I've decided to break this race recap into two separate posts because there is so much I want to share! So be sure to check back tomorrow for the run and what I learned portion!
Honestly, this was the most nervous for a race I have ever been. I had loads of trouble sleeping Friday and Saturday night and had lots of dreams of drowning, falling off my bike, getting lost, not doing things properly in the transition zone, being late, etc. The list goes on and on. I also was fighting some sort of throat and stomach issues and the lack of sleep that comes with having two busy boys.
I went looking for a wetsuit on Friday after work, got to the store an hour away and found out that I had left my wallet at work. So, I ended up turning around and driving home without a wetsuit. I'd just have to suck up and deal with the cold temperatures. Saturday evening I spent getting myself ready to go and loaded my bike into my car (need to get a bike rack).
I got up at 6:30 Sunday morning and managed to sneak out without waking the boys. I stopped at a Tim Hortons along the way and grabbed a plain bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese, but I could only get half of it down. It wasn't tasting good at all. I got to the conservation area, parked and started the walk with my bike to the transition and race area.
I was on the lookout for my friends from work that were racing. One has done Ironman Muskoka 70.3 so I was hoping to grab a few last tips from here, but I was on my own. I asked a couple of people around for help too and they were fantastic. I grabbed my race kit and headed over to rack my bike. As I was unloading everything, I was listening to the announcement and heard that blue caps were in the first wave. Um, no. I had a blue cap and was not supposed to be in that wave. I checked my envelope and they had me listed as a 16 female. I quickly headed over to the registration table and had it switched for a white cap. Phewf!
Eventually, it was time to get into the water. I decided to dunk myself in the 68 degree weather, then get out with only my feet in so that my body would feel the water as warm when I went back in. Of course, I happen to get bit by a fish. This is the main reason I'm not a huge fan of open water swimming. Fish and other creatures that I can't see.
The lake. We were closer to the left hand side of the picture.
Anyway, the swim started and I managed to front crawl for a grand total of a minute. I suck. Clearly, I need more to work more on my swimming. I managed to get around two of the three buoys before the third wave of swimmers (that started 3 minutes after me) caught us and then I got clunked in the head. The 350m swim took me a total of 10:39.
I finished the rest of the swim, wobbled my way out of the water and back into the transition zone to start the bike. First, I quickly changed my top, dried my feet and got my shoes tied and helmet on. I grabbed my bike and off I went.
The bike was brutal. As I mentioned before, I have a hybrid bike. It's heavy, hasn't been overly well-maintained and according to another athlete isn't properly fitted for me. The bike route seemed relatively easy, especially since we were bypassing the giant hill the sprint athletes had to do, but there were still hills. They were more gradual rollers but they never seemed to end! My giant, clunky bike was no match for them (nor for the 20-30 riders that passed me on their road bikes). By the end I was pushing with everything I had in me. I was so happy to get off my bike! I finished the 10K bike portion in 32:35.
I'll post the run and round out my thoughts tomorrow.
Eventually, it was time to get into the water. I decided to dunk myself in the 68 degree weather, then get out with only my feet in so that my body would feel the water as warm when I went back in. Of course, I happen to get bit by a fish. This is the main reason I'm not a huge fan of open water swimming. Fish and other creatures that I can't see.
The lake. We were closer to the left hand side of the picture.
Anyway, the swim started and I managed to front crawl for a grand total of a minute. I suck. Clearly, I need more to work more on my swimming. I managed to get around two of the three buoys before the third wave of swimmers (that started 3 minutes after me) caught us and then I got clunked in the head. The 350m swim took me a total of 10:39.
I finished the rest of the swim, wobbled my way out of the water and back into the transition zone to start the bike. First, I quickly changed my top, dried my feet and got my shoes tied and helmet on. I grabbed my bike and off I went.
The bike was brutal. As I mentioned before, I have a hybrid bike. It's heavy, hasn't been overly well-maintained and according to another athlete isn't properly fitted for me. The bike route seemed relatively easy, especially since we were bypassing the giant hill the sprint athletes had to do, but there were still hills. They were more gradual rollers but they never seemed to end! My giant, clunky bike was no match for them (nor for the 20-30 riders that passed me on their road bikes). By the end I was pushing with everything I had in me. I was so happy to get off my bike! I finished the 10K bike portion in 32:35.
I'll post the run and round out my thoughts tomorrow.
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