My last triathlon was in October 2006. I think it was a half-ironman in Tempe, Arizona? Since then a lot of life has happened. End result is I retired from triathlon. I missed it though - I missed having a goal, I missed racing and I missed being part of something larger than myself.
On Sunday I did a local race at Bonelli Park. I did the same race a few years ago and knew it to be a small, local and low-key event. I did no special preparation except for trashing my right hamstring at belly dancing four days before. I spent all weekend rolling my butt and hamstring around on a tennis ball desperately trying to get it to loosen up.
On race day I got to the park at like 6am and was done with registration and racked at transition by 7am. My wave wasn't supposed to enter the water until 8:40am so I sat in the shade (it was blazing hot) and watched the other triathletes. Triathletes make me crazy in the same way librarians make me crazy so I sat there thinking "what the hell am I doing?!?!"
After waiting for what felt like a year the race director told us to get our wetsuits on and get down to the water. There was a "long" course and a short course race on Sunday and my swim distance was only 500m. I usually swim in a long course pool so I thought "5 laps - easy." As soon as I started swimming my wetsuit filled up with water and I thought "man, swimming sucks" but kept at it, trying to focus on my stroke and sight well to stay on course. I made it and was miraculously not the last of the yellow caps to be out of the water!!! I spent too much time in transition getting dressed and using my inhaler and then I was out on the bike. It was 2 laps around the park and I immediately started to pass everyone who out swam me. Yippee! At the end of the second lap I had also caught the guys who were doing the short course which was cool. My average speed was 18.7mph, a new record I think. The run was brutal - way hillier than I remembered it being and was super hot - no shade and just blazing. I stopped and walked at the water station (twice) and once to stretch my hamstring but I just wasn't feeling the run and was miserable. At the end of the run I was with another woman who was in my age group just before the finish I told her I was toast and couldn't out run her at the end so she blazed on and I came in just seconds behind her. As it turned out she got second and I got third in our division! Totally unexpected and way cool!!
As for racing again? Not sure. If I can find a short sprint of similar distance but with a flat run in the next couple of months maybe I'll do it. I do like racing and it is fun to just get out there and go bttw I make myself nuts with the training. Today Bonelli Tri, tomorrow an Ironamn, ya know? I don't know if I am going to have a lot of time in the next few months anyway as I have a lot going on and a lot to do and don't really want to lock myself in to racing every weekend or every month. Maybe my retirement wasn't long enough? Maybe the heat threw me off and racing in October would be different? Who knows. For the time being it's enough to have done the race.
No comments:
Post a Comment