I did it!

Wow! That was intense.

Here is my recap for the Charlie Williamson Memorial Triathlon in West Virginia. It was a sprint tri with a 750m OWS in a very beautiful lake, 20K bike ride over amazingly tough hills, and a 5K run.

I should do this blog in the way that Caitlin Snow did her recap of the Providence 70.3. She did a stream of consciousness one her thoughts throughout the race.  I felt like it was very effective!  So I'll probably throw some of that in there too

Swim.  Race starts up and its waist deep (on rocks) in the lake start. I can't get in the front so when the gun goes I've got to wade until I can throw my face in without being pummeled by a leg or arm.  I have adrenanline and start thinking "I can do this!", then about 2 minutes in I realize I haven't sited the buoy... crap...it was way too far to my right, straightened back out, 2 minutes later, same thing.  6 minutes in I'm wondering if I can finish.  I'm tired, but I've swallowed so much water from the splashes that I'm also feeling sick.  I'm starting to freak out...okay, calm down...  I get to the buoy and struggle around it....site the next buoy, calm down...  I kept swimming and got in a pattern, looked up and realize that I'm too far to the left...again!  I stop and straighten back out....good, there's the house under construction, I'm going somewhat straighter.  I finally hit buoy 2 and then aim for the shore...crap, this dude is kicking me...shoot, he doesn't even realize it, oh! because he's doing the dang BACK STROKE!  Ugh! Okay pass him...am I the last one?  I look behind me and realize it's close but there are people behind me.  I finally hit the loading ramp for the lake and try to stand...nope too deep...just a few more feet! Sweet! Hard part done! Run up the ramp...feet c'mon, just do it!  Oh, hi mom! Cheese! 

Telling a friend about my daughter's neck, but without context it looks like I'm holding my neck out of panic, LOL!

Bike.  I hit T1 and have decided against my socks for the race, this is good, knocked time off T1.  I hear Noah, my friend's 3 year old yelling to me!.. Hi buddy!  You gonna chase me :) ?..  Grab the bike and I'm off... c'mon legs you can do it! I give the bystanders the thumbs up!  Then I hit hill 1....someone tries to fall in front of me...are you kidding? Already? ....Another chic almost goes down with her...geez I'm outta here, this is a mess...I speed past!  I hit hill 2 and realize how tired I really am.  I just start focusing on my pedals and breathing, and not vomiting.  I hit a few hills later and start struggling up it, see, this course has tons of hills, but the biggest are at the beginning. I'm on another hill and this girl is walking her bike (very common on this course), but an SUV pulls up next to her, they're talking, there isn't any room to go around her...are you KIDDING ME! It's a RACE!!! MOVE!!!....so I say "coming right", she says, "oh sorry, guess I should move"....duh!  Hit Edwards Drive, aka Vomit Hill, I am starting to understand this nickname! Oh no!...please don't throw up, please don't throw up, c'mon legs move the pedals, oh please dude walking your bike don't swerve, crap, gonna have to pass on his right!  "on (pant, pant). your (pant, pant). right (gag, pant)."  Top of the hill! Yes! Did it!  Wow there were a LOT of walkers, feelin' pretty good about ol' girl right now! I passed the T2 where there were a lot of spectators and saw some friends...Hi guys! Woo Hoo!...okay, crowd energy! I got this now!..  I turn for a long flat and slow hills.  I FINALLY get to the turn a turn around in a cul-de-sac...are you for REAL! I can't pass anyone! Oh CRUD!  I can't go this slow! Biking is the only thing I can do fast!  PLEASE MOVE! There are people on the left coming at me, slow pokes on the right not moving! I'm gonna cry!  Sweet, a hole, hit it...hard! Okay that sucked but I got to the final turn around at the top of a hill and just did it anyway. On the way back I saw 2 friends! Awesome! ....Hey guys!...I got to the one section of the course I had never done b/c we always went back to the lake instead of T2 (this race had 2 separate transition areas) during training.  This part was hardish, 2 big hills, but I kept hearing the crowd say "almost there! One more hill!"...well if that's all that's left, I'm standing on it!...I hit the turn in to T2...oh crap! Slow down.  Almost blew the dismount line, whew!...

Run.  Coming into T2 I was FIRST RACK! Yay!  I threw the bike on the rack, ripped off my shoes and started for the socks, oh my! My socks did NOT want to go on.  I did it anyway.  They had wrinkles, but who cares, it's only 3 miles, I could run with no shoes if I had to.  I almost forgot my visor, but got it on, grabbed my race belt and TORE out of T2!...Hey fam!  What's up neighbors!...I hit the road...what's the deal with my legs?  Why won't they move? Oh wait, they are moving.  Aren't they?  I need my Garmin!  I feel like I'm running at 10:30, wildly unacceptable.   Okay, speed up on the downhill.  2 people in front of me.  I'll catch 'em, just wait :) ...I hit water station one....hmm. I didn't drink during this race except one swig on the bike and I'm not thirsty, well I'm not cramping now, sorry guys, no thanks...I see the sign for MILE 1 go by...okay, time to start passing people.  I passed a couple people on the big long uphill and then we spread out some more.  MILE 2...  Wow, that was fast.  I better speed up.  What am I running?  8:30?  Feels like it.  Man, I wish I had the Garmin.  I gotta pass this dude, I love to pass the guys :).  That chic has a "30 something" on her calf.  Oh no! My age group?  36, whew next one up.  She looks about 1/4 mile ahead.  Is she walking up that hill?  Okay I can take her.  Wait, don't spend too much yet.  Okay, up the hill.  Yes, last turn. Mike would tell me to sprint here, but I can't, not yet, just a little closer...I pass a group that has a sign up that says "empty your tanks now"...good idea, hit it girl!  Oh no, she's sped up too, I have to catch her.  C'mon, c'mon.  Where did this other chic come from?  Oh, a relay chic, not that big a deal, but still.  Okay, she's swerving, come on!...I see the end, it's a narrow, roped-off aisle to the end and I'm on the other girls heals, I can't pass her unless I elbow her and I refuse to be that person!...Yes! The timing mat!  I did it!...Then I heard my husband start yelling, "that's not the finish, keep going! keep going!"...WHAT!!!!  Oh CRAP!!!  Me and the other girl had both stopped, then we both his the gas for about 5 more yards to go over the REAL timing mat...that was a stupid lay out,  btw!  2 timing mats apparently stumped a LOT of people. 

This is me realizing that the first mat was NOT the finish!

Well I finished the race with these STATS:

Swim.  24:05 (shameful, yes)
T1. 1:01
Bike. 52:34 (told you there were a lot of hills)
T2. 1:01
Run. 26:40 (get off my case, I've actually gotten faster!)

Me and the ball and chain!  Speedy there finished 13th overall! 

My Ranking were as follows:

Out of 45 individual women I came in 11.
Out of the 30-39 age group I came in 4.
Out of the USAT age group (30-34) I came in 1.

The sucky part was that the awards were given out in the 30-39 age group.  That's the first time I've been in a race where the age groups were laid out that way.  I was ROBBED. JK!  Oh well, there's always next year.  This was the first year I've ever competed outside.  I clearly need to work on the OWS, but that WAS my first lake race