http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nattri11/jalbaa
Nations Triathlon was so appealing, not only because it was a national TNT event, the Nike of Triathlons, but also because it will be on the 10th anniversary of September 11th. So not only will I be doing this race in honor and support of those battling cancer, but also in honor of all the people affected by the tragic events of 9/11. And then on top of that, to be in Washington DC at that time, will be an amazing experience, frankly, a once in a lifetime experience. So I feel honored, excited and freakin PUMPED to do Nations!
I recently just finished the Spring '11 season with Team in Training where I was the Honored Teammate Captain and a participant as well. I completed Lavaman in Kona, HI on April 4th. Lavaman being my 2nd triathlon, my first Olympic Distance Tri, it was rough for me but I did it. My training for Lavaman didn't go as well as planned. Lots of excuses on my end but there were unforeseen personal events that made it difficult to have a smooth training season. But at the end of the day, I could've trained harder, been more committed and been more prepared, I just wasn't.
So for a quick recap of my Lavaman Tri, I was hella slow ... haha... I was seriously freaked out about the open water swim. I wasn't able to make it to any of the open water swims with the team. Partly because the weather wasn't cooperating with some of the scheduled ones we had so they were mostly canceled. So I had my first open water swim in Hawaii, the day before the race. Coach Victor, knew I was afraid of the open water and asked Will to be my swim buddy. Will being Mr. Awesome, stayed with me the entire time, encouraging me and forgoing his practice swim to hold my hand as I freaked out in the water. Luckily, Bernie let me borrow her wetsuit pants that helped me float and not worry about drowning. After picking up our bibs, I noticed that I was placed in my age group for the swim start. I thought I requested to be in the "novice" group but I was OK with starting with my age group ... at the time. My main concern was that there would be the men's 40+ age group swimming behind me. The fear of having that group swim past me, possibly swimming over me, freaked me out and I last minute, changed my swim start to novice.
So the next day, race day, rolls around. I'm nervous, scared and just ready to get it over with. I set up my transition area, you can feel the energy, you can feel the excitement, and I can feel my nerves. I go out for my warm up swim, I feel good, I went out on my own and felt I had my fears in control. So the race begins, the waves go through, I see the wave I was supposed to be in and slightly regret not starting with them. My wave gets called up to the start line, there's only about 20 of us. I start in the front because I don't want to be the very last person in the water. The gun goes off and I start swimming. I immediately freak out. I take a few strokes, come up for air, breathing heavily. I try to catch my breath, people pass me and ask if I'm ok. I say "yes" but I'm really not. I try to swim and I can't control my breathing. I now notice, I am THE VERY LAST PERSON in the water and that the lifeguards on their surfboards begin to escort me.
They tell me to hang on to their board and relax. I say "no" because I don't want to be further behind. I try to keep swimming but I really thought about quitting. I felt that there was NO WAY I was going to swim 1.5K in this condition. Then I just thought to myself, "YOU CAN'T QUIT, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!" So I keep swimming, taking a breather when I can. All this time I have a personal lifeguard escort... haha ... I finally relax and get into a rhythm. I then notice I pass the girl with a snorkel. Then I pass the guy doing the back stroke. I feel more confident now, I'm not the very last person, that's all I wanted. A few times my lifeguard buddy had to tap me and tell me I was swimming off course and redirected me. It was a long swim for me but I did it. I expected to take an hour and came in just under that, 55:05. As I come in for the swim, I see the sand getting closer and closer. I keep swimming till I touch the sand with my hands.
I quickly get up and try to run through the water and of course, with my luck, I get a freakin' CRAMP! I almost fall over in the water and a kind volunteer runs to me and helps me keep my balance as I try to stretch out my leg. Finally getting it loose enough for me to walk, I come out of the water and see Coach Victor cheering me on. It was great to see him there waiting for me and smiling. He gave me my time and it actually made me feel good... haha I make my way to transition, actually jogging there, with Bernie along side me. I make a quick stop in the port-a-potty and then get on my bike, which was one of the last ones sitting there. I get on the bike and prepare myself for the ride up the road. I make my way though the crowds, with the pros starting to come in from the bike already. Since it's an out and back course, I see lots of teammates on their way back as I'm just beginning my bike leg. I pass a few girls on my way out and have an difficult time dealing with the heat and rolling hills. The hills weren't as bad as Malibu but I had the idea in my head that it was a flat course... my idea of flat is literally FLAT. It was not, there were some baby hills, and for me, baby hills, after swimming 1.5K, are big hills...
So I finally make my way to the turn around (after derailing once about half way there). I decide to actually stop and switch out my water bottles so I have a full water bottle in my frame. I get a drink of water, pour some on my head and