Sudbury Spring Sprint Race Report

I love this little race.

It's super short. (400 yards in a pool, 7 tame miles on the bike, and 2.2 flattish miles on the run.)
It's close to home.
It's the first triathon I ever did.
What's not to love?

It's also a race at which I can measure myself from year to year. Because it's a pool swim the course is literally exactly the same every time I race it.  And so..... drum-roll...... I present my Sudbury Sprint Stats from 2007-2011.... tad-dah!

Note: They don't separate out transition times in this race, so each split appears a little slower than it actually was b/c it includes some transition time, too.

2007: 48:11
swim, 6:22, bike, 25:16, run 16:33
6th AG

2008: 44:56
swim, 6:02, bike, 22:33, run, 16:30
2nd AG


2009: 42:06
swim, 5:42, bike, 20:51, run 15:33
2nd AG, 2nd woman

2010--Didn't race. Did Florida 70.3

2011: 41:11
swim, 5:47, bike 20:06, run 15:13
1st AG, 2nd woman, 10th overall

In 2009 I came in second (barely--my friend Tracy was right behind me by like two seconds...) This year I came in second again. But I lost to different women. In 2009 I lost to a woman in my AG. This year I lost to an up and coming 19-year-old ITU girl. Grrrr.

I did have a great race, though and a big P.R. (Thanks, Kurt!)

The swim:

Okay, this didn't go so well, I admit. I felt that totally hypoxic I am going to die I must slow down right now feeling just 75 yards into the swim. Not Good. Then a guy passed me. Also not good. Then another guy passed me. Really really also not good. The second guy (both were teenagers) splashed water in my mouth as he passed and as I tried to take a breath. Not his fault, but I inhaled water and had to stop momentarily as a sputtered and coughed. That sucked. 

I will add here that because it is short and a pool swim, many high school swimmers seem to do this race. And high school swimmers are faster than me--by a lot--as evidenced by the two young boys whose bubbles I ate.

After I got my sputtering under control I continued to chug along, praying no teenaged people would tickle my feet again. Finally I reached the last length, and I dragged myself out of the water at the end, clicked my watch, noted it was a 5:29--which was slow, but not so slow considering I had stopped and choked, and then hauled ass as fast as I could to get to the timing mats outside so my swim time wouldn't appear to be pathetic.

The Bike:

I still can't get on my damn bike well. I'm sure it's painful for onlookers to watch. I run like the wind and then come to a dead stop to get on. Once finally on I clicked my watch and began to push. WOAH. Why were my legs on fire?    Oh! Right. I'm racing! I looked at my Garmin to check my watts, but I couldn't even see the numbers because I was moving and working so hard. I passed a girl. I passed a guy. I turned a corner. My quads burned. I tried to keep my panting under control. Then a guy passed me.
Ummm. What? No. Nobody in this race can pass me. This is a small town race. I. will. beat. you. in. the. small. town. race. MUST.BEAT. MAN. ON. BIKE. GET. EVIL. MAN. ON. BIKE. GET. MAN. GETTTTTT. MANNNNNN. It took me a few minutes but I passed him back, and didn't see him again. I passed a girl. I passed another girl. I passed a guy. etc. And then it was over.
My watch read 22.5 mph, 18 minutes and something. Okay.
I'll take it.

The Run:
I also don't get OFF my bike well in case you were wondering. I stumbled off the bike and ran to the timing mats. I noted my hands were shaking in transition and I had trouble unbuckling my helmet and putting on my shoes. Go Go Go! my mind reeled. Go! Go! Go!

I ran out on the course and heard my kids and Andy scream my name. oh! Hi! Hi!

I hurt. And I coudn't run fast. GO LEGS! COME ON LEGS..... GO! They sort of went. How come running off the bike feels so GOOD in practice and feels so HARD in a race? (Ummm... maybe b/c you are going all out in the sprint, I know, I know.) My legs really did feel like bricks. And my breaths came in sharp, painful little gasps. Every person I passed must have thought I sounded on the verge of collapse.

At about mile 1.75 my legs finally started to come around. I had .4 miles to go at that point.
There is a reason I seldom do sprints.....

I saw Andy and Jordan on the sidelines cheering as I ran in. Go Mommy! Go!
I clicked my watch and saw the 41:11. I did it! A PR! Even with that crap swim!

Hours later I found out I was second. I had hoped for first....and RATS. I had lost it to the 19 year old... all in the swim. :( But I did have the fastest bike split for women. That felt good. :)

I collected my award (a Fuel Belt which I gave to Jordan--and she was so excited. She always wants to use mine for her one mile runs around the block), and watched my friends get theirs.

A great Mother's Day for me.