  Moving on.  The walk over to the site is about 5 minutes or so.  This year it was pretty quiet.  There was a dad and his daughter walking in front of me.  She was racing.  I love to see the kids out there!  It is so awesome!  They are talking back and forth and then I hear, "Did you pack your water bottle for the bike?"  She tells him it is in the bag and as he turns to look for it, he pops her in the head with the air pump that is sticking out of the backpack.  It was not hard, but she let him know.  That was about the most eventful thing that happened on the walk over.

Got in line for body marking and to get my chip.  This went super smooth.  Love this race!  Got into transition and there was a man helping everyone find their racks.  They have the spots numbered so you do not have to compete for rack space.  Thing is the bike on the other side of me was pretty far over/close to the bike next to them.  This did not leave much space for my tiny bike.  Not to mention the other bike did not touch the ground so it was wobbly.  Mine usually does not touch, but today it did!  Yay!  As I was trying to decide what to do, I remembered someone else's recap where she moved a guys stuff over and he may or may not have emptied her water bottles.  I still had to scoot it over a smidge so I could fit my bike in at all.  Got my transition set up in record time as they were called transition would close in 13 minutes (or something like that).  Put on some sunscreen, talked to some friends who were racing, gave them some safety pins and got more for me...then tried to walk over in my flip flops.....duh!  Took those back to my spot and headed over to the pool.  I was trying to decide if I would go it sans shoes again.  I walked part of the beginning of the run and decided those rocks in the asphalt would not be friendly on the run...so shoes it was.  Glad I did since the running path with the little gravel was much longer than I remembered it to be.

Mingled around in the pool area waiting for it all to get started.  Ate my banana and some of the turkey I brought (habit food) and went to the bathroom.  They did the star spangled banner (which was weird to do while standing in the bathroom), said a prayer and gave thanks to the men and women of our armed forces.  It is so nice when the race is for something.  =)  My number was 292 which meant I would not be in the water until close to 7:25.  With the pool swim you are seeded in every 10 seconds.  So I chatted with some of the people near me.  When number 170 went into the water I visited the bathroom one more time.  After that I put my ear plugs in, head band on, and then my swim cap.  At that point I am essentially deaf so I just hung around.  I did however learn about triathlon relay rules just before getting into the water from one of the volunteers who normally does the race.  I got in the water and took off.  I reminded myself that I needed to keep a long and smooth stroke.  The first 50 meters went off without a hitch.  Touched the wall, went back down in the same lane and pushed off hard.  Just over half way down the next length, I realize I am seeing bubbles from the guy in front of me.  Great!  He makes it to the wall and pushes off.  I stop to catch a breath and push off going under the rope and into the next lane.  About half way in I catch bubbles again.  I am not quite fast enough to catch and pass him, plus it is two way traffic.  Catch my breath again and push off hard.  Just under half way I get bubbles again...this time they are actually rolling over my face.  I think of the Nemo reference.  Marlin: The question is Dory, are you hungry?  Dory: Huh? Hungry?  Marlin:  Yeah, cause you're about to eat my bubbles!  Anyhow.....Push off and under the rope again.  This time I catch his bubbles even faster.  And for the first time ever in a pool....I touched someone else's feet!  Then I touched them again.  We were fairly close to the end so I am thinking that is why he did not move over....So we have one length left and I decided to stay the course.  More bubbles but I did not touch him again.  There are steps to get out of the pool and then it was time to run to transition.

