Friday, July 18, 2008

Providence 70.3 Race Report


July 13th, 2008
2nd AG 20-24
7th Overall Female

I'm pretty sure that I asked myself the following questions about 5 or 6 times throughout this race...What in the world am I doing out here? Where are the rocks, dirt, trees, people crashing all over? Man, I've been running forever, am I done yet? It wasn't that wasn't having fun out there, because I definitely was, it was just the first half Ironman/road race of the year and I just couldn't seem to find my rhythm. Luckily, nothing disastrous happened and it ended up being an alright day :)

The Swim - Let's just say that starting a race at 6am that is about an hour away from the finish doesn't really make for a good night's sleep. I woke up at 3am to walk down to Keith's hotel and drive to the ocean with him, Devon and Brooke. We got there in plenty of time, set up, warmed up, then tackled the crazy waves and current of the sea. The running start into the crashing waves was something I don't really handle well and ended up being washed up several times before making it out to the first buoy. Not exactly the best way to start a race, but I tried to keep my head in it, stay focused, concentrate on not swallowing the entire ocean and sight as much as possible between the giant rolling waves coming over my head. Again, not the best of swims, but considering my history of panic attacks in the water, I was thrilled that nothing completely horrible went on.

The Bike - Aerobars, TT helmet, shoes already on the bike, what's this?!? Just kidding...it did take me a while to get into a groove though as I've honestly only been on my race bike a half dozen times before this race and it still felt a little foreign. I did manage to settle in a bit and start cranking through the masses of people (I started in the second to last wave). The roads were somewhat sketchy and the course was pretty crazy as well. It was beautiful riding along the coastline but the endless crossings through intersections was pretty scary and the people being held up for the race were not the happiest of people. In some ways, dodging the cars and riding over bumpy/uneven road surface was somewhat Xterra-like. Throw in some good hills like we had and it was definitely a good match :) Although I felt super flat (no pop whatsoever) and had some derailleur issues, I managed a decent bike (6th fastest) without feeling absolutely spent at the end.

The Run - My favorite part...usually. This time was a bit different. I started the run with super tight hips and figured everything would loosen up as it always does. WRONG. Within the first mile, we hit a super steep hill that required small shuffling steps in order to get up it and I'm pretty sure this locked up my hips even more. At this point, I was already off pace and just not feeling motivated. I made a point to stop at every aid station to give myself something to look forward to, but the unusually high volume of fluids I consumed/poured on me only lead to a sloshing belly and squishy shoes which is even more annoying! Focus chica, focus...yeah, not today. I went through the motions and completed the race knowing I hadn't won my age group which meant I wasn't getting my slot to Clearwater which was disappointing as that is what I came there for. Little did I know, there were actually 2 spots available for our age group! Clearwater it is...

The Aftermath - Seeing the entire Timex Crew at the finish line was the highlight of the day and definitely a huge attitude changer for me. Not every race can be perfect and go smoothly but knowing that you have a huge support group there no matter was happens is absolutely amazing. I only lucky girl to be part of such a spirited team with gratuitous amounts of energy and passion. This is honestly one of the most motivating factors for me in this sport and I couldn't be more appreciative :)

MORE PICS AND VIDEOS TO COME!

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