Most of these ladies I haven't seen since college, and it was great to catch up! I met husbands and kids, and we met up in the transition area the morning of the race.
I was up at 4:15 on Sunday morning and was out the door at 4:55. I've reached the point where I can almost mindlessly pack for a tri, which is nice - it's become less stressful and I can easily visualize everything I need to bring with me.
The race itself was at the Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area on the border of Pleasanton and Livermore, actually very close to the Livermore airport where Rob keeps his plane. The course included a 1/2 mile swim in fresh, clam water, an 11-mile bike and a 3-mile trail run. I've been working out, but not training in a tri-specific manner by any means. No swimming since that last tri in May, and hardly any running and absolutely no biking. I was a bit nervous - I feel pretty in shape but it's less cardio than I was doing when training for these other triathlons.
My wetsuit still fit, though, so that was encouraging. The water was in the mid-60's, and I probably could have done the swim without a wetsuit and been fine. In fact, I am considering picking up a sleeveless wetsuit so I can keep my shoulder mobility but still get the leg buoyancy advantage. Maybe when I have a job.
My wave of orange caps was 4th. The swim course was set up to be three sides of a square - swim out, make a left turn, swim parallel to the shore, make a left turn, swim into shore. However, the buoys they used were small, cylindrical buoys, not the big triangular ones, and the first part of the swim was directly into the sun. This meant that every time I picked my head up to see where I was going I essentially was staring at the sun and it's reflection off the water. No buoy in sight, blindly following the swimmer in front of me.
Although, after my wave started I was immediately in the top three swimmers. Literally, we were in the water as a group and then it was my friend Carly and I right next to each other, and one other woman in front of us but not by much. They left me behind at the first buoy, but after that I didn't see another orange cap until I got out of the water at the end of the swim. I was surprised at how not-awful I felt in the water, and was encouraged to get my butt back into some kind of a swim workout schedule.
Getting out of the water, there was a short run up to the transition area. The ground was covered in pebbles, and I jammed my heel right onto one as I jogged to get my bike. It still hurts to put weight on it without padding! Anyway, because I was so early to the course that morning I scored a great spot for my bike right on the edge of the racks. My transition was a bit slow, but I had to wrestle the wetsuit off, not a quick process. I threw it on the ground, tugged my hair into a low ponytail, put on my sunglasses, helmet, bib number (on a belt), socks, and bike shoes, shoved an extra tube in the pocket on the back of my tri jersey, took a big swig of water, and yanked my bike off the rack. As I ran to the mount area I shoved a Shot Block into my mouth and frantically chewed it as I hopped on the bike, clipped into the pedals, and rode away.
The exit out to the course involved a hill climb, and I am the worst hill climber in the world. Of course, I was immediately getting passed by speedy cyclists, and I was trying not to be too demoralized by it, because I know it would be even worse on the run part of things! The ride was nice, but because we were near a quarry the rode was covered in gravel and pebbles, a nightmare of a road bicyclist. I was hoping that I wouldn't get a flat because it takes me forever to change one. In fact, sitting the garage with a complete tool set and a floor pump it took me 45 minutes to change a tube once, so I figured on the road with the little tool kit I would be screwed. I rode more slowly than I think I could have, but still ended up passing a few people (while still getting passed by a lot more riders!). Importantly, I felt strong! Shocking, given that my bike has been gathering cobwebs for the past two months.
I rode back into the transition area and dismounted, jogging the bike to my space. I reracked it, took off the helmet and sunglasses, put on my hate, tore off the bike shoes, shoved my feet into my running shoes, took a huge drink of water, and was off. As I jogged out of the transition area I spun my bib number around so it was in front.
The run was a lovey and winding trail run, but I think it was the longest 3 mile run I have ever done. I hadn't looked at the course map before, because I don't like to psyche myself out and I like to be surprised, but this time maybe I should have. I actually felt pretty strong at the front end of the run - I like a little uphill in there because it makes the flats feel so much better. Of course, I was getting passed like crazy, but that's partially why I wear a hat - I put my eyes to the ground and just don't look at my surroundings. My hat is like blinders. The run wound us around the finish area a few times - you could hear the announcer getting louder, and I would get excited and think oh! I must be getting close to the finish! My pace would increase, and then I'd come around a corner and see switchbacks going uphill and away from the finish line. Depressing. But, there were supporters all along the course cheering you on - in fact, even the other runners were cheering people on! At the finish, they announce your name (they can see your number so look you up) over the loudspeaker ("Here comes Megan Hall!"), and everyone was cheering, including my friends who'd already finished the race just a few minutes before me. There were women in tutus and wigs cheering you on and high-fiving you, and as you cross the finish line you are handed a medal, a bottle of water, and someone cuts the timing chip off of your ankle.
The post-race support was amazing - water and juice, fruit and cookies, tables of goodies for sale (I got a running hat and a tank top). We hung out for a bit, long enough to her that my friends - the three who ran the race as a relay - placed in the top three in their bracket! Awesome!
We went to breakfast at a place called Dean's in Pleasanton, where I pigged out on eggs, sausage, and pancakes, then I headed home, hosed off, had a couple of beers, and took a nice long nap.
The results are already up (this race was so well-organized it was ridiculous, I can't wait to do another one run by the same group), so here are my stats (not my best, but given I have not been running, biking, or swimming at all I'm pretty pleased with it):
Swim Time: 14:31
Total Rank After Swim: 14 (slowest of my college friends, the bastards!) of 268 finishers
Age Group Rank After Swim: 3/35 (behind my friend Carly and one other women who won our age group)
Transition 1: 2:34
Bike Time: 35:00
Total Rank for the Bike Leg: 134/268
Age Group Rank for the Bike Leg: 23/35 (ugh)
Pace: 20.5 mph
Transition 2: 1:39
Run Time: 35:12
Total Rank for the Run Leg: 179/268
Age Group Rank for the Run Leg: 30/35 (dear god that's embarrasing)
Pace: 11:21 minute-miles (time to start running again!)
Total Time: 1:28:59
Total Rank: 103/268
Age Group Rank 18/35
Not my best showing, but given my lack of tri-focused training I'll take it. Plus it was fun as hell to do it with that group of friends!
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