COMbat Triathlon was another success!

Well, I have to say that racing two weekends in a row is something that my body was not used to... but it was able to put up with my demands!  

This was my first debut out there at the 14th annual COMbat triathlon down in Texas City, Texas hosted at the College of the Mainland.  The field was comprised of about 300 athletes and the distances were: 300 m (pool swim), 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run.  

I was not able to make it down to the race course prior to race day to familiarize myself with the course... it was just far enough away from Houston (about 1 hour drive) to make it tough to venture down for a day trip.  This race is always held on a Saturday as well so that knocked that day to travel down there as well.  With this said, the course map in the packet had to do!  After looking over the course, the bike course was easy to follow as it took us down the I-45 feeder roads and the run was a nice box run in and out of a near by neighborhood.  As for the swim folks... a pool is a pool and that is it!  

RACE DAY:

As we arrived at the transition area, we were greeted by a nice breeze to say the least.  The wind was blowing out of the gulf at about 10-15 mph; which to this neck of the woods is a normal weather condition.  The weather temperature was I have to say... HOT!  It was the hottest race conditions that I have met this year. Sam reminded me to make sure that I was drinking plenty on the bike to allow me to run well.  

I headed over to transition to rack the bike and to set-up to find some bikes swaying quite vigorously on the racks trying to resist the wind.  With "me little 650 guru crono'" I was forced to rack using the handles bars (which is not a tradition for me) just so the little guy could have a wheel down on the ground to support from the wind gusts.  Transition was nicely numbered with opposite ends of bike/out bike in vs. run out. I was positioned near the run out area which meant the run with bike would be a longer bit for me in T1 and T2. 

As I looked around and began to see some familiar faces, especially those fellow triPsyclones, it was nice being at a local race and the nervous jitters set in.  

We went into the aquatic center to prepare for the swim start and we all lined up according to our number.  I was lucky number 8, so I was near the front of the pack.  This is a good thing in relation to not having to worry about swimming over people which is the number one compliant that I have going into pool swims.  However, pool swims don't allow you to truly judge your placement as you race due to the staggered  start times.  I was a little nervous for the swim because this was my first time racing in a two piece uniform.  I was able to race in a wet suit last week so this did not carry as a concern until now.  

Well, I hit the water and came out in the fastest female time of 4:25 so I got to say the Zoot Gu Uniform was smokin' fast!  

I headed out onto the bike with Sam in background yelling and filling me in on my normal race report (as well as our Little Lucy cheering me on!)  With one female in front by 22 seconds and only 6 other athletes in front of me at that time, I found my groove and I was off. I ended up passing 4 of the six athletes as we were all met by an initial tail wind.  For about 4 miles, I was able to average about 28 - 29 mph making sure that I was taking this time to drink and get my GU in so my glucose would last me through these hot, humid conditions.  About this time, my timing chip decided that it was too good to stay on the ankle!  I was able to make a quick grab and throw it into my race top trying not to miss a pedal stroke.  This would have to do for now, no way was I stopping!  

We made a nice U-turn over I-45 and headed south where we were then greeted by a head wind. For the next 8 miles or so, I was able to just stay down the the aero position and be as efficient as possible before the next u-turn that would take us back into transition.  Overall, the bike went well with an average of 23 mph.  

I came in and out of T2 fast and furious with the help of the awesome zoot ultra race shoes! As I begin to hit the first mile, I was having a hard time falling into my normal rhythm.  I was drenched in sweat and I knew that it was going to be long run when I hit my first mile time quite a bit off from what I expected.  I remained focused and kept going making sure that I was keeping my mind on my form and my eyes set on the finish line!  The run course was nice and flat with minimal sharp turns which made my "slow run" day a little bit more bearable.  

As I crossed the finish line, I was forced to hold my timing chip down along my side, as I did when I came in for the bike, to make sure that it hit the sensors. After waiting around for the preliminary race results to be posted as other athletes came across the finish line, my time was not posted.  My hand held chip technique was not so successful for the final chip time.  I was able to go up to the great guys of " Run Wild Timing" and contest my case.  My watched showed a finish of 1:07:10.. but with the computer input and data calculations... I finished the day at final time of 1:07:30 to take the my third title of the year as 1st overall female.  It was a great time and was almost 4 minutes ahead of the next female finisher so my small bag of complaints gets thrown to the side.  But hey, all triathletes need something to play on their violin no matter what the end result is...

