Okay, this is another triathlon saga. Feel free to skip this without reading if you are weary with the details. I will never know, so you won't be hurting my feelings :-)
I got to Socorro about 6:30 on Friday evening and went to the park to check in. At the registration table I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I needed a medium t-shirt, not a large. That put a big smile on my face and then I moved on to the next station. The gentleman was verifying age groups, and he looked up at me and said, "You're in the Athena group?" to which I replied, "Yes, I am 50 in triathlon years and I am in the Athena group." He looked at me again, and said, "You're sure you are in the Athena group?" I smiled and reassured him, yes that was correct. I see a few options: 1. he could just have no idea how to guess how much a woman weighs, 2. he really thought I weighed less than 145 (lower bound of the Athena group), or 3. he just asked this of all the Athena women to make them leave really happy. I can tell you that between the medium t-shirt and the question I definitely left the registration happy.
I wanted to go and look at the swimming pool. It also seemed appropriate to ask a semi-intelligent question of the life guard, "Is this a 50 meter pool or is it a yard pool?" The lifeguard looked at me blankly and then one of the college students said it was an Olympic pool and was a 50 meter pool. Now I am not anyone who counts swimming strokes, but I thought it was important to pretend I cared one way or another. I am not sure why I wanted to pretend, but iI did. Then it was back to the car to go drive the bike route. The first 7.5 miles was almost all uphill with one 1/2 to 3/4 mile flat area. I've been working on hills by doing long rides out towards Santa Rosa and up "7 mile hill" out towards Vaughn. Now I live in the plains of Eastern NM, so hills here are not really hills in other parts of the world. I was a bit daunted since this ascent looked much harsher than the terrible climb in Dexter at the Milkman Triathlon.
Off to Smiths to get a case of water and a prepared salad and fruit for dinner. Back to my lovely room at the Motel 6 to read Triathlon 101 and to stop periodically to check my gear for the 20th time. Finally, I had to just zip my keys in my purse and tell myself, "No more!!!! The bike shoes are STILL in the car. They were there the last 20 times you looked, and YES you remembered your socks and your helmet." I called my friend Marcy Oxford who was doing her first triathlon with her husband Grady. We discussed breakfast strategies and determined where we would try to stage our bikes in the transition area. Then off to bed at 9:30.
I'd left a wake up call for 4:50 and woke up just a couple of minutes before the call came in. Shaved my legs, put on my tri-suit and off to get ice for my water bottles. I'd scoped out a good parking spot at a nearby church and since I was there at 5:30 AM there was no competition for a parking spot. I scooted over to the transition area and discovered that race numbers determined bike racking. I was number 350. Our numbers came from our guesses about our swim time. I said 20 minutes, so this put me in the last 50 or so participants.
The pre-race meeting and announcements were not until 6:30, so I had lots of time to visit with other folks coming early. It was also nifty to get to visit with people about their bikes. I've pretty well decided that I must have a road bike with aerobars (they are used on time trials or in triathlons so you lean way down and get as flat as you can to make the most of your speed), so I was interested in seeing the bikes I'd been researching for real. Most people were quite eager to share information about their bikes, why they got them, where they got them and who bought it for them. I got some good suggestions for ways to get the best deal and that was much appreciated. It was also fun to see some folks I'd met at other triathlons. Marcy and Grady were near where I was racked and Marcy's sister Lisa was right by me too. Grady had a bike pump with a tire gauge, so I asked to borrow it and Grady was a gentleman and hooked it up. My tires were seriously under inflated, less than 30 on one and 32 on the other. They are supposed to be 45 to 50 psi. I think I need a bike pump with a tire gauge. Grady aired my tires up and I reaped the reward on the bike ride.
At the end of the pre-race meeting they announced we would also have a blind 14 year old girl racing with us today with her special education teacher racing with her. My first thought was how awesome of the teacher (I know and respect him from my time in Las Cruces) and then I confess my second thought was that maybe I would not be last in this triathlon; surely I could beat a blind 14 year old girl...... I suspect you can see where this is going
We all had to line up in numerical order, so the slow folks were at the end with me. While my group was waiting to get in the pool we heard them announce, "The first runners are going out on the course." That means the first folks had already done the 400 meter swim AND done the 12.4 miles on the bike before I even got into the water. I got in the water and really thought the swim went pretty well. I don't know my time, but I felt like I was doing better than I have in any of the other races. I was absolutely the last one out of the pool and I jogged to the bike. My transition time went pretty well and off on the bike.
As you all know, the bike is my favorite sport, so I was pretty jazzed on the ride. It was hard, it was uphill, and I had a grin on my face all of the time. I was pumping pretty hard, but thought I could pass the young man ahead of me, but I noticed he was 25 and I thought I would embarrass him if I passed him. Finally, I just let it go and moved past him for the last two miles of uphill. I had the best time on the bike that I've had in any triathlon. I did the 12.4 miles in one hour and four minutes. My fastest time before was 1:17, so that was great for me and such an improvement. Back to transition, shift my shoes, get a new water bottle, off with the bike helmet and on with the ball cap. Right before mile 1, the young man I passed on the bike came jogging by me. I jogged some and walked as fast as I could. It was only about 85 degrees, so heat was a minor concern. I'd bike really hard, so I didn't have much run left in my legs. For the last 1/2 mile I visited with one of the race referees who was riding his bike along the way. As I came into sight of the finish line they announced, "Here comes our last triathlete, Patricia Miller from Fort Sumner." The awards assembly had started and the whole crowd turned around to cheer and watch me cross the finish line. I gave them a princess wave and a big smile.
Once again I was the last person. I don't know by how many minutes but I do think I did better overall in this one compared to the other triathlons. I think I may have to write a book about doing triathlons, and I will have to call it "The Last Triathlete". While I would love to not be the last one, at least I am saving someone else from the embarrassment and it does not seem to diminish my desire to keep doing triathlons. I've already registered for the Patriot Triathlon in Rio Rancho on the 14th of September. That gives me six weeks to get better, faster and stronger than I've been before!! Marcy is going to do this and her sister got 3rd overall in the women's division, so maybe she will do it too. I should also tell you that the blind 14 year old came in in the middle of the group, as did the two women racing with their young children. One woman had her 8 year old son and one had her pre-teen daughter; both of them were well ahead of me.
Well, it was back to the hotel for a shower and then off to lunch with Grady and Marcy and other folks from Las Cruces. One of the women who ate with us was the overall women's winner. I asked for her tips. I am pretty convinced I need a road bike. My hybrid is nice, but I should be able to increase my bike speed by about 20% just in switching to a road bike.
Of course no trip to a major town is complete without a stop at Walmart to get groceries. After I finished that task, off to Sonic for a light lemonade, easy ice, sugar free cherry flavoring, whole cherries and some lemons. I hit the road and shortly after I got onto Highway 60 headed to Mountainair, I got pulled over by a state police officer. I was going 74 in a 60--- YIKES. I got my license, registration, and insurance out. He came up and asked where I was headed, where I'd been, so I gave him the triathlon story. He kept looking at the picture on the license and me, so I had to explain that I'd lost 230 pounds and was doing triathlons because they were fun. He took mercy on me and just gave me a warning. I promised to follow the rules all of the way home, and I did.
Okay, so now you know everything about my fourth triathlon experience. I think I've discovered a new way of life and I am having so much fun. Thank you all for being such an encouraging audience, you help me make the most of these opportunities.
Patricia, the Last Triathlete
No comments:
Post a Comment