The park is about 45 minutes NE from my house and although my wave was scheduled to be the last to take off (7:42am), entering the park backs up on race day. So, Grumpy and I headed out early.
It was still dark when we arrived. Grumpy was still in a walking boot and on crutches so he headed off to find a place to sit. I pumped my tires and gathered my gear. My club, Silicon Valley Triathlon, had a number of members racing so, we had a very nice choice of racks. I set up. Chatted with a few members and headed off to find Grumps.
Shadow Cliffs
Again, I was surprisingly calm before this race. Instructions for a sprint AquaBike are pretty simple - GO HARD!
As the Olympic waves were going off, I got in to warm up. Just wasn't feeling it. I brought up my heart rate a few times and eventually, it was time for my wave to get to the start line. It was a deep water start. We tread water for a bit and suddenly the announcer said he was going to over to T1. WHAT?? WAIT??? WE'RE STILL OUT HERE!!! They got him back but, we were about 3 minutes past our start.
The horn went off. Every one surged hard and, I held on to the
feet for may be 30 yards. Then, it was me and the guy next to me that tried to
push me off course. I finally just stopped, let him go by, and then picked it
up again – then, dodged a woman going perpendicular to me. But, after the first
buoy, it was fine. It felt long but, I also felt like I was putting in the right
effort. My breathing was heavy but, I could make the whole distance at that pace. In hindsight, I probably could have/should have gone a smidgeon harder. Trying to dial in how HARD I can actually go for 1/2 - 3/4 mile.
No problems in T1. Between being the last of ALL the waves and the extra 3 minutes delayed start, I was more surprised to see people still coming in than to see lots of the bikes gone. Swim stuff off. Bike stuff on.
I got on the bike and immediately realized I hadn't put the bike in the easiest gear. The bike ride takes you out of the park which means climbing a short, but steep hill. I slammed the gears and dropped my chain 4 bike lengths from the mount line. In front of all the spectators. UGH! Quick fix and I was off.
The bike went better than expected. They had taken over one of the lanes on 2 of the 4 roads where I've had passing the back of the pack people in past races. I pretty much road in the middle of the available space passing every one. It wasn't until the sprint rejoined the Olympic race that any one passed me. The guys whooshed past me. A couple minutes later the women came by... just not a whoosey.
I pretty much didn't worry about who was out there. Just tried to focus on not letting up. I didn't look at distance. I didn't look at watts. I didn't look at heart rate. I know what this should feel like. Do it.
The end of the course leads back down the hill into the park. Adding to all the slow riders, the race crew were yelling setup changes to each other. I lost a little time dismounting due to the confusion but, I was done. As I racked my bike, I realized I was shaking and thought I might hurl. Yep. I'd GONE HARD!
I had no idea where my placement was. I knew I was happy with my performance. For the first time EVER, I averaged 20mph in a race. This isn't all due to improved fitness. It is also due to the work that I'm doing on my mental game. It is also due to me having more racing experience. It's coming together.
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| Aquabike race ends going into T2. They ask you to cross the finish line to collect your medal. I act the part. |
I met up with Grumpy and we waited to see the results. This time, I made sure to really READ the preliminary list so there would be no surprises. Turns out, it was pretty easy to figure out since my name was the first... of both women AND men!
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| Sucks being short |
I took the overall win of the sprint aquabike!
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