What an amazing race day experience on Saturday, 7/31. The WIN for KC Women's Triathlon at Smithville Lake, just nort of KC, boasted 850 athletes. It sold out four months early, and 405 slots were filled by first-time triathletes. How cool is that?!
Plus, even cooler - I got TOP 10!!! I've never placed so well in a race before. But I'm glad I've found the trick - no training! I've only been running. That's right - no biking and no swimming in over a month. They print out your splits after you finish and here's how mine looked:
The day started out sort of icky. BDR was supposed to sneak out of work early to come cheer me on, but some dumb lady decided to beat up her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend (seriously, he said there was blood everywhere and a missing tooth!) so cop duty called and he couldn't come. Luckily it wasn't nearly as bad as it was for a couple friends. For AV, her bike fell off the rack on the way there, burning off her front brake, back bottle cage and part of her saddle. Luckily, no frame damage and it was still ride-able. For Dr. Meagan, the bike she was toting for a first-timer decided it no longer wanted to keep its back wheel and it fell off en route to the race. Bad day for those bikes!
After running around all morning trying to find a new wheel for her friend, Dr. Meagan finally got to relax and get psyched up for the race. She's weeks away from Ironman Louisville and is going to do amazing!
Classy Cat Anna is my hero. She's focusing on her BQ hopes, but she still managed to get 2nd in her AG. Seriously, this girl is FAST.
I'm not quite sure how Rebecca does it. She's a full time mom and a full time triathlete, all the while with a great atttitude, wonderful smile and tons of effort. She also pulled out an amazing race.
For me, here's my recap...
Set Up: Got to the race site too early and wasn't quite sure what to do with myself so I hung around the GOTR booth and caught up with some friends. (See photos above)
Swim: Time trial start every 5 seconds. Made the smart move to start in a group faster than I actually am, but I didn't have to stand around and wait to get in the water, phew. My times probably could have been faster had I trained, and definitely would have been faster if I hadn't needed to hang on to a kayak to pee. That's 73 seconds I won't get back.
Bike: They call me greased lightning. I haven't had to say "on your left" so many times before. Now granted, many of the amazing women out here were on cruisers or mountain bikes, but still - I averaged 18.6 mph and felt like a speed demon.
Run: The only way to make this race better would be a different run course where spectators could get out and cheer. It winded through the woods on a paved trail, so it was hard to tell how close to the turnaround and the finish line you were. I averaged 9:18 pace and was very pleased with how hard I pushed myself when I wanted to walk. Sprints just might be the new thing for me. Who knows...
Post Race: Chris Cakes cooldown and an ice cream cone on the drive home. Followed by some serious lake time and a bit of sunburn. Pete had a great time swimming, and then got a much-needed bath.
All in all, very happy with my showing on Saturday. I haven't been this proud of a performance in the past. Sure, surviving Ironman and making it to the finish line is amazing, but a Top 10 AG finish is pretty sweet too.
2 comments:
First off AMAZING job! Maybe your lack of training was just a LONG taper :) Second I love that you call me Classy Cat Anna because obviously I miss the glory days. Third thanks for calling me fast. Never thought I would be an "athlete" or "fast" after all my days of dancing they just give out dumb awards for highest kick and best smile. Longest comment ever but you rock!!!!!
Great job Trish. Wish we could have been there to cheer you on. From the way you wrote about it, I can tell that you had a fun! Love you!
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