Training 4/21 - 4/27...and RACE REPORT!

If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race.  Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just finish the race; it's up to you. -- Dave Scott


Sunday 4/21 - 5.21 mile run
Monday 4/22 - 30 minute swim, 40 minute cycle on Freyja
Tuesday 4/23 - 3.52 mile run
Wednesday 4/24 - 57 minute swim, 92 minute cycle (23.5 miles) on Freyja
Thursday 4/25 - REST
Friday 4/26 - REST
Saturday 4/27 - RACE!!!

Hubby and me after the race

Was the race a win?  Depends...unfortunately multi-sport often yields multi-goals...only some of which were achieved.  But I guess, since Meatloaf usually knew what he was singing about, two out of three ain't bad.  So we'll give this race a win.

Here's the low-down on the race:  total time 1:28:13
Swim (400m pool OWS) - 11:41 (disaster)
T1 - 1:52 (could be faster, but swim disaster probably affected T1 speed)
Bike (12.4 on Freyja) - 42.53 (yeah!  those soul-sucking hills pay off)
T2 - 2:00 (what the heck?  I could have ordered a pizza faster)
Run (5K) - 29:49 (yeah! back to sub-10s)

The swim:  Well...the swim was a pool-style snake swim, but we started 10 at a time every 30 seconds (instead of one at a time every 10-15 like a normal pool tri)...my group was a bunch of little old men - but don't let their cute faces fool you - they were brutal beasts!  All legs and arms and I got so disoriented and thrashed about that I could not get into a rhythm.  I had to stop a few times through the swim just to get my mind back together.  Unlike a real OWS, I couldn't hang back away from the crazy pack because another horde of humans was coming 30 seconds behind.  Yikes!  I know I can swim 400m - easy peasy chicken squeezy - I just need to be able to deal with the OWS insanity.  Definitely a poor swim.

The bike:  I wasn't sure I was going to take Freyja since I had only ridden her 2x before the race (and once on the trainer), but I figured it was a short race and the weather was good, so she came.  Oddly enough, with no hills (OK, allegedly there was a hill, but compared to the hills I ride out by our house it was a speed bump) and no wind, I don't do half bad.  I did a lot of passing on the bike, which was pretty awesome since I was feeling pretty crappy about the swim.  I didn't get my Garmin working right, so I didn't realize my speed until after the race when the results were posted -- but I am really pleased with my bike.  And not just the speed - I was able to be aero for the first 5 or so miles, the back half of the bike was too bumpy (rough road) so I didn't feel as comfortable; also, I felt good about turning, braking, etc.  Good bike.

The run:  Holey cow!  I am a happy girl.  I got off the bike, through T2, and just started running.  I knew that I was golden - you can't not finish once you hit the run.  But the run felt oddly good - shortened strides for the first mile or so, but then I hit a pace and kept it for the rest of the run.  Passed people on the run, on both laps, which was a lot of fun.  I even sprinted to the end (and felt like I was gonna hurl at the finish line - always a good sign).  Then the results came out and I was running sub-10s, hooray!  I'm finally getting back into my old running self, who I have missed dearly.  I'm not going to let her get away ever again - so I better be fast enough to catch her.  Excellent run.

So there you have it.  Call it a solid win or a win by a nose, either way, more goals achieved than failed.  On to the next race!