I felt pretty good coming out of the swim.  I normally am dying when I get out but not this time.  I also did not need to rest as often at the ends (or I did not- I think I was trying to catch the guy in front of me).  As we came into transition they were handing out water.  Really wish I would have taken it then, but figured I had water on my bike.  Run the distance into transition and see my yellow plastic lei on the end of bike rack.  Between that and my bright yellow towel I can find my stuff now. (I lost my spot coming in from the bike one time at a different race.  It was a long line of racks and not the normal set up where you can count and I wasted a good bit of time looking for my stuff).  By the time I was in transition I had peeled off the goggles which were in the swim cap.  I had taken off the headband and had begun to pull out the silicone ear plugs.  All got dropped on the towel and I sat down to get on my clips.  I do not wear socks so that is one step I do not have to take anymore.  Stand up, get the gum from my helmet, put on the sunglasses, and then the helmet.  Strap my helmet and then whip my bike off the rack.  Record time (or at least it felt like it).  Then I run for the exit from transition.  Get to the mount line and realize I really must at least practice getting those clips in and I need to remember to set my pedal up for getting the first shoe in.  Start to pedal off with just one completely clipped in.  No biggie I am used to doing that.  I realize I am already going to have to pass someone.  I say, "On your left" to let her know I was going to be passing her.  She looks back over her shoulder and begins to pull to her left.  I am thinking, "Oh my God!  I am going to crash right here!"  I say, "No!  I am going on your left!"  We miss each other and both stay upright.  That would have been a long finish to a short race with scraped up elbows and knees because I would have finished.  The ride is the same course as years past so I knew where I was and about how much farther I had to go.  This is a good and bad thing for me.  Good for pacing, but bad because I know how much farther I have to go.  This is where the time on the spin bikes at the gym seems to be paying off.  You do not ever coast on them, so I do much less coasting when I race.  I have learned how to push through the burning quads and the not wanting to pedal anymore.  About 2/3 of the way through the ride I see a friend of mine who came out to see the race.  She lives close by so she walked down and waited for me to pass.  That was so awesome!  It was a boost that I really needed at that point.  We pass the entrance to the site (just on the other side of a divided roadway) and make a U-turn just before the end of the ride.  I get stuck behind a man and at first decided I would just stay there since the U-turn was coming up and I suck at turning.  Well I realized this was dumb and passed him with plenty of room.  Pushing through I did the last straight away and turned into the park.  This is where the photographers were laying on the ground getting some awesome shots.  In my picture I am smiling.  Not because I wanted a good photo, but because I had thought of some witty things to say like "Laying down on the job." and whatnot.  But I decided I was not going to say them.  We get to the dismount line and I am ready to get off the bike.  I did not have the panic of which foot to unclip first like Silverlake so that was nice.  Just before the line I got off.  Run the bike into transition and find the yellow that is my location.

Threw my bike on the rack, helmet off, clips off, Vibrams on (not as hard as I was expecting them to be), visor on which always involves a small battle with the sunglasses, and then the running number belt on.  On wobbly legs I make for the run exit.  They have water there and I take two.  I did not drink enough on the bike and am beginning to feel it.  I take off after a small drink and some water down the back of my neck.  I am passing people which is what seems to happen.  I tend to go out fast and then settle in to my pace.  I can feel the rocks through my shoes and am so glad I opted to wear them this race.  Pat myself on the back for not being stubborn.  We get to the bridge which I know is the entrance to the running path with the gravel cover.  This is the "hardest" part of the run for me.  Between the off-road feel and the hilly terrain it is so unlike what I train on that it is a challenge.  It is also longer than I remember it being from the past two years.  Refer back to my water comment from earlier.  So I get through this and we are back on solid roads.  I pass a couple of more people and have already spotted the guy I was going to race.  ;)  I ended up catching up to him as he checks his watch.  I asked him what pace he was running and he told me he had no idea.  MMKay.  I thought it was his Garmin he was checking.  My bad....we head a little farther down the road side by side.  Sprinkler central is coming up.  There are people in the neighborhood who put sprinklers out for the racers every year that I have done it.  They are so magical and welcomed.  This is the first water station.  I get my two cups and the guy I am racing gets ahead of me.  That just will not do!   ha ha.  I get a bigger drink than normal and pour the rest down my neck.  At this point the cloudy morning has changed to a full sun event.  Yay!  Yeah not really.  I take off again and just begin to listen to the sound of my feet on the pavement.  It is soothing.  I catch up to and pass the man I am racing and he says, "You again?".  Yep you are getting beat by a girl sir.  he he.  I decide at this point I am going to stop at the water stations only.  This was going to be a good race.  Come upon a volunteer with a pink tambourine and she is cheering something about keep going and how great we are all doing.  This was a nice pick me up and I could not disappoint her. I mean she was cheering for me.  =)  So I pushed on.  Good and bad thing again is knowing how much farther you have to go.  It did me in on this run.  Next water station came.  Got my same two cups and took a smaller drink then poured the rest down my neck.  I did not walk as long this time since I was going to kick this race in the pants.  Well just after the water station we make a turn and then you can hear the finish line.  I told myself, "Self (cause that's what I call myself), you've got this!  Don't you walk again!"  Yeah I must not listen very well.  I did push a short distance after I wanted to walk and despite my reminders that this was a freaking race you idiot, don't walk again....I walked again.  I was getting nauseous and had drank a little more water than I should have.  I did not walk long but it was still walking.  I made it to the end of the road running and the last turn before the finish line was done.  There were some guys there cheering us on.  I could not believe it!   I wanted to walk again!  What the HELL!!!! I was mad at this point and it probably looked more like I was going down.  I would start to walk and then make myself run.  I did walk once more but then decided I had to run in.  I have never walked in during a race and today was not going to be the first.  My friend could be there.  That would be embarrassing.  People lined the last 0.25 miles and were cheering you on.  Things like "finish strong" and "nice stride".  If they had just seen me walking they would not be thinking that is what was going through my mind.  I can see the finish line.  Normally I would do the uncoordinated "sprint" in and over the line, but I was spent.  I ran, but did not feel like I had sprinted.  Sure enough my friend was there.  It was so nice having here there.  We chatted for a while and then she had to get home.  I wandered around and tried to find the results.  I could see that I finished in the top 100 of 400+ so there was that, but it was not put out by age group and the results were not all visible.  I got a massage and a banana.  Then I could get my bike.  I collected all of my stuff up and parked my bike while waiting for awards.  It got to my age group and they called me second place.  I found someone to take my picture on the walk up and that is when I hear him say, "And she beat Sarah by 1 second!  Nice kick ladies!"  My brain immediately goes over what I should not have done...all that walking!  I am happy with second it is the one second that kills me.  ;)  I get my bike and head back to the car.  What a day.  Turns out she beat me on the bike and T2.  We were overall evenly matched.  I did better on the run and T1.  The swim was almost the exact same time.  Overall it was a great day!

