Diamond Girl is a race series that has four triathlons - one in NJ, Delaware, NY and PA. If you compete in all of them you earn points and whoever has the most points wins some money. The distance for this one was 400/10/2. They are just for women and the NJ, Delaware and PA events are about the same distance and the NY (which is the final one) boosts as being the longest all-female triathlon on the East Coast.

The packet pick up was on Sat and the race was on Sun. The forcast for the weekend at first was suppose to be sunny but then changed to T-storms. When we were driving to the pick up it was cloudy and you could see down the road where the skies had opened up and just dropped buckets. The closer we got to the venue the more it was raining and just when we thought it couldn't rain any harder - it did. So needless to say when I parked I was a little worried that my car may not be there when I got back. We had to walk a good bit to where they set up the packet pick up. Sloshing through the creek that began from the down pore in my running shoes I was wearing to run in the next day. That was the first lesson of this tri - don't wear your running shoes in the rain especially when you are wearing them the next day.

Sunday turned out to be very nice. Cloudy and almost foggy in the morning. I got up around 4:30 so I could get breakfast and to be honest - I wasn't nearly as nervous as I was for my first triathon. And this was my first open water race. I think I had more anxiety that I wasn't nervous than I did about the race. I had gotten some of my stuff together the night before checked my tires and so that morning was just very chill - ate my breakfast, drank my coffee, even went on Facebook and played a couple rounds of Farkle (a dice game that really isn't any fun but for some reason relaxing). Hubby and I hopped into the van and drove up to the race.

We got up to the park and walked a little way down to the transition area and I set up. They had places assigned according to numbers. It didn't really matter, they set the transistion area up lengthwise so either you were running a ways to get to your stuff or running a ways to get out of transistion. I was about in the middle. I got my wetsuit on - the water temp before the monsoon was 75 but after it was 70. I wore my wetsuit anyway because I love it but also the shirt I was in would create a lot of drag.

SWIM- We started in the water. The first wave was made up of all ages 39 and below and the second wave was 40 and above, athena and physically challanged. I was a little nervous now. Everyone was clumped in the middle but there was a lot of room. I couldn't figure out why people weren't more spread out. I was up in the front and had plenty of room. I think I was more nervous because I know how I react when I first get in to swim without a warm up (we weren't allowed to warm up in the water) but I just tried to focus on my stroke. I stayed on the inside the whole time. Not a lot of slashing - it thinned out pretty quickly. I pretty much stayed straight. It was a half square pattern. I am very glad I worked on bilateral breathing because it came in very handy towards the end. A person came up on my right and kept coming. Switched to the other side and passed her and then got out. 7:14 11/139

T1 - 2:15 - uneventful - wondered why I was putting on my socks because they were soaked as soon as I put them on but stuck to don't change anything on race day.

BIKE - Ok, this was just comical. There is no other way to put it! I wish my husband would have had this on video tape. First, coming out of transition, we start going up hill. I always have a little trouble clipping in because I just am not very good at it yet, especially if I am getting fluster. I don't know of anyone that didn't have a lot of trouble clipping in except for the people that didn't have to (i.e. rat cages or shoes already clipped in). My lesson was learned there - learn how to put feet in shoes already on the pedals. Anyway, trying to pedal up hill and clip in. I had one shoe already clipped in. I was going to try and just make it to the top and then clip my left foot in but I was afraid my foot would slip off so I kept trying. I totally lost momentum and couldn't get my shoe out and fell over - like a tree in the woods - someone should have yelled timber. Luckly, 1) I landed on the very soft grass 2) knew it was going to happen because it has happened before only on a hill on cement 3) wasn't in anyone's way. Anyway, that had to be the funniest thing to see! So, I got up, and got back on my bike and really didn't have anymore problems - clipped in and headed out. Figures! So I am riding and the bike is just feeling wierd and the tires running over stuff just isn't sounding right. Taking off my sunglasses trying to see the tires better and even though I checked them the night before and filled them, some of the air leaked out! They weren't flat but they were way under pressure. Probably ended up working much harder than needed because of the low pressure but got through the ride. It was a closed course, which was nice. There were a couple rolling hills with one at the end but you came down that one went up a little one and went back to T2. 42:22 88/139

T2- 1:12 Someone took my spot! They put their bike in the wrong spot. Really kind of through me off because I DIDN'T want to take someone's spot but kind of had to. I suppose if I really thought about it I could have taken that person's spot but panic had hold and I wasn't.

RUN - Run was great - it was a nice trail - albeit rained out and lots of puddles, so shoes being wet from the day before really didn't matter because everything was wet! My pace was the fastest that I have run. Normally I am around 9:15. My pace was 8:49. I guess the hills and intervals are working! I was pretty happy with that - I kept it strong and still was able to cheer other people on - that alone helped the run go by so fast. Luckily (very lucky here) my new Zoot shorts did not start to chaf until AFTER the run when I was just walking around. Dodged a bullet there! 17:38 - 72/139

Over all rank 64/139 They didn't break out the age group standings. I have to figure that out on my own I guess. Despite the bike mishap - I am happy with where I am. I am improving which is what I want to see. I know there was a duathlon going on at the same time. I have no idea if there were 139 signed up for both or 139 for the tri. And really it I guess it doesn't matter because I have my times and I know my weaknesses and have learned some valuable lessons and still had fun - that is what this is about, right?

One of the really cool things about this race was that the top three finishers were in the 45-49 (1st place 51:04), 40 - 45 (2nd place 52:46) and 35-39 (3rd 53:12) age groups. That is some motivating stuff right there! One other little tidbit - the 5th place finisher who finished with 54:48 was 12 years old! Someone has got a very bright future! Thanks for taking the time to read - I did have a lot of fun this race!