A few rambling Tri thoughts

Tri ramblings.... I was more nervous than I thought the night before.  Especially about the swim, although I had a great training open water swim in cold Lake Sonoma with Triple A the week before, this was the OCEAN, with a current.  My stomach was knotted for a few days & I had some serious waves of anxiety.  I took a great short run on Friday, really shook off a lot of that tension and I remembered "hey, you wanted to do this, no one is forcing you!"  I still had a rough time chilling out Friday night and kept thinking crazy thoughts "Why didn't I just train for a marathon instead, I've done that." or "Maybe i'll switch to the Duathlon, that would be easier."  Despite some mild nightmares about Jaws & ocean swimming I slept OK, big bonus.  As usual my stomach was not eager for food the morning of but I knew I needed to fuel (running the P10 miler on an empty clenched stomach taught me a big lesson!) so I took little bites and sips here and there.  As we got to our car at the hotel I saw a woman on the curb crying.  I asked if she was Ok & she said she was just stressed out & had a migraine and didn't know if she would do the event...it made me nervous & calm all at the same time.  It reminded me that this event, although for 'fun' was a big deal & also soothed me "wow, someone is as nervous, if not more than me, yeah!"   I saw her on the course & high-fived her on the run.

Getting to the event at 6am (yikers) I started to feel more calm.  So many shapes, sizes & ages of women (and women-only, whew!) and I started to chill out, not everyone looked like an olympian...far from it.  I successfully changed my category from my age group to friends & family (rec'd for newbies, all ages, not as 'race' focused) and set up my transition zone.  It felt so good to have all the right gear, a big thank you to REI online & a supportive spouse that did not grumble at all my random purchases over time.  I had a bit too much time to mill about before the start and nerves set in.  The ocean was choppy & grey, would have been a lot more attractive if it were blue skies, sunshine and clear!  Mermaid put on a great race though, thumping music, great MC motivating people.  I chatted with a lot of ladies and got some inside scoop on the swim, made me relax.  Heading to the water ramp was freaky, I gotta admit, I really did not think I would be getting in the water or swimming, it just seemed impossible to wrap my head around.  Thinking back I still can't believe I did it!  They had a power boat and so many guys on paddle boards out there, I felt like I was very supported to succeed but also to be rescued if needed!  Getting in the water was easier than I thought, compared to the windy air outside it was warm!  I was one of only a few people in a sleeveless wetsuit but it was fine.  Chilling in the water before go-time was fun, lots of banter & chit chat but I did freak out a bit when someone said we were to swim to the right of the buoys (out to sea) vs the left (closer to shore), EEEEK!

When it was GO time it was freaky, not the thrashing crazy flailing that people talk about (small group) but I felt like I wasn't moving.  It made me nervous thinking about how far I had to go when I felt like I was sitting still.  I flipped on my back and chilled out and kicked, I relaxed once I could see I was moving (half swimming, half being carried by the current).  I feel a bit like I cheated during the swim because I swam lazy, I did backstroke & side stroke mainly because freestyle or breast was too difficult in the swells.  The swim was by no means easy but physically it wasn't that demanding to just float along, I swim a lot harder in the lap pool.  It was a 90% mental challenge for me, I forgot my fear of sharks even with random legs and arms touching me throughout the swim.  I had one small freak-out at the halfway mark where I looked to shore and at how far I had to go and just went "WTF, I am scared!" but I just kept going going going.  I was surprised at how not intense the vibe was in the water, not sure if it was a smaller group but it was not the crazy 'fend for your life!' that people talked about (or else I was good at keeping my distance).  There was chatter in the water and I loved that, a few "wow this is hard", "I need a minute, wait", "I'm freaking out a bit here!"  It made me feel normal.  As I got closer to the turn to the homestretch I actually got more anxious, I couldn't get there fast enough!  It felt amazing to climb out of the water, amazing!  In hindsight I keep thinking "well, it wasn't that far, that's why it was easier than I thought" but it was a heck of a lot farther than doing nothing that's for sure.  It was an OCEAN swim, something I (and many others I know) have never done, with choppy waves & swells (the race official afterwards denounced my newbie inquiry of it being representative of a standard swim section with "um nope, that was kinda dicey!"

