I have been eagerly anticipating this event, and even dreading it as the time grew closer. Much of my anxiety revolved around the discovery that the swim would have a limiting time; we would be allowed in at some time after 8 AM based on our scheduled waves and put out of the water at 9:15. For an accomplished swimmer this should not be an issue since a mile swim should really only take around 30 minutes. Let me clue you in.... I am not an accomplished swimmer. I know that in a pool, where I can push off on the ends of the pool, I can do a mile in just over an hour. In the open water, where I am zig-zagging all around the place and getting scared when people swim over me, it will take me about an hour and 20 minutes to do a mile. Those are just the swimming facts for me. I sent a frantic email to the race director asking if there was any way for me to start the swim with the long course (1/2 iron distance) athletes at 7 AM, but she said no way. I understand why, but it was a desperate situation, so I thought I would ask. Frequently I figure it is best to ask because not asking is always a "no" and asking might get you a yes. Sigh. She sent me an encouraging email that I just needed to swim hard and she was sure I could do it. That made one of us.
Saturday morning I headed off to Elephant Butte, NM. It is a long drive from Fort Sumner, about four hours, so I got to Marcy and Grady Oxfords about 3:30 that afternoon. That meant I missed the first of the packet pick up opportunities, so Marcy had to stand in line with me at 5, and it was a LONG, wait. Fortunately we have the ability to stand and chat at the same time, so fun was had. It was also a great time to visit with other friends all around. I got to meet Dave S, an online triathlon friend from Colorado, and his wife Michelle, and that was fun. Once packet pick up was done, we headed back to Marcy's for sandwiches and a great evening on the porch; it was so beautiful and I was in awe of the world God created for us to enjoy. A host of the NMSU triathlon club athletes were there too, so all of the available floor space was taken up by college-aged athletes, and as I've mentioned before, nobody knows quite how to party like triathletes: we were in bed by 9:30 and up the next morning by 5 AM.
Transition had assigned racking, and that worked out okay for me. I got an end spot, and you know how I am about my end spots because I need room to spread my gear. It was good and I got my stuff organized and set up. I waited until 7 to go find the ambulance to use their electricity to get my nebulizer going. It was the same crew that I'd bugged for Dam It Man, so that was nice since the EMT's mom is an asthmatic and he is always so encouraging. I got my gear stowed back in transition and met up with some more of the NM Outlaws, and that was fun too. This was my first race wearing my Outlaw tri jersey, and I am so thankful to my friend Deb for sending it to me so I can proudly race as an Outlaw. The race officials did decide that this would be a wetsuit legal race once they checked the water temperature, and I was so glad because I needed the security of the wet suit for the long time in the water. I was drinking lots in order to hydrate, so a couple of trips to the port-o-potties were needed, but the lines were non-existant for me and they were not stinky and were equipped with TP. YEAH for the necessities of life. Grady was capturing the moments on digital "film" and I'm glad since I didn't think to get the cameral out of my tri bag, and then we were off on the swim.
You may remember that last year I DNF'd at the 12.5 mile mark on the bike course due to dehydration, so I was highly motivated to make it this year. I am an extremely slow triathlete, but I plug away very well, and I see myself making improvements between years that do bring me joy.
It took me 1:18 to slog through my mile swim. I usually alternate between the breast stroke and the freestyle, but whenever I started to freestyle I would be called down by the kayak folks that I was getting off course, so I ended up doing the entire race in the breaststroke. There was one other woman behind me getting out of the water.
I had not been feeling well for a couple of days before the race and had put it off as pre-race digestive upset. I was nauseated the entire bike race, and figured it was the heat. Looking back, and seeing that I was sick the entire week following the race, I think I had the stomach flu. Usually I rock the bike portion of the race, but I was only mediocre, and that surprised me, but I plugged along. In the last four miles I was really stunned to realize that I could not look forward on my bike and apply my brakes at the same time. My trapezius muscles were completely locked up. I am assuming that the long breaststroke and then the long bike, something I'd never done before (can you say training failure?) were impacting me. The bike course finshed with a steep incline back down the boat ramp into transition. I knew that unchecked I would come screaming into transition at 25-28 mph, and that was not going to work. I just got off my bike at the upper parking area and ran my bike into transition. Of course my friends who had finished the race at that point and were cheering me on thought I'd lost my mind. My friend Marcy knows my dehydration accuity check is to do multiplication in my head, so she asked me to multiply for her, so I did. She was eating a snow cone, and it was HOT, and I really wanted to snatch it from her, but I needed both hands to change shoes to get out on the run. She did give me a bottle of cold water to dump on my head, and off I went.
The first 1/2 mile on the dirt trail felt good, even if it was churned and sandy, then the hills started. That was when the heat really hit me. I used the old fall back advice of walk up the hills and run down them. The heat was bad, about 95 at this point, so I did the best I could and kept plugging away. At the 3 mile mark I started seeing snakes on the road. I was pretty sure there were no snakes, so I cleverly constructed a question of one of the high school volunteers, "Are you guys having much problems with snakes on the road?"
"No, m'am," he replied, "We haven't seen any today." I figured that if they were just heat related snakes, I really didn't have much of a problem. I was not throwing up, I was only dizzy when I ran, and I would just get hosed down at the next water station. I got to the next station and there were two little boys with weed sprayers full of water. I told them to spray me down like they had sprayed nobody down all day. The look of joy in their eyes was completely worth it. I was soaked, much cooler, and did much better on the way back. Once I finished the race, I asked Marcy to help me find some ice, and I packed my bra with ice, and in five minutes I felt much more myself. I was the last person to finish the Oly course. I did get third place in the Athena category. At this race they also have a drawing for a male and female winner of a beach cruiser bike. I won the female bike and a friend from my triathlon club the NM Outlaws, Carl (won his age group in the long course) won the men's beach cruiser.
I figure that now I have to do a 1/2 iron distance race next year. The difference between a mile and a 1.2 mile swim is not that much, and since that is the part that terrifies me I can do that and enjoy the rest. Of course the bike portion will be 54 miles instead of 26.5 and the run will be 13.1 miles instead of 6.2, but who is counting. Marcy has said she is in too :-) It is good to have friends who are crazy right with you. Of course we also have decided we want to go beyond the 1/2 marathon distance, so we are looking for a good destination to do our full marathon. We think we would like to go to a place with LOTS of oxygen and not much hill, so right now San Diego sounds fun. Another reason San Diego would be good is that Southwest flies there for $49 each way, so it could be a fun girl's weekend. Another wickedly fun thing we are thinking could be a blast is one of the major relays where you get a team and do one of the ultra marathons and you take turns running through the night to cover 122 miles or something absurd like that. Uh huh, I know what you are thinking, and you are right....... you want in on this fun....... yep, that is what you are thinking. I know it <grin> You are as insane as we are. That is what the voices are telling me anyway.
I work hard, I just have so much ground to cover since I am coming from a place with absolutely no physical skills or ability. I like seeing the growth though. Participation in triathlon does bring me a great deal of joy.
Next up I've got the Duke City 1/2 Marathon on 10/23/11 and then the Candyman Triathlon on the 30th of October. On November 13th we have the Aggie Autum Triathlon at NMSU, and you should plan on joining us. It will be a great race, and you will have so much fun. Registration is available online at www.nmsportsonline.com.
Patricia
You are making such amazing gains every event!
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