Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Summer 2008: My Races

Age Group Worlds was previously reported on, but can I really consider that a "summer" race? It was in early June and weather was not friendly.

Here is a picture of me, in my Wonder Woman Team USA uniform, actually RUNNING (ok jogging) at Worlds, not walking (I walked a lot during that race).

I did 2 back-to-back open water swims and triathlons: the Fat Salmon 1 mile Open Water race on July 16 was followed by the Seafair Sprint Triathlon the next day. Later in August, I swam the Emerald City 1/2 mile Open Water race on Saturday and then did the Danskin Tri the next morning, August 17th.




Fat Salmon Open Water Swim - 1 mile/wetsuit
7/19/08
1st in AG/9th OA women
37:01

Seafair Sprint Triathlon
7/20/08
1st in AG
Total 1:21:08 (about 5 minutes SLOWER that last year's time on the same course)

Swim 13:26
T1 1:36
Bike 37:59
T2 1:07
Run 27:00

As expected, all legs of the race were a bit slower that last year, but it was mainly the run that deteriorated the most. The good news is I felt pretty good, enjoyed the anticipation of competing. I did stop to walk a bit on the hill in Seward Park nearly 2 miles into the 5K run. A racing pal Lisa S. passed me and urged me to run with her which helped a lot to keep me from giving in to walking longer than I really needed to (or thought I needed to). THANKS, LISA for the encouragement!

A few weeks of recreational bike riding, the occasional run and a couple days of easy backpacking filled the month until my next set of races:

Emerald City Open Water Swim - 1/2 mile/wetsuit
8/16/08
1st in Division (wetsuit)/3rd in AG (though technically I'm not compared to the non-wetsuit division)
13:12

After the Emerald City swim that morning, I plunged into the Packet Pick-Up Experience for the Danskin by driving into the black heart of the Eastside: downtown Bellevue and then back to south Seattle for the Bike Racking Experience. All this day-before activity has always felt like a lot of fatiguing busy-work before the Danskin, but with 3500+ women racing on Sunday, it's a necessary task.

Here is the Elite wave swim start at the Danskin.


Danskin Triathlon
8/17/08
10th/13 in Elite Division/12th Overall
Overall time 1:13:55
Swim 14:02
T1 1:47
Bike 31:48
T2 1:32
Run 24:45 (7:59 pace)


Wow! I had a pretty good race actually. It's hard to compare splits/times with previous years. The swim was longer by 200 yards this year, not to mention the somewhat choppy water due to wind. The bike was certainly shorter as everyone I know posted faster times/paces than is typical. I knew the run would be a lot slower for me but I hoped to keep it under an 8 min/mile pace (which I barely did: 7:59 pace). The race felt pretty fine. I worked hard on the swim and bike. I maintained for the run. I hoped to enjoy a little kick at the end, but alas! about 300 yards from the finish, before increasing my effort, I felt that funny acceleration/palpitation of my heart that I occasionally get. I SLOWED down to try and keep my heart rate in the low 180's (if it gets to the mid-upper 180's, I'm done for) and managed a little bit of a kick for the last 25 yards (just in time for the photo op : )

Afterwards, I saw my racing pals Hillary (1st in her AG of 45-49), Val (1st in AG 50-54) and Sandy (2nd for 50-54). Congrats to all of them! I am very pleased that my time was within seconds or a minute or so of theirs as they are all strong racers worthy of respect. I'm proud that we are the 4 oldest women (we're 49 - 53) who placed in the top 20. Not only am I in their ranks, but I enjoy their friendships, even if it's only the occasional, supportive, curious email a few times a year and some chat at the races.

Here I am with a fellow "Magnolia mom" acquaintance Kathy S., who is a 40-something mom of 3. She joined the Elite wave this year (and I hope I can take some credit for encouraging her to do so). She is a tough competitor who has placed in her age group in past races. I keep trying to catch her in the swim, but haven't been able to yet.

Subaru Women’s Sprint Tri
9/7/08
2nd in AG/10th Overall
Total 1:32:28
Swim 14:28
T1 2:40
Bike 41:12
T2 1:32
Run 32:38


I did this race in ’04 and’05 and finally came back to race it again this year. My wave was made up of all women 45 years and older. The swim felt good and as far as I could tell, I was 2nd throughout the swim to one other “green cap” about 10 yards ahead of me. But when we exited the water, she stopped to peel off her wetsuit before crossing the timing mat, so my swim split shows me as the fastest in my wave. I huffed and snorted my weary way through T1’s longish run to the transition area and was soon out on the bike course.

Though I had checked the bike map prior to the race, I’m afraid I was on auto-pilot from the last time I did this race. I missed the proper turn-around point for the 2nd lap of the bike leg, found myself facing head-on bike traffic and was quickly shouted back onto the correct course by a race volunteer. Val R. was one of the potential head-on crashes I dodged during that maybe 20 second error. I knew she would be gaining and passing me on the bike leg and there she was!