Check out the article from the Galveston Gazette! 

2008 4 States Triathlon

We arrived in the grand "ole" city of Texarkana, Texas on Friday mid afternoon prior to race day.  The city that is divided and claimed by three different states is, to say the least, interesting!  On the more positive side here, we headed out to the race site that afternoon to familiarize myself with the course details.  The race site was held at Lake Wright Patman, located just south of Texarkana.  It was a beautiful race venue that is a triathletes utopia in reference to flat and fast! 

The swim course was divided into three 225 meter segments. It was a nice inverted "U" that required nice 90 degree changes... to assist in losing those drafters when making the turns!

The bike course headed directly out of the park for a course that was an out-and-back flat 13 mile  route. It took us along the dam that separated Lake Wright Patman from the city of Texarkana.  This 5 mile section was the only piece that did not offer the shade, however this was not much of an issue since the Texas sun was not an issue on race day.  

The 3 mile run course was nice and shaded that consisted of multiple sharp turns. The run was a nice up-hill climb on the way out. But remember, what goes up, must come back down!  The course was a good T- shaped run that allowed you to keep an eye on the competition as you were making your turns finishing up the race.

Saturday came and we once again headed out to the course for packet pick up. We then drove the bike and run courses from start to finish to ingrain the details into the mind!  We finished up the day and evening with good food, good company, and as always, Sam's "prepping" of the bike.  

RACE DAY:

The weather was ideal: upper 50's for race start, and did not exceed upper 60's for the entire race.  Sun was out and slight wind out of the north east.  

Transition was first come, first serve, and I was able to obtain a nice spot as close to the bike in / bike out location.  It was set up as an equal transition with run out/ finish at one end and bike out/ bike in on the opposite side.  With this race being an out of town venue, it was fun being able to eye all the new competition.  Everyone with new faces which made me even more excited to race!  

I headed on down to the swim start and the adrenaline was flowing!  It was race day and I was ready!  There were only 3 waves and the women were all grouped together to comprise the last and third wave.  This was a good thing in my mind secondary to the fact that both Sam and I could always know where I stood amongst the female competition.  The gun went off and the race began.  The swim was once again in my favor as as I exited the lake in 2ND just 4 seconds behind the first place female. As we headed into transition, I stripped the wet suit and headed out onto the bike.  

As I mounted the bike, I passed the first female and began the quest to hold the lead.  Mentally, I was completely focused and knew that my bike was strong enough to hold off some of the more experienced riders out there.  As we headed over the Wright Patman dam, we were met with a nice head wind. However, as we made it to the end, we made the U-turn where we were then greeted with a beautiful tail wind that led us back into the shaded park where one more slow U-turn awaited. I made it back into transition with holding onto the first female position with an average of 22 mph (pretty good considering the two u-turns!).  

Transition was quick and I headed out onto the run.  This was something that I was finally looking forward to. You would have not caught me mentioning those words a year ago!  This past off season, the run was my main focus with trying to improve technique, speed, and efficiency.  As I set off into the run, I felt strong and the legs felt loose. As mentioned earlier, the run course was up hill on the way out (first 1 1/2 mile) and met us with multiple sharp turns.  Sam reminded me as I headed out to hug the turns as tight as possible to gain the speed and distance that I needed.  As I completed the first mile and the course turned us around, I was able to finally see the 2ND place female and realized that she was about 1 minute back.  I made the last and final turn to head back to the finish line with about a mile ago where I spotted number 2 again.  I had put about another 30 seconds on her and I was feeling great. Remember, what goes up must come down and that is what I did. The nice down hill trek led me back to the race finish. 

As I made my way into the park about 100 m from the finish, Sam was there with a huge smile and a high five that led me across the finish line.  I finished in 1:07 ; almost 2 minutes ahead of 2ND place!  It was a great feeling.  I was able to finally run negative splits and still feel strong as I made it across the finish line. A ran an average 6:37 pace that was openly welcomed as the off seasons hard work paid off!  I was officially crowned:

2008 South Midwest Region Sprint Champion!

I have to say one of the best parts of this race came at the awards ceremony... not the hardware folks, but the cash money baby!  First, Second, and Third place overall walked away with a little green in their pockets and it was a nice gift.  It was the first of that for me and I have to say, I will never get tired of that! 

Overall, it was a great race weekend!  I was able to meet and greet with some new faces and Sam caught up with some old racing buddies as well. The training once again, paid off (Literally!)