The first thing, just to kill the suspense, I have to let you know that there was NO DRAMA associated with this great triathlon. There were however PRIZES, and I won some. Let the Bean Valley Triathlon Tale begin....
When we were organizing our Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon, some folks from Estancia asked for our tips and tricks. Since I am a newbie in triathlon, and since I'd never been a race director, I certainly didn't let ignorance get in the way, and said, "Sure!" Shauna had done some triathlons before, so she was willing to become the race director for the Bean Valley Triathlon, and she brought friends to join us in the BTK Tombstone Tri as well. Our high school principal, Doreen, lives in Estancia on the weekends, so she said her home was open, and as soon as the race notice was posted online, I registered.
Saturday was a busy day since I really needed to get the house cleaned up (guest Ellie Ramos coming on Sunday afternoon) and I wanted to do some cooking for the church potluck on Sunday. I don't like missing worship and class on Sunday, but I wanted to do this triathlon too. I cooked some yummy applesauce cake and made some beans for church, finished laundry and then headed to Estancia about 4. Once I got there, I scouted the town to find the park and then headed to Doreen's place. About 7 we went to dinner with Shauna and her family and had tasty green chili burgers served on whole wheat thin buns. I was so impressed with the restaurant and the great people we met there in Estancia. Then Doreen, Shauna and her daughter Trinity took me on a driving tour of the run and the basic bike route. What I always wonder is, "Why do the routes seem so VERY much longer when you drive them?" I've noticed that a 35 mile bike ride does not really seem that long, though it takes me 2 hours and 55 minutes, but to drive 35 miles seems to take FOREVER. There was one spot on the run that scared me a bit because there was a large, barking, snapping, slobbering, fiercely growling dog. Back to Doreen's for some visiting, and then off to bed about 9:30.
The night's rest was terrific, and Sunday morning was clear and the rain from the night before had left quite a few puddles, just enough to make it interesting. Check in at the triathlon was at 6 and the start was at 7 AM. Since I was the first one who registered, Shauna let me be #1 <grin> in the triathlon and I got my body marking done. This was a reverse tri, so the run was first. I did all of my usual pre-race walking around, chatting with others, and scoping out the swim area. As you know, I am not supremely knowledgeable about stretching, but I've learned to copy others pretty well, so I indulged and stretched like I knew what I was doing. I also took lots of care to do all of the appropriate pre-race hydration, made a last minute trip to the potty, and the race took off with about 35 participants at 7 AM.
I noticed that I was not able to run full-out. Before the race I didn't check the altitude, but discovered afterward that Estancia is about 3,000 feet above Fort Sumner, explaining why I was sucking wind and why my heart rate was getting up there really fast and furious. Whenever I got above 165 I would slow and walk briskly, and I just kept monitoring my pace trying to make a consistent 14.30 minutes per mile. Why 14.30 minutes you may ask? Well, because that would allow me to set a personal record for the 5K in a race. There were three of us in the last of the pack. I kept to my pace and ultimately passed the second-to-last young man (looked to be a high school student) three or four times. Every time I passed him, he would speed past about 1/2 a block and then slow down. I recently learned that if a girl passes a guy in a triathlon it is called "chicking" as in "I was chicked by three women in that triathlon on Sunday." I felt a little bad, but not bad enough to give up my personal best. Finally, he just gave up and let me run in ahead of him by about 30 seconds. I did make it in 44 minutes and 55 seconds, and my previous best time was 45 minutes and a few seconds. I also decided not to feel bad about the young man since he was part of a relay team, and when he finished the run he was done; I still had the bike and the swim to finish!
Great, rapid transition, and then out on the bike course. This was the first truly flat course I've ever done. I thought it would be easy even if it was 16 miles. I was wrong. There was no rest, just constant pressing of myself to go a little faster. I wanted to do the bike in one hour, but ultimately when I made the turn back I realized the wind had picked up. I did well, but it took me an hour and five minutes to do the 16 miles.
Quickly dropped the extra clothes and headed to the pool. My legs were pretty worn out from the driving on the bike, and I never could get my breath caught enough to free style swim. I ended up doing a couple of laps of back stroke, some free style, and some breast stroke, but it was fine. Not my best time on the swim. I like open water swimming more because I can get a better rhythm, though I don't mind pushing off the wall each lap :-)
This is the first time I finished close enough to the other competitors that the awards ceremony had not started. I did the whole triathlon in two hours and seven minutes. The next best time I'd had in a comparable event was Jay Benson and that was with only a 12.5 mile bike ride and I did that in two hours and two minutes. I was feeling great because I did 4 more miles on the bike in just five minutes longer, PLUS my run time was a personal best! When it came time for awards, I won my age group. Now before you all get celebratory on me, I was the ONLY ONE in my age group. I was also the OLDEST participant, so I won a ten pound bag of fresh pinto beans. That is the best prize ever and I have them sitting on my kitchen table. I am posting the picture on Facebook. Plus, the t-shirt is super cute with a running bean, a biking bean and a swimming bean.
Back to Doreen's with my delightful prizes, into the shower, and back on the road in time to make it back to Fort Sumner for the potluck luncheon. It was a terrific Sunday, a great triathlon, and I love my major award of ten pounds of pinto beans.
Next Saturday is the Chili Harvest Triathlon in Socorro, and I am excited. I've worked really hard on figuring out my hydration needs since the drama at the City of Santa Fe triathlon, and I enjoy the Socorro triathlon a lot. Marcy, Grady, and Jeffery Oxford are going to be there, and Laurie Blackwell from Fort Sumner is also going. We are going to have so much fun. That triathlon is a 400 meter swim, 12.5 mile bike ride back up the mountains on the campus out into the explosives lab area (STAY ON THE ROAD!!! DANGER, EXPLOSIVES AREA!!!! etc.) and then a hilly 5K run along an irrigation ditch and through town.
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