Silver Lake Sprint Triathlon Recap

So I finally figured out how to create a blog!  Yay me!  Now on to the recap....The night before this race we had an out of town wedding to attend.  It was only a couple of hours drive so no biggie.  It was a beautiful ceremony for a special cousin.  I wore my heels since I could not find my flats.  I was a bit worried about that and how it would affect my feet, but it was fine.  We got home from the wedding around 9:30 or 10:00 pm.  I had already gotten all of my stuff ready for the next day so it was all good.  I made it to be around 11:00 pm which is pretty normal for me.  I had been fretting this one since it would be my first open water swim since October 2012.  I have a chronic perforation in one ear drum so I have been grounded to pool swims for a while now.  More on that later.  The alarm went off at 4:03 am.  Don't ask, I set them for strange times a lot.  I actually got a good night's sleep that night which is very unusual for me.  Much less with an OWS looming.  I got up with the alarm this time....shocker! ...and went to get things in order.  The venue was only about 25-30 minutes away so I knew I had plenty of time.  Well went through the usual things.....
1. bathroom
2. did the dishes (knew I would not want to do them when I got back home later)
3. made hubby's and my breakfast - put his in the fridge
4. bathroom
5. ate breakfast
6. packed the truck with my bike and things I would not be wearing right away
7. Oh crap...made my water for the bike and got that in the car
8. bathroom
9. folded some laundry (I had plenty of time)
10. bathroom one more time just in case

Got out of the door around 5:25 or 5:30 am.  I made it to the location for us to park with no problems.  Got my bike out of the truck and got the tires aired up.  There is something soothing about hearing that hiss sound when you get the air pump off of your tire valve...hmmmm....anyhow.  Began the walk to the venue.  They said in the materials it was a 10 minute walk....well I have heard this before and it was not that far.  Yeah they meant business!  It was not really marked for the walk over so I was following the people in front of me.  I always walk my bike in since I have a shoulder bag to carry and do not want to wipe out before the race.  I would still race unless there was exposed bone, so it is better to be safe. ;)  Before I got to the venue I realized I had to use the bathroom again...Seriously!  Did you see my list?  Oh well....I made it to the porta potties that were thankfully a long way from transition.  Went through the motions of getting body marked (after missing the place and getting to transition first), found my spot on the rack and started getting my stuff laid out.  I realized I needed a picture of the lake....oh my goodness!  I just thought about the fact I would be swimming in a lake!  It was up in the air if wetsuits would be legal at this one.  Not that I own one but that would mean the water temps were hovering around 78.  The official said it was not legal and felt like tepid bath water...yay!  I would not freeze this go around!  Went back to my rack and checked on my stuff.  I go with such a minimal set up I always feel like I am forgetting something.

Well hello there beautiful!  I have missed you so much!!!!  Made some idle chit chat with the other athletes getting set up and then realized transition was about to close.  Head on over to the water since they were allowing a warm-up swim shortly.  The water looked a strange color of green (remember I have been swimming where there is crystal clear water with a nice tiled line on the bottom for years) but it was not smelly.  I joked that I would be the one swimming over there (pointing off to the left) to those big pretty houses.  ha ha.  We got in and all I wanted to do was check to make sure my new goggles (race day sin) were adjusted so no water would be getting in them.  The bottom was slimy with a side of grass and there was a ledge you could walk out on.  I put my face in after getting my ear plug in my ear and they were fine.  That was enough for me.  The water temp was fine so I knew I would be good to go.  The swimming pool is colder....  

