Nationals was a great experience! The race did not go how I wanted it to but that's how racing is....good days and bad days.
Before going over to Vermont I was little worried about the climate. If it was similar to Oregon or if it was humid and hot. But to my surprise the weather was actually really nice. It was a little hot and humid when we first got there but the day before the race there was some rain which broke that humidity. So the day of the race temperature and air was perfect racing conditions.
The day before the race I went down to the race site to check out transition and parts of the course so I could get familiar with it. However, there was some difficulty to this as parts of the course you were not allowed to go on because it was on the highway. But the parts that I did check out seemed easy enough as far as transitions and the beginning and finish of each event. I checked out the water a bit to see if I wanted to race in a wetsuit or not. The water temperature was 74 degrees which was very nice and would be perfectly fine if I didn't wear a wetsuit. But the water didn't seem as nice as a lot of the other lakes I've swam in so I decided to wear a wetsuit because it would help keep me a little more buoyant. After I finished checking out the course and practicing my bike mount and dismount I had to check my bike into the transition area for the night. All participants were required to. Which I guess makes it easier on race morning not having to worry about getting your bike to the start and in to a taxi!
Once I was done with my workouts and checking in my bike it was time for some dinner. Normally the night before a race I'd have Thai food or something similar but I was unable to find one. So I settled for pizza! I use to be one of those people who would worry about what they ate the night before the race but anymore I'm not too worried about it as long as its nutritious and won't upset my stomach (which is something you figure out during training).
Finally, the morning of the race came. I felt really relaxed in my mind but my body definitely was not. As I got into transition and started setting my stuff up things got a little easier. But I'd say the worst part for nerves is waiting on the heats before you.
As I mentioned earlier, races don't always go as planned and this was one of them. And that part for me was the swim. All but one of the races I have done so far have been open water, but they have been in a lake or river and the water was pretty smooth. This was not the case at Nationals in Champlain Lake. This lake almost seemed like an ocean to me. It was huge!! I visited the lake a couple times before the race to get a feel for it but things can change when you add in other factors....... like wind. The morning of the race was very windy which in turn made the water really rough! When I was out there it felt like the ocean! Every time I went for air I got a mouth full of water. I felt like I was being thrown around and did not have control over my body, but at least it was only this bad on the way out. The way back in was better because now I was swimming with the 'waves'!!!! The buoys were also hard for me to spot because you really had to get your head up over the waves to find the buoy. At one part me and another girl went the wrong direction for a little ways because we thought it was the turn around buoy, but at least there was a kayak there to turn us back in the right direction before we went out too far off course! I ended up coming out of the water at 28:30 and I was in about 35th place in my age group.
 |
| Running to transition while trying to unzip my wetsuit! |
Transition from the swim to the bike went pretty smooth. The bike course had some good rolling hills. None of them were too bad as far as steepness. It was a pretty ride. Very similar to Oregon yet different in terms of tree sizes (a.k.a. Deciduous vs. Fir) Parts of the course went into some of the rural areas where there were farmers and scattered homes. I was able to catch quite a few girls in my age group on the bike which pushed me up in placing. Before I knew it, I was on the last stretch, rounding the last little bend, and the dismount line was there a lot sooner than I expected. (I like to check where the dismount line is before racing, but the line was not set up the day before for participants to see.) During the race, I was able to figure out where it was because it was lined full of spectators, which was pretty cool. So my dismount went smoothly all the way through transition and on to the run. After the race my sister told me there was a few crashes at the dismount line, but I think they were all ok. Bike leg 1:12:30
 |
| Going out for the start of the bike (notice feet are still out of shoes) |
The run course was really nice since only a short part was on a busy road and then it went to the residential area and then to the bike path that had lots of shade. There was just one hill in the very beginning of the course and then it was pretty flat from there all the way to the finish. After coming off the bike its always hard to get your legs to react like you want them to. They feel like jello but after about a mile they start to feel normal again. I always feel slow on the first part of the run but I know I'm moving faster than it feels, which is good! I was able to pass a few more girls in my age group but unfortunately, I was passed by a couple girls too. My run time was 42:22. I ended up placing 22nd in my age group. My overall time was 2:26:14. Parts of the race didn't go how I wanted them to or the times but I am proud of how I did. Can always learn from every race and that is what I will be doing from this one!
 |
| Yeah! Finish! |
Thank you to all my sponsors who helped get me to Vermont! And thank you to my family and friends who have supported me through everything! I am forever grateful to all of you!
THANK YOU!
I attached the link for photos that were taken at the race! Enjoy :)
No comments:
Post a Comment