Saturday June 27th with my dad at the DinoLand Triathlon in Vernal, Utah. I debated on what to do and finally decided to just do it. However, I did not race as I normally would have. My goal was to finish the distance. I switched from Olympic to Sprint because I don't have the aerobic training behind me. Wait! I hardly have any training behind me. I've been on my bike once since last fall. I haven't ran faster than a 10 minute mile pace and my arms get worn out after 300 yards in the pool.
With low expectations, but a desire to do the best I can, I finished the triathlon and was surprised with my times! Not the best, but not bad considering.
Swim 13:13.780
T1 02:23.101
Bike 43:08.756
T2 00:40.475
Run 24:15.070
Total 01:23:41.18
The swim and the bike hurt because I am not in aerobic shape. In fact, I almost stopped in the middle of the swim, but not because I was in danger or re-injuring myself. I wanted to stop because I was embarrassed about the pace I was holding and I was in a lot of "out-of-shape" pain. Instead of quitting, I decided to be grateful for a body that can do this. A body that can spend almost 4 months recovering and healing, while not working out, then go and race at this speed! I realized there are many triathletes who wish they could swim as fast as my "getting-back-into-it" pace. This new perspective gave me the drive to keep swimming and I love the swim at the Dino Tri. Red Fleet is a beautiful venue for a race.
I climbed out of the water and ran slowly up the boat ramp. I was out of it for T1 and wasted at least a minute. I was falling over, disoriented, unorganized, and really not with it. But managed to get on my bike and start the 2 mile up hill (a very steep hill) climb out of the Red Fleet camping/resort area. I measured it by car the night before. 1 mile through the steepest part then 1 mile to hang on and keep climbing. I had a lot of bikers passing me during this part because I just didn't have the training behind me to climb any faster. The whole bike was a pretty painful process as well. I don't have more than 60 minutes in the saddle! "Endure. Hang on. You're doing great!" I told myself.
T2, bike to run, and I was off. The run was awesome! The whole time I was focused on listening to my body and would adjust my pace accordingly in the swim and the bike. On the run, however, I was surprised at the pace I could hold. I kept feeling and listening to my body and asking, is this okay? Yeah it was! It felt great! I was surprised, satisfied, and grateful I finished.
I got first in my age group and 4th overall.
The race was amazing and now I know the value and importance of a good training base for a race like the Olympic distance. Well, I've always known the value, but now I've experienced the value of having an aerobic base. It was the bike that created the biggest challenge. It was a hilly and long, but a beautiful course around Echo Reservoir and up a canyon decorated with red rock and green trees, grasses, and bushes. I was able to hold a decent pace, but not the pace that I would expect from myself with another 500 miles under my belt. The turnaround came all too soon and I found myself flying down the canyon. I was back much faster than expected.
The run was awesome! My pace wasn't far from what I normally would hold. I felt good on my run and was able to maintain my pace the whole time. My focus was positive and with each positive thought I maintained my energy and fueled my legs. The finish line came with a well deserved massage from Lisa who really worked my tight hips. It was a beautiful day at the races!
