Mass State Triathlon - Official time 1:52:26

WOW - so my first tri of the summer is DONE!! It was painful, but now it's over and I'm that much closer to kicking ass this fall for OCRF. The amazing thing about racing, is that no two courses are ever the same. Even if you're racing on the same course, weather changes can make it a whole different ball game. Since this is only my second tri EVER, I didn't really know what to expect - the distances were approximately the same as the tri I completed last fall, but the course was significantly different. I was disappointed because my time was much slower than last fall, but so was Brian's - so this leads me to believe that the course was more difficult.

For starters, the swim was a 1/3 mile - going into race day I thought it was 1/4 mile. It took me 9:33 - not bad. I came out of the water in the middle of the pack, which I was happy with, because the swim is usually my weakest leg. I managed to keep moving the entire time, mostly actually swimming, but I took a "break" and did some efficient side stroke for a bit in the middle.

It had me in a good position going into the bike, which turned out to be a total nightmare. My first transition was sloppy - and took me over 3 minutes. I don't yet have a tri suit - those one piece things that you can swim and then bike/run in. I haven't bought one b/c I didn't think it was possible to bike and run in wet shorts, etc. But, I talked with some of the girls in my wave, and they said the suits are designed to repel water, and that they dry very quickly so it's not uncomfortable. I am definitely considering buying one for my next race; beating someone out of the water, to have them beat you out of transition REALLY sucks.

There were two main issues with my bike - 1. was the bike itself, I was using my crappy hybrid and 2. I was NOT prepared. There was a mile long hill from mile 4-5, and I actually had to get OFF my bike and walk at one point because my legs were burning. It's amazing how much the quality of your bike will affect your race - people were definitely passing me on $2,000 bikes - that otherwise wouldn't have been able to pass me. The less efficient your bike, the more energy you're expending to do the same work. I can't blame it all on the bike though - I was ill prepared for the biking leg. I also am not comfortable feeling fatigued on a bike - I've been running competitively since 8th grade, so I know how to handle fatigue on a run. Changing up  a stride, focusing on form, using my breath etc. But on a bike, I'm a hott mess once I'm tired, and all I can think about is getting off the bike. This is something I KNOW I have to work on before October.

For the run, I felt great. I think partially because I sucked on the bike, I had some stored up energy left for the run. It didn't take long to get my legs under me, and was able to hammer out the 3.1 miles in 30 minutes - not bad for the end of a tri. This is definitely a bit slower than I'm planning on for October, so luckily I have three months to train harder and better! I'm also considering doing a tri next month and one in September to practice for October!!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for all of the moral support. It is not easy to stay motivated, but to know that people are reading my blog, and donating to my cause makes it so much easier! Please consider donating if you haven't already!! http://www.razoo.com/story/Ericabformaryellenpace

Triathlon, WOOT!

My first triathlon of the season is this weekend in central Mass. I'm super nervous because I'm not even close to as ready as I want to be. Luckily, it's a sprint, so I know I can finish it!
I have barely been swimming, unless you count floating drunk in the ocean after taking oyster shots on the Cape last weekend. I've been running, intermittently. For those of you who don't live on the East Coast, there has been a SERIOUS heat wave happening SO it's only possible to run in the AM or late evening.
All in all, I'm happy with how prepared I am at this point in my training. It's about having realistic goals for yourself, so that you can succeed. I know that it will be difficult, and I haven't been practicing the bike to run transition as much as I wanted - but I know this is something I have to work on before October.
I also know that my swimming will need lots of work. For me the race this weekend will serve as a baseline to see where I can/need to improve. I'm mostly excited to try out my new gear, thanks SheROX!!
I will definitely be updating you post-Tri.