Here's how the races went:
Race #1: Super Sprint Triathlon
This was just a short warm-up race on Friday evening, so it wasn't bad at all. We started with a 250m swim. The water wasn't particularly warm or cold. The bike ride was a 6k teaser with a slight downhill, followed by a fairly challenging ascent up to the Shawnee State park cabins, and back down to the transition area. The run was a mile to the trail we were going to be running all weekend and back to the finish line. My time was 7:22 on the swim, 2:02 on T1, 16:56 on the bike, 45 seconds on T2, and 9:26 on the run. I had slow times for such a short race, but I wasn't pushing myself at all considering I had the whole weekend of fun ahead of me... ;-)
Race #2: Olympic AM
This race consisted of a 1500m swim, followed by a 23.8 mile bike ride, ending with a 6.55 mile run. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but I got through that swim! The bike ride was fun, but super challenging. Oh the hills! And that was just the beginning of them for the weekend! My favorite part was probably going through the horse camp (besides the stupid speed bumps). The horses were watching and neighing as though they were cheering us on! Haha! Pretty cool. :-) The downhills were great too. Scary, but exhilarating! The run, as usual, went smoothly for me. It was a trail run, with plenty of hills. My times were 39:35 on the swim, 6:31 on T1, 2:06:46 on the bike, 1:17 on T2, and 1:12:13 on the run.
Race #3: Olympic PM
After some lunch (mainly some delicious pasta salad served by the volunteers) and a quick power nap, it was time for the second race of the day and third race of the weekend! The format of this race was different than typical triathlon format, switching the bike ride and swim. The bike ride was 25.6 miles, the swim was the same 1500m as earlier, and the run was 6.55 miles on the same trail as earlier. The race started 2 people at a time. Those of us in the back had a great time sitting in our transition area chatting as we waited our turn. The bike ride, again, was brutal (even more-so since I was so tired from earlier still), but along a beautiful course. And I wasn't thrilled with having dogs chase me about halfway through. They weren't behind a fence or anything and there were no owners in sight. I'll never understand why some people refuse to control their canines! Fortunately the dogs listened when I yelled "NO!! Bad dog!! Get away!!" I thought for sure they were going to run into me and cause me to crash! The rest of the ride went fairly smoothly, besides dodging potholes and (very) slowly ascending hills. I had to walk up a particularly hard one (along with pretty much everyone else, so I didn't feel as bad). A sharp turn right into a super steep ascent is just cruel punishment. :-p After the bike ride, I squeezed into my wetsuit prepping for the swim (remembering some great advice I got from a coach at a tri clinic to put plastic bags on my feet to slide it on). As I struggled with the zipper, a kind fellow participant rushed over to help. That's what I love about the Triple-T: it's all about getting through it and camaraderie with fellow triathletes. The swim went smooth and I managed not to get a single cramp! Many people have cramping issues with this race since they rush into the water so quick after the grueling bike ride. Again, the run was great! And then finishing for the day felt just amazing! My times were 2:16:38 on the bike, 4:58 on T1, 41:38 on the swim, 3:13 on T2, and 1:13:38 on the run.
Race #4: Little Smokies Half Ironman
The beginning of this race was all about survival. The water was still cold enough to be unpleasant (but still far from the coldest I've swam in) and the air temperature was in the upper 30s/lower 40s! I had to start the swim with a little bit of back-stroking and side-stroking as my body got acclimated to the water, but once I got going I went fast! And my sighting was perfect! Emerging from the water, I started shivering instantly. Other participants were struggling just as much, and several were going into hypothermia! The volunteers were amazing though! I didn't catch her name, but I referred to the woman that helped me out as my guardian angel. Cheesy, I know, but I really don't know if I could've gotten through that awful transition without her help! It was my slowest, most painful transition ever! She helped me out of my wetsuit, wrapped me in my towel, and helped me put on my layers for the bike ride. My Raynaud's kicked in, of course, so my hands were not working at all. Finally, when feeling somewhat came back to my hands, I was mostly dried off, and I thanked the volunteer immensely I took off for the long 56 mile bike ride! At first the downhills were awful, sending a chill down my spine and causing me to shiver like crazy. I said a quick prayer for warmth! Finally during the first big ascent, I gained full function of my fingers and my body temperature felt like it was back up to normal. The sun was finally completely out, and this bike course was gorgeous! The hills were awful though. My quads just couldn't take it anymore when I got to the third big climb, so I had to walk my bike up the rest of the hills. A little over mile 30, the nice smooth part of the bike course finally arrived-mostly flat with a few fun little bunny hills. But then out of nowhere I felt a huge knot form in my right shoulder. The pain was so intense that I actually started tearing up a bit. I had to stop briefly to stretch it out. So frustrating! The rest of that bike ride was a huge struggle, but I finally made it to the road leading to transition. I couldn't help but yell "Thank you Lord!" Haha! After dropping off my bike and cycling gear, I was off on the run! It was 2 laps on the same trail we'd been running all weekend. Still loved it! :-) The first lap, I went slow and steady, making sure that I didn't hit a wall. That bike ride really zapped my energy! The second lap, though, a huge burst of energy consumed me. I don't know if it was the encouragement from volunteers and spectators or what, but I suddenly felt amazing. I was unstoppable! After one last time running up and down the hills of the trail, I approached the finish line. The crowd support was amazing! I crossed that finish line with a huge smile on my face and Ray greeted me with a hug and kiss. What a wonderful fiancé! :-) A couple of other participants greeted me with hugs and high fives. I waited for a couple other people I got to know during the weekend to finish and did the same for them. It was a big, sweaty hug fest! It was glorious! Haha! My times were 46:12 on the swim, 11:50 on T1, 5:01:29 on the bike, 1:16 on T2, and 2:40:17 on the run.
My time on all the events combined was better than 2012. I still really have to work on my quad strength for climbing crazy hills on the bike though! That, again, was a huge struggle! They say that the American Triple-T is even harder to complete than an Ironman, and I have now done the Triple-T twice! Looks like I should step up to the full Ironman in 2015! ;-)
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