We have the announcements about the course and rules and a local choir sang and then it was go time.  I visited the potty one more time.  Nothing worse than having to go during a sprint tri.  There are no bathrooms on the course so you have to go out of your way after changing out in transition if you really have to go.  I got back to the water and then I put on my other earplug, my ear band, my first swim cap that is extra long to accommodate ear plugs, but waited on the race day cap until it was almost time to get in.  There were a few waves ahead of me and that was nice.  It was almost time to get in so I got on my race day cap and my goggles.  Needless to say, my head would be warm.  ;)  We got in the water and that is when I realized I was not going to be at the back of the pack. I like to at least start there so I am not caught up in all of the churning and jockeying for position that goes on.  Well I am not even sure if all of the women in the wave were able to fit in the water before the gun went off.  I waited about 10-20 seconds to get started (best guess) and realized I should just take off.  Went in and was surprised by my willingness to put my face in the water.  So glad I went with the clear goggles for the swim instead of my tinted ones.  I was concentrating on long and lean...that is my swimming thing I do to keep from stroking too often and fast.  It is supposed to help with conserving energy.  Well I did not drown so I guess it worked.  Strange thing was that I got a cramp in one of my toes about 25 m in.  What?!  I just kept swimming while wiggling the toes on that foot and cursed myself for not eating the rest of my banana that morning.  ;)  Well we get to about the first 100 m in and I am getting pretty tired.  There is a bit of bumping into each other and a couple of foot grabs (from and to me), but nothing too bad.  I am thinking to myself...."You really need to stop stopping at the ends of the pool." =)  Just before the turn around buoy there is a person floating with the lifeguard noodle.  Someone is with them and I think to myself, "If I am still this tired, I am going to have to take the next one up on their offer to rest."  Then I say, "Don't be a wimp!  Get your ass swimming!  Keep moving forward!"  So I push on.  Turn around point...and I don't think I could have been more under that buoy.  Ha ha!  I had planned on hugging the buoy line to keep my distance pretty true.  May not do that next time.  I had began to breast stroke off and on a while back and it was not really helping me rest.  So I decided to flip on my back.  Now with my partial shoulder replacement I do not do traditional backstroke.  I do elementary backstroke.  It is good for recovery as long as you do not inhale the lake....I flipped back over feeling much better and went back to freestyle.  Well after the lady with the long breathing technique bumped me again, I decided I had to flip back over or do breast stroke or something.  I did a little of both.  Well just before I stroked hard with the backstroke I realized I was almost on a buoy.  I tapped it a little.  Well I got tired of being swam into at that point and dug deep and swam past the lady.  She has moved me almost completely into oncoming traffic.  Not good!  Then almost as fast as it all started we were close to the shore again!  Yay!  I survived the swim.  The guys helped pull us from the water and then it was time for the long run to transition. 

Grabbed a quick cup of water and carried it to my bike.  Drank whatever was left when I got to my spot.  This is how I do this first transition.  While running to the transition area, I put the goggles on my head, peel off the swim caps so the goggles are inside.  Then I undo my headband and shove it inside the caps.....then the fun part of manipulating the ear plug out of my ear.  These silicone babies are super sticky and totally in there.  That gets put somewhere in or near the caps.  Chunk this all on the ground near my bike once I get there.  Clips-check, gum-check, glasses-check, helmet on-check, helmet fastened-check.  Pull the bike off and get running for the exit.  There was a curb we had to go down and up coming off the grass in transition, but it was not too bad.  Run the little red one over to the mount line and pop my leg over and fight with the pedals....I have not ridden the old girl in a month so it was not second nature like it should be.  A lady next to me was going to do a flying mount I think, but one of her shoes came unclipped.  I rode around her and was off.  The bike course was nice.  It was in a nice neighborhood here in Pearland.  Big houses, nice lawns, and well kept roads.  It was very uneventful.  Not too much in the way of hills (nothing compared to the hills in Austin).  At one point we did come to an overpass and I said to myself (hopefully in my head), "Oh $h1t, please tell me we are not about to ride up that hill!".  Nope we were turning to go up a smaller incline.  Thank goodness!  The funny part on the ride was when I realized we must be getting close to the finish and I realized I was confused about which foot to unclip with to step down.  Now I have a 50/50 shot here at getting it right, but not what you want to have going through your head really when you know the dismount line will be coming soon.  So I went over it in my head and tried to not flip out.  I was tired and I think this factored into it all.  It is second nature to use the correct foot now so I was just overthinking it.  Needless to say I went over the motion in my head and "remembered" it is the left foot that comes out first.  In last and out first.  ;)  So we get to the dismount line and I get off right before it.  I was surprised with how fast I was able to run in my clips after this ride.  It is that point that I am beginning to regret drinking so much water on the ride.  Oh well, you have three more miles to run and then you can tend to business.  ;)

