Sudbury Sprint Race Report!

I think the big news here is that I raced! Aside from swim meets, the last time I raced was well, last week--that 10k.  But I haven't raced in a triathlon since last August.

I wouldn't have raced on Sunday if it hadn't been for Jordan. Jordan raced the Sudbury Sprint last year, and she really wanted to race again, and she wanted me to race, too. It's not great modeling to say, Gee, Jordan, I'm not in great shape right now, and I really don't want to place any lower than top three, so I think I should just bail. 

Right. Not good modeling.

And in truth, I'm glad I didn't have the opportunity to skip. I had fun! I really did have fun. In fact, I had more fun racing than I have in a long while. I think this is because it mattered, but it also didn't. I didn't have a lot at stake. I hadn't poured hours and hours into my preparation. I could relax. I would work as hard as I could, and get as much out of my body as possible, but the result would not be a reflection of my work over the winter. It would just beeeeeee.....
There was a certain release in that.

Jordan and I arrived on the late side, and by the time we were ready to warm up it was close to go time. We swam about 300 yards together, and then found our place in the long line of competitors. At Sudbury you snake up and down the pool one at a time. They determine the order of athletes in the pool by seed time. Because Jordan and I are both swimmers we were seeded closer to the front. That was nice. It meant we could race hard and finish early--and then watch other competitors finish.

There's not much to report about my swim. I had to pass two people, which is a pain. MAN I wish people would seed themselves correctly! Jordan was luckier; she didn't have to pass anyone, and she also didn't get passed. We both had decent swims. I finished up in about 5:30 (for a 400--plus the zig-zagging) and Jordan finished up in about 6:00 minutes. Neither of us took the swim very hard. We had talked about this. I didn't think it was worth it to go 10 seconds faster and deplete myself going into the bike. I have been on the bike (and I'm not lying here) a total of 2.5 hours in the last 2 months. Jordan hadn't been on the bike since cross season! So we thought it best to save it for the bike...

This was smart, at least for me. I got on the bike and for a moment thought... wow. Do I remember how to ride a bike FAST? But it came back to me. I rode as hard as I could. I had on my Garmin, so I know my average wattage was about what I have done in the past for a half ironman (and this was a 7 mile bike leg... cough cough.) But oh well. I just put my head down and allowed myself to suck wind. I smiled for the camera and tried to relax!  Jordan was a bit more leisurely about the whole thing. She focused primarily on staying upright and not forgetting to unclip. Still, she finished up the 7+ miles in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a kid who basically doesn't ride bikes! I finished in a little over 21 minutes. This is more than a minute slower than I have biked that leg in the past. Oh well. It still felt good to be out there!

The run on the other hand? OUCH.
I have been running a bit, so I thought the run wouldn't be so bad. But yes, if you never BIKE than the run will be bad! ha! It took me about 1.5 miles to actually feel decent, and by that time I had only .7 miles until the finish. Jordan, on the other hand, had a stellar run. She has been training for track, and she didn't take the bike hard at all, so she was ready to rock it. She finished up the run in a little over 17 minutes.  (18 minutes including her transition.) Not bad for 2.3 miles off the bike! I was impressed. That's about a 7:25 pace!

Okay, so all told we both placed well. We were both 2nd in our respective age groups. I was 4th woman overall. Here are our fabulous podium shots.  I'm on the 1st place step b/c they gave me first since one of the top 3 women was 40-44. (But I was really second, of course.)  The 1st place 0-19 girl was missing. I wish she had been there, because then you could see that Jord's competition were girls much larger and older than she is!

So, what else.
For those of you curious, I made my blog private because I am applying for a few teaching jobs right now. This doesn't mean I will go back to teaching--but I will go back if I find and get the right job! Most jobs I am looking at are part time, and if I do take one, I hope to still spend time coaching for TriMoxie.

Here is a picture of my vet's dog:
Isn't he awesome?

I spend a lot of time at the vet, as you know, so I feel like this guy is now my buddy.
I'd get a puppy like him, except, well, I have five dogs already.
;)