Better late than never: Race Report!

So I wrote this over three weeks ago when I returned from Hawaii and it never posted - not sure why... but here is the race report from the tri... ENJOY!

My finish!
3:10
Finished 32nd overall in my age group;
4th in the swim in my age group / 100th overall

It's taken me a while to do a race report - mainly because I have spent the last 10 days basking in the glory of the triathlon - ok not really - more like enjoying myself in Maui, which I of course will get to eventually with another post. BUT rewinding to the race, it went exceptionally well and I am incredibly proud of myself. The race itself was fantastic - I definitely had a lot of doubt and worry going into it, but when it is all said and done, I enjoyed myself and I had a great time.

Before I talk about the race itself, I have to touch on a post that I wrote a while back. One thing that really was upsetting to me leading in to the race was that I didn't think that I was going to have any support at the race - which was the exact opposite of what happened. I can honestly say, that I have never felt more supported at any of my races. I found out about 3 weeks before the race that Dave was going to come over from Maui to be there for me - and it truly meant the world to me.

 

I don't think that he had any idea coming into it (or even now) how much it meant to me to have him there and I am not really sure how to properly explain how it made me feel. I also don't think that I let myself know how much I wanted someone familiar there to me until he let me know he was going to come. The gesture of him coming to cheer me on will forever be one of the kindest things that someone has done for me. And - he wasn't just there at the finish - he was there the entire time - and for that he gets massive amounts of credit for his effort since neither of us really knew much about how and where to cheer people on for a tri and it was HARD work running around trying to figure out where I was. He definitely won the fan of the year award for it. Having his familiar face at the transition, during the run when I wanted to quit and most importantly there for me as I crossed the finish line meant more to me than any words can possibly express. It is very rare that I am short of words, especially when it comes to gratitude, and in this case, I am overwhelmingly thankful and at a total and complete loss of words. I only hope that one day I can show him even half the amount of support that he showed for me during race weekend.

 

I am also SO thankful for my teammates. As with all TNT events the team came together and everyone was awesome and so supportive and fun. I think that regardless of how many practices you attend or how much you hang out before the race, when you are at the event and you are together, especially at the inspiration dinner, you just come together. We are the ones who know how hard we've worked to get to that point. We are the ones who trained and fundraised and when you are that far away, it impossible not to come together. Not to take away from the friends and family that traveled to the race but your teammates have a special bond.

And then at the finish, when you know your fellow teammates battled the same heat, hills and exhaustion, their faces, smiles and congratulation mean the world. You are tied together and bonded because you've overcome and accomplished something that only those that have done understand. Plus- they also saw the turtle during the swim!

As for the race, it was great - I was in the third wave of swimmers (it was broken out by sex/age group) and I was able to get right up at the front for the start. It was a great swim. It was clear and calm and I cruised through the water. Before we started, we were standing on the beach in our suits and caps and they played the national anthem and it was strange - in college I would always visualize my race during the national anthem - and I found myself doing the exact same thing before we started - except I was visualizing a breaststroke race - it's funny how certain situations take you back and your brain automatically triggers to things. Although I was visualizing something different, I got in a race state of mind and I was nervous, but ready to go.

 

The swim itself was pretty sweet - I got kinda bored about 1/2 way through so I spent some time looking on the bottom and identifying fish... I saw a few turtles, couple trumpet fish, a bunch of angel fish... and then I realized I was in a race and decided to try to find and catch anyone in a yellow cap (that was my cap color - -GOLDIE represent!) I finished the swim 4th in my age group (damn it those three other girls!! Maybe I should not have spent that time looking at fish!) and 100th overall (out of about 1500 people)- not too shabby if you ask me.

 

Coming out of the water

The bike was good also - we rode through the lave fields, which was nice. I think that I was expecting something a bit different and a view that was more Maui like -but the lava fields were nice (but different). I did remind myself to "look out into the blue" and to try to take mental pictures of the ride and to enjoy myself. It was an absolutely beautiful day and this was probably my favorite part of the race, simply because I was able to push myself, but still enjoy it. As for the run - it sucked - partly because I hate to run, and I am not very good at it - but it was also hot. Not to make excuses, but I did not do as well as I would have liked in that final leg and I have a lot of room to improve here - BUT I knew that going in.

 

There is a big difference with marathons and tris, but when you get down to that last part - whether it is the last six miles of a marathon or the last leg of a tri - for me, it's all heart. One of the challenges with this race was the last two miles of the run were in straight lavarock and dry sand. The path was ridiculously narrow and only one person could be on it at once. Being the clumsy fool that I am, I am kind of surprised that I didn't trip and fall and hurt myself - but I had walked that portion of the race before so when I hit that part, I knew that I was close, which helped me get through it.

The most difficult part of the entire race for me was the first three miles of the run - those are the three that I compare to the last six of the marathon. I had difficulty getting into a rhythm and it was hot - Like Nashville 2009 hot - and no shade or breeze (or free beer like in Nashville). Although I didn't do as well as I wanted during the run, I am proud of my mental toughness that kicked in during those first three miles and I am appreciative of my marathon experience for that. I've had to work through hitting the wall and pushing through in the past and although I wasn't ever thinking of quitting, I recognized where I was mentally and pushed through it and finishing the race was a great feeling. I actually felt pretty awesome pretty soon after the race - after finishing, I immediately took my shoes off and went into the ocean (with my socks... not sure why I left those on) -- but as I was cooling off I definitely had a moment of pride and it felt great knowing what I had just finished.

Take a look at the ground... it's amazing I didn't break my ankle

 

During the bike, I thought of a pretty solid analogy for a triathlon - it is kind of like going to a really nice dinner and having a kick ass dessert first (the swim) - then eating the main course - something like a steak. Delicious, but not something that you would want to have all the time - that's the bike. And then finally, the last course is kind of like having to eat lima beans at the end. You are full, kinda not wanting something like lima beans, but you will eat it so you can say you finished the meal - that's the run. Ok - maybe that isn't the best analogy, but it works for me.

All in all, I am VERY proud of myself. I finished in 3:10 - which I think is pretty good for my first time out. I finished 30th in my age group, so I am proud of that also.

I hit my fundraising goal right to the dollar, totalling $8500. Not only did I hit my goal, but that is the largest amount of money that I've raised for a TNT event and because it was for John Park, it was especially meaningful to me. As a team, John Park's Champions has reached (and surpassed) our goal and we are officially going to have a grant named after John. It is a great way to honor him and I am so proud that I was able to do my first tri in his memory. You can see it in the picture that I had "JOHN PARK" written on my hands and it was great for me to be able to remember during the race WHY I was doing the race. It may sound cheesy, but I felt like John was there with me - helping me. I remember a point during the ride that I thougth to myself - wow, I am really doing this and this is for you JPJ! :)

 

All in all, the hard work paid off, and I am very happy with the outcome. It certainly wasn't an easy road to get to the finish, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My teammates at the finish!!!
What a beautiful place to end a race!