Run the bike over to the rack and get it put on.  Mind you my bike is so small ( I am only almost 5'3") that the front tire does not usually touch the ground.  She just hovers so I have to make sure I do not knock any other bikes off.  Then we reverse the order.  Sit down, helmet off, clips off, number belt on, visor on while running out of transition.  The gentleman who was steering us out at the correct point from transition says, "Out to your left."  "No shoes?"  I said, "Nope, no shoes."  He says, "Okay, then run out to your left.".  He did not even miss a beat. The run course is beautiful and through the same neighborhood.  I grabbed quick sip of water and run on.  It is all on the sidewalk (some places even had a sign telling us to keep to the sidewalk).  I am going along and getting caught up in the sound of my feet hitting the ground. I think I use that to pace myself.  I am passing some people and then settle into my race pace (ended up being right at 8:00 per mile).  At the first water station on the course I took a second glass of water.  It is warming up some now, so I know I will sweat it out so no worries.  There are a few small inclines that we are running on, but all in all a flat course.  I begin to pass more people as the run continues.  I tend to settle into a pace and hold it until the end.  At one point a younger kid passes a group of us like we are standing still..I look over at the guy I am passing and say, "I am going to go catch him!".  Yeah that did not happen but it was a good goal. I got the usual what no shoes!  Comments along the way and one guy who called me hard core.  =)   We are told just before a turn we are almost there.  It is just up the road now.  Well, he forgot to mention that there was another turn after that, but let's not split hairs, right?  We round the last turn and after a short distance I can see the ambulance that they had on site...I know we are almost done.  I picked up the pace a bit and then I could see the finisher's chute!  The grass was still a little wet but I rounded the turn as fast as I had been on the roadway.  Then I started the uncoordinated "sprinting" that I love to do at the end...needless to say my pic is not the greatest.  ha ha.  Mine never are.  I come across the finish line and in a flurry of activity, I get my finisher's medal, a bottle of water, and a lady takes off my timing chip.  Then it is done.  Wow!  A lady comes up to me as she is finishing and says, "And then she (pointing at me) flies by me and barefoot even."  Sometimes it is fun being the eccentric one.  ;)

I wander around for a bit and look to see what they have to eat.  Nothing I can have except the fruit so I wait to eat.  My family does not come to my races anymore.  The kids get bored and it is a lot of work getting me out the door, much less three kids and the hubby at the butt crack of dawn.  (This all started when a race I was doing had a 55 degree air temperature start.  I told them to please stay home as it would be a miserable day.  The hubby comes to the finish line sometimes so it is a nice surprise).  Anyhow, I go to the porta potty and then walk over to transition.  We have about 10 minutes before we can get in so I chat with some of the other athletes waiting.  Fastest ten minutes on the planet.  Get back over to the disaster zone that is my transition area and start collecting my haphazardly thrown about things.  Turns out the gentleman across from me will be representing the USA in London this year.  How cool it that?!  I walk the bike back to the finish and text hubby that the preliminary results are up and I am 1st in my age group!  Wha?!?!  Holy crap!  I am now so glad I did not stop during the swim and super glad I did not walk when I wanted on the run.  I was holding on to first by about 2 minutes at that point.  In the world of sprint tris placements can be marked by 10 to 20 seconds and sometimes less than that.  I got the you rock text back and then I wait.  Awards were not scheduled until 11.  I considered taking the bike back to the car, but it was such a long walk and I did not want to do it more times than I had to.  Something about walking the bike that I do not enjoy.  So I pick a tree and wait.  At about 10 I could not believe how hungry I was getting....so I caved and realized I would not go blind from a couple of slices of pizza with cheese and pepperoni so I indulged (paid later but that is another story).  I am feeling full so I try to nap for a bit.  About 30 minutes before awards, I get a call from the hubby asking if I wanted them to come out for the awards.  They did not have time to get ready and make the drive...so I had someone there take my pic.  These are the splits, a pic of me under the tree waiting and then the awards.  Then it was the long walk back to the car.

I walk in the door and I get plenty of congrats from the family and then the trophy goes on the mantle.  I get my much needed shower and then it is on with the rest of the day.  Making food and getting laundry done.  And that is how I balance.  =)