General Smallwood Sprint Triathlon, MD September 23rd 2007
Swim: 750 m Bike: 16miles Run: 5K

Overall Ranking: 50/111
Age Group Ranking: 15/31

This was my second sprint triathlon in my short triathlete life. The first one was in May. I have had scheduled other races in between but because of a bike crash I was not able to race. So, a month after the accident I was eager to do a Sprint race to finish the season. My husband Dave helped me to get back on the bike and insisted on the fact I should take it easy.

There were a lot of “first time” things going on for me in that race:
- 1st time swim in open water
- 1st time swim in a wetsuit
- 1st time aero bottle drink on my bike during a race

We went on race site the day before to check out everything and drive the bike course so that we knew what to expect. It was a good thing to do. We discovered that from the swim finish it was quite a long way to get to the transition area. Instead of running on concrete barefoot I decided to jog it in my shoes as I would exit from the water to minimize risk of hurting my feet. (This past week I iced my feet every evening to stop a pain in the bottom of my right foot). The rolling Bike course seemed doable – given my beginner’s skills. We drove back home starving as we ate a light lunch around 11am. The poor nutrition planning got us both: we devoured a pizza and felt awfully full. Lesson learned: eat regularly during the day, small portions.

On race day, everything goes as intended, although I still feel too full after the pizza and the bagel I ate in the morning. I decide not to take my GU gel before the start. I take 3 endurolytes 30 min before put on wetsuit and head to the start. The pressure is growing and I keep thinking: oh my, in less than 10 min I will be there swimming !

Swim: 16:18
It is my first group start. I position myself to the far left side and make sure no one is behind me and swim over me as we start. There are weeds all over the place and I try to float and not get tangled. Not seeing what’s around me makes me very VERY uncomfortable. As Dave told me, I count until 5 in my head at the gun and watch everyone leave. At 5 I start swimming and just try to breathe as I would in a pool practice. I find some place around me and swim without being kicked or pushed. A good start I am thinking. Suddenly the creepy weeds are into my face, it really scared the *#@% out of me!!! initial reaction that runs through my head, I want to go back… I stop swimming. I try to convince myself to keep up with it. If others can do it so can I… I close my eyes when in the water and pass this bad area of weeds. The buoy doesn’t seem to approach much since I started but I definitely noticed I was passing some people. The first buoy is my goal. I am thinking “just swim to it and take one at a time”. I then pass the two yellow buoys and here it is the final stretch. The sun is overwhelming and my goggles are a bit foggy so it is difficult to see where the next buoy is. I just follow some people. I am surprised to pass green and blue caps: guys and Clydesdales from the previous waves. It motivates me. But I now feel an air bubble in my lungs and I cannot breathe well. It hurts.
Coming back was definitely more challenging in terms of sighting and breathing but as I get to the ramp, I am relieved to have survived my first open water swim !

T1 : 4:08
It really was a long stretch to jog to the bikes. I put on my shoes as I exit from the water. Even if loosing a few seconds, it was a good decision. As I jog I burp out all the air and feel much better. Great, let’s get to the bike. I Struggle a little bit with my wetsuit, put on my shoes, sun glasses, helmet and here I go.

Bike: Hmm… hmm…
Of course… starting the bike I cannot clip in my second shoe… I finally get it and the first uphill comes. I also feel a muscle cramp in my lower back. I try to stretch it out and hope it goes away but it is still there. I think the pain fades away when I start concentrating on the road. The course was on slow traffic roads with a large shoulder at first. The race director recommended not to drive to the right because there are a lot of debris and yesterday (International Distance Tri) they had a lot of flats ! I try to stay to the left, but again do not want to block and get a penalty for that. Sure enough, a mile into the race I see a girl checking her wheel on the side: FLAT.

I feel good on the bike, the aero bottle is great because I do not need to use my hands to drink. Drinking helps me to stay cool and relaxed. I pass the first round of down hills that I feared. I got passed mostly on downhills because I was using my breaks, I would catch up again with the person that passed me on the uphill. But, end of the story, loosing the momentum on the downhill cost me a lot in terms of position. I just could not go faster…. After mile 8 I see another person working on their bike: FLAT. At this point I tell myself: “Please don’t let this happen to me…”. I am careful to avoid small stones and wholes in the road and pass the final down hill stretch that I was most afraid of. I think 6 or 7 girls in my age group passed me at that moment, I really need to work on these downhills.

And then, out of nowhere I feel that my front wheel is unusually bouncy, I look and here it is : FLAT, FLAT FLAT ! GRRRR I slow down and unclip but for some reason I fall on my other side. I am so upset and disappointed… The bike finish was about 2 miles further, what a bummer! The motorcycle that was passing by sees me and calls a car to come get me. I am dropped at the transition area. I walk through the transition and see Dave waiting for me at the bike dismount…(He already finished his race) well he won’t see me there. I call him to get his attention but he doesn’t hear me… I ask the officials if I can still do the run and they say yes so I put on my newtons and start the run course.

Run: 27:01
My goal was to go under 24:00. After my bike adventure I lost the desire to try to push. It is a strange feeling to keep running with all these people around but not really racing them anymore. The run course takes us on to some trails with uneven surface. My Newtons are not the best shoes for that. But I do not feel my pain from last week. I cruise along and do not sprint at the finish. I feel sad not “completing” the race.

Summary:
As a beginner triathlete coming back after a bike crash I was hoping this race would be quite uneventful. Prior to the race I thought the open water swim would be the worst, then the bike. Well, it was a lot of mixed emotions: I felt good and happy about the swim, scared by the downhills, upset at my flat tire and disappointed when running. The 1st time flat tire during a race definitely adds to my initial “1st time list” above, I did not expect that to happen. It is frustrating when things get out of your control especially when you are new to this sport, prepare for a race and think this will be THE perfect one. I cannot wait for next season though; but there are a few rules that I want to obey:

1. Know how to change a flat myself
2. Always carry extra tubes on my bike (At my level the extra weight will not slow me down!)
3. Work on my downhills to feel more comfortable.
4. Enjoy ! Racing for pleasure and fun is the most important. Being competitive adds unnecessary pressure that brings disappointment if you do not achieve it.

After the race Dave and I drove to the Fedex field to see Redskins vs. Giants game. It was great to see all our friends at the tailgate and relax. Seeing our race numbers on our arms and calves everyone asked: “You did what this morning ???...” This reminded me how unique and fascinating Triathlon can be.