On to T2, I was happy that no others from my wave had caught me yet, but since my run has been weak this season, I thought I might see someone with a “5” on their calf (our wave number) passing me soon. With Val ahead of me and Debbie G. behind me (another strong competitor in our AG), I wondered what would happen on this very hilly 4 mile run. Well, I felt pretty good. No stopping to walk, no unusual tachycardia… There was Val staying about 30 yards ahead of me for most of 30 minutes or so… By the 3rd mile it seemed I was getting a little closer. I didn’t really expect to overtake her, though I hoped to close the gap (maybe that was overly ambitious since her pace was 10 seconds per mile faster than mine at the Danskin 3 weeks ago). I did close the gap quite a bit, but not enough! I finished 4 seconds behind her for 2nd in our age group. But no regrets! It was a fun race and I’m happy to have finished so close to her.

Debbie G. placed third and I finally met and chatted with her. As I mentioned, she is a strong racer in my AG who has competed in several of my past races, including AG Worlds in Vancouver (where she finished around 35 minutes or so ahead of me), but I had never had met her before. I’m glad to have a new racing acquaintance. She will age up to the 55 -59 group next season.

The Subaru Tri is nice in that it has drawings for STUFF during the awards ceremony and I was a lucky winner of a basket full of goodies. In addition to the random giveaways, the podium finishers get prizes along with a plaque of some sort (I scored a Speedo swim bag). But my favorite thing was the award they give for 1st, 2nd and 3rd fastest overall for T1 and T2. And though I know I usually post a decent T1, according to them, mine was the fastest of the day earning me some plastic trophy trinket saying so (alas! when I got home to view the results, I see that the 1st place overall finisher actually had a faster T1, so I’m not sure why I got the award, but I was excited about it at the time anyway).

Well, this was the fun race of the season and my last. So for a slack season of training with no firm goals and a shaky start at Worlds, I’m happy with my 4 tri’s and 2 OW races and the gradual improvement as I make some progress with my running again. And I did achieve my goal of having fun with this!

Here's a really unflattering picture of me exiting the swim at the Danskin. But I like to imagine a whip in my upraised hand, instead of the goggles that just got yanked off my head, and maybe in my right hand a long spear impaling some enemy. Visualize long blond braids and a helmet with horns instead of the blue cap, a breastplate instead of wet lycra.... Or maybe my right hand is holding a bow, my upraised left hand is pulling an arrow out of the quiver on my back and I am slaying Orcs...or better yet, I am Eowyn about to slay the Lord of the Nazgul! Yeah!

One of my favorite parts of the Lord of the Rings: the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is raging, it's a bloodbath out there, orcs, trolls, wargs and bad dudes threaten our Heroes and the future of Middle Earth. Disguised as a man, Theoden King's neice Eowyn reveals herself, fulfills prophecy and becomes one of the great heroes of the War of the Rings doing something no man can do: slay the Lord of the Nazgul, the chief Ringwraith:


"A cold voice answered:'Come not between the Nazgul and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.'

A sword rang as it was drawn. 'Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.'

'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'
..."'But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you are not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.'

The winged creature screamed at her, but the Ringwraith made no answer, and was silent, as if in sudden doubt. ....Suddenly the great beast beat its hideous wings, and the wind of them was foul. Again it leaped into the air, and then swiftly fell down upon Eowyn, shrieking, striking with beak and claw.

She she did not blench: maiden of the Rohirrim, child of kings, slender but as a steel-blade, fair yet terrible. A swift stroke she dealt, skilled and deadly. The outstretched neck she clove asunder, and the hewn head fell like a stone. Backward she sprang as the huge shape crashed to ruin, vast wings outspread, crumpled on the earth; and with its fall the shadow passed away. A light fell about her, and her hair shone in the sunrise.

Out of the wreck rose the Black Rider, tall and threatening, towering above her. With a cry of hatred that stung the very ears like venom he let fall his mace. Her shield was shivered in many pieces, and her arm was broken; she stumbled to her knees. He bent over her like a cloud, and his eyes glittered; he raised his mace to kill.

But suddenly he too stumbled...Merry's sword had stabbed him from behind....

Then tottering, struggling up, with her last strength she drove her sword between crown and mantle, as the great shoulders bowed before her. The sword broke sparkling into many shards. The crown rolled away with a clang. Eowyn fell forward upon her fallen foe. But lo! the mantle and hauberk were empty. Shapeless they lay now on the ground, torn and tumbled; and a cry went up into the shuddering air, and faded to a shrill wailing, passing with the wind, a voice bodiless and thin that died, and was swallowed up and was never heard again in that age of this world."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice photos..! Danskin triathlon is world famous.