GJCC Race Report

Sorry for the delay- there has been so much going on around here. As you guys know, I did the GJCC sprint tri with Bekah last weekend. The focus was on Bekah, and I was there to support her rather than race.

Here was my plan for the race:
1. Swim hard and make it hurt.
2. Really practice my transition times and be speedy!
3. Get the fastest female bike split for the day- no need to hold back since I might not be able to run.
4. No pouting on the run/walk/whatever it turned out to be.
5. Make sure I was at T2 for Bekah when she got off of the bike to support her in the run.

Here is how the race went down:

Swim: I was the 58th person to enter the water. I immediately had to pass about 4 people in the first 50 meters, and then several more over the next few laps. This was exciting for me, because I have worked on being more aggressive in my swim. I was out of the water 20 seconds faster than my swim here in 2006. I would like to see my time be faster, but I was pleased that I have at least made some progress in 3 years. I still don't really know how to bridge that gap and be FAST in the swim. Maybe I will figure it out one day. (13/152 F)

T1: I did have a great T1 and managed to get the fastest T1 split out of the females for the day. I hustled.

Bike: I was neither disappointed nor pleased with the bike. My HR didn't seem to settle for a couple of miles, and by then I had been passed by one girl. I worked hard to keep her in my sights, because I know that I am generally better on the back end of races. At mile 2, I ran over someone's helmet sticker, and managed to flap my way through 6.5 more miles. Literally. All you could here was flapping, and I am sure I was the least aerodynamic and most annoying person on the course. I couldn't really be mad at the annoyance, because it was so weird it was funny. I guess I wasn't going to sneak up on any girls when trying to pass them!

So, I was only passed by one other male rider, and I passed a bunch of girls. By mile 4 I was back with the girl that had passed me at the beginning of the course, and the game of leap frog began. This is an annoying game to me sometimes, but the other female was really friendly and since I was not riding in the Olympics, I felt that it was okay to be friendly out there. By mile 7, I passed her for good and made my way back. I was pretty sure she would be right behind me, though. (1/152 F)

T2: Pretty quick and painless. I start to go out to the run course, and at this point I have some decisions to make. For one, I am pretty sure I am up there in the standings based on the number of girls I had passed. Two, the girl right behind me on the bike started the swim 15 seconds ahead of me, so I had a little gap on her. Three, would I be able to be back in time to meet Bekah? And four, could I run? What was the smart thing to do?

The decision was made for me when someone yelled- you are the first female in.

Run: Yep, I took off. I mean, the winner should have to work for it, right? I wasn't just going to hand over the lead.
.25 miles: Look at me, I am running. ;) This is fun, but I am sure I will come back to bite me in the butt. I should be walking.
.50 miles: Wow, 60 days off really killed my fitness. This is hard. I hear breathing behind me. Must be that girl.
.75 miles: Oh, she passed me. She is working really, really hard. Maybe I can keep her in my sights and she will slow down.
1 mile: Or not. Nope, she isn't slowing down- or I am slowing down. My watch says 7:09 for the first mile. I am amazed I was able to run that fast after all of this time off. This is the first mile I have run in 70 days. There is no way I can keep this up.
1.25 miles: Yep, slowing down. Oh great, here is the knee pain. It is not bad enough to stop, just enough to let me know it is not happy with me.
1.5 miles: Someone should tell that girl I will never catch her. She doesn't have to work that hard anymore. Let the bargaining begin- I promise to take time off again if you will get me to the finish line. Could someone get me a knee brace?
1.75 miles: Did I say I like to run? I hate running. I will never be a runner again. I quit triathlons all together. I hate being out of shape.
2.0 miles: Great positive split 7:46- gotta loves those. Amazing I could even run that, though. I love finish lines.

I finished 2nd OA female and 9th OA. I was really pleased to have been able to compete, even if I wasn't at my best. I definitely gave my best effort for the day and did not quit, even when I knew I wouldn't be able to challenge a runner. Plus, the real beauty in the day was seeing Bekah on that run course. I know I keep talking about it, but I am so proud. (11/52 F)
I immediately scheduled my follow up visit to the ortho doc, and I will keep working to resolve the knee issue. I absolutely hate not running, and I HATE being out of run shape, but I really was counting my blessing during this race (except for that last mile of the run, ha ha!). I am so lucky that I could even attempt a race. I am so grateful I got to do that race with my sister. I am glad I got to run 2 miles without stopping, even though it killed me.

Damie and Leslie watching our family members on the run course.

I was a good girl this week and did not run. I will let you guys know what the new plan of care is after the doc visit tomorrow. I am just really hoping I will get to start training some this summer and at least get a race or two in late summer/fall.