Everything else was pretty easy, now that the swim portion was done I was elated.  Kept on my danskin tri shorts, dried them off a bit but still pretty wet which was kinda weird to get on a bike in wet shorts.  Transition to bike was easy, I love to bike, I am really relaxed on the bike.  I had a fear of getting a flat and not knowing how to change one, thought I would be sidelined for a while, I did not see the type of SAG support we had on our Cinderella Ride.  Yeah! No flat or bike trouble, just cruising on a closed course, a few bumpy sections of rough road that had me wincing and wishing for a mountain bike but all in all, the ride was so sweet.  Saw a few ladies with ipods and that pissed me off since it was not allowed & also I could tell they did not hear me when I said "on your left" which is why it's not allowed!  One random woman made my day as I passed her she said "You got this girl, go for it" and that just really got to me, loved it.  I took two Gu's while on the 12 mile course, I really hadn't eaten more than a power bar and didn't want to get in that zone of the dreaded BONK.  Getting off the bike and ready for the run was just a switch of shoes & adding a visor and I was off.

I forgot to worry about my legs feeling like bricks or feeling crunchy/achy but they felt great.  Hit the restroom on the way, which was good, showed I wasn't dehydrated :-)  The run was along the swim path and it was fun to look down where I swam and feel a sense of pride.  A few people had ipods again & I was jealous for a minute since I had obeyed the rules and not brought one but I did great with no music.  Generally I can't move without my shuffle but today was a breeze.  So many women walking the run course but I felt strong & great as I ran, I was truly surprised.  I was eager for the turnaround, 1.25 seemed longer for some reason than when I run at home (but I guess I don't swim & bike beforehand on a normal run day :-)  The volunteer at the turnaround was AWESOME, she was screaming & yelling and bouncing around, she was just perfect.  Coming into the home stretch I felt so great, not fatigued at all.  My shoes & gear all felt perfect with the exception of my bra, or lack thereof.  I wore an old Zoot Tri sportsbra but it was nothing compared to the $50 industrial strength running bra I usually wear and I could tell, note to self for next time, wear the better bra!

It felt so good & fun to sprint to the finish line, I was done!  Accomplished, wooot!  My time was 1:37 and all my individual event times were really good for me.  I had figured 3 hrs to finish without feeling too sorry for myself so 1:37 is awesome.  I see how this can be addictive though, my transition from swim to bike was over 5 min, I never even gave T1 a thought but now seeing that I lost 5 min on time by changing slowly & chilling out I might light a fire under myself next time.  My T2 was over 3 min and all I did was change my shoes, some ladies had a T2 of 1 minutes, sheesh!

I think what I came away with most from this experience is how many different shapes & sizes of women were out there, sooooooo RAD.  The top finishers were in their 40's, that is so motivating for me, not like ice skating or gymnastics were people peak at 13 yrs old!  I felt really in shape, nothing was too difficult, I felt like I was ready, I felt like the bike was easy because of all my rides & hill climbing and the run was easy because I have put in the miles and time & love for it.  When I did my marathon in Portland I was injured in a few ways & had 5 hrs of steady soul sucking rain, I still did it and finished but did not feel the way I did today: strong & fit.  An amazing feeling and a motivator for future marathons and Tri's, to race when you're not injured & to feel strong & fit.

Thank you Mermaid for an amazing race, I will be back!  Thank you volunteers for EVERYTHING!

**The Swag: A gorgeous hoodie tech shirt, pink & teal, fantastic design (pic to follow), beautiful sturdy fuchsia gear bag AND a silver biking gear themed necklace. By far the best swag of any event I've done, love it all!  You can tell a lot of time & energy went into this event (full color picture BIB's, never seen that before), something women really appreciate!