August 20, 20062nd in AG, 19th OA
Swim: 13:45
T1: 2:03
Bike: 35:23
T2: 1:09
Run: 23:39 (7:37 pace)
Total: 1:16:01
Sunrise on Race Day
It was another fine race with perfect weather. I was up at 4 a.m. and driving in to the Mount Baker neighborhood by 5:15 to score a parking spot near race venue (the early bird gets the parking as they block the streets to outside traffic a little later).
Because this is my 3rd year at the Danskin, my 14th triathlon and I volunteer coach with
Mary M’s triathlon training business, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people, so the morning was busy enough with chatting, scoping out the transition area for all the start/finish areas for each leg of the race, visiting the Porta Potty multiple times, having a warm up jog and finally getting into my wetsuit for the start.
Abuzz with excited anticipation and anchored by the focus and mental readiness of “Things I Know” to give me confidence (I have a list of mantras and positive statements that I go over and over), I finally was front and center at the start of my wave ready for the gun to go off. The race takes on a life of it’s own from there and you just go for the ride, hang on and endure the sensations of discomfort as you work hard through it.
The swim felt steady and strong as I threaded my way through literally hundreds of slower swimmers from the waves that had gone out before me. When you swim hard, do you make underwater animal noises like “Arrrruugh! Uuhhhhgph! Rrrrruuuaa!” as you exhale? I do. To get an idea of just how thick the water is with swimmers, check out the “photo gallery” here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281975_triathlon21.html
It was another fine race with perfect weather. I was up at 4 a.m. and driving in to the Mount Baker neighborhood by 5:15 to score a parking spot near race venue (the early bird gets the parking as they block the streets to outside traffic a little later).
Because this is my 3rd year at the Danskin, my 14th triathlon and I volunteer coach with
Mary M’s triathlon training business, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people, so the morning was busy enough with chatting, scoping out the transition area for all the start/finish areas for each leg of the race, visiting the Porta Potty multiple times, having a warm up jog and finally getting into my wetsuit for the start.Abuzz with excited anticipation and anchored by the focus and mental readiness of “Things I Know” to give me confidence (I have a list of mantras and positive statements that I go over and over), I finally was front and center at the start of my wave ready for the gun to go off. The race takes on a life of it’s own from there and you just go for the ride, hang on and endure the sensations of discomfort as you work hard through it.
The swim felt steady and strong as I threaded my way through literally hundreds of slower swimmers from the waves that had gone out before me. When you swim hard, do you make underwater animal noises like “Arrrruugh! Uuhhhhgph! Rrrrruuuaa!” as you exhale? I do. To get an idea of just how thick the water is with swimmers, check out the “photo gallery” here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281975_triathlon21.html
I charged out of the water snorting and huffing. My dad once saw me come out of the swim and said I looked like a “raging bull”, which I assume was a compliment. And Mary M, the swim coordinator for the Danskin, tapped me on the back and said something encouraging (or so she says, I never heard or saw her) and she also says I just about ran her over.
On to T1 (transition 1) to rip off wetsuit, grab bike and gear and go for a nice 12 mile ride on the I-90 express lanes. Hard work! I couldn’t have gone any harder and managed to improve my time over last year, though my pace of 21 mph pales compared to some of those Elites above me and to Hillary, the woman who would take first in our AG.In to T
2 (you guessed it, transition 2) to re-rack bike, change shoes and dash out for a 5K run. Could I have pushed a little harder here? Maybe? I improved my pace over last year, which was a big goal of mine (I went from 8:11 to 7:37 per mile average). But what about that triathlon I did 3 weeks ago with a 10K run in it – my pace was 7:25 there. That pace would have made this race a tie or very close to it. Ah, Monday morning quarterbacking!. Actually, Hillary saw us pass each other around the 2 mile mark (going opposite directions; she started in the wave 4 minutes behind me) and was sure I was ahead of her, time-wise, at that point. Which is possible since the last mile of the race has a hill that slays me. Hillary is an outstanding 
runner, who does ½ marathons at a 7:15 pace, so it was probably that final mile where she overtook me and brought it on home. I’m able to speed up near the end, but barely. A better runner will really make that last mile count and she did! Hillary & me - >I finished, pleased with my 1:16:01 time, about 1:30 better than last year. If you look at the splits, you’ll see that my swim time this year is slower that last year. The good news is that the course was shorter last year and average times this year were around 1:30 slower (according to Mary M.), so my swim was actually ok, a little better than last year.
Other than not capturing 1st in age again, I met all my goals: improve the bike to at least 21 mph (just barely made that), get my run to under 8 min pace (slam dunk), bring my overall placing up (did it: from 24 to 21, however, I don’t think I ought to compare myself to relay teams, so let’s just call that 19th overall). I have a few “friendly rivals” out there that out swam me and/or out-biked me, but since it’s the overall time that counts in this race, I’ll be satisfied.
Another comparison: There were 24 women who went out in the Elite division. My time puts me at 13th in their group. I could have gone as an Elite this year, but wanted one more shot at an Age Group placing and to obtain a ranking for USAT this year (going Elite, you don’t get an age-group ranking). Next year I will go Elite (assuming I’ve trained something along the lines of this year), which makes me nervous already, a year away! But the great thing about going Elite (which you can choose it if you’ve been an age-group placer), is you are THE FIRST wave. No crowded swim course of slower people to wind through, no constant passing of other bikers. That can be a significant advantage.
After the race, comes the real endurance event of hanging around for a few hours, first in a haze of euphoria and camaraderie as you visit and congratulate all your friends, snack, get pictures taken, and in general strut like a rock star in your little lycra tri outfit feeling proud and happy (oh, and in my case, pick up my diamond necklace since my race number was one of the several that were randomly drawn for this prize; I would rather have a new bike trainer, but, ok, diamonds I guess). Later, the fatigue sets in, some of your friends have gone home but you stick it out to hear the top 3 winners in each age group announced and take a look at the preliminary results.
The race glow continues awhile - days, weeks, months, as debriefing of family and friends must occur, several trips to the computer to check for race results and analysis of same must be done, waiting for the race photos to get posted, seeing your workout pals and trying to be humble and gracious as they ask you about it and congratulate you – all of this is good and extends the experience.
Anyway, that’s the report. If you want to browse some more, here’s the link: http://results.timberlinetiming.com/results/index.cfm
Race day pals Ann, Ann, (me), Gina, Val - >
(Val went out with the Elites this race! She has always dominated her age group in her races. A couple years older than me, I got some vicarious satisfaction out of her representing some of more mature athletes alongside the younger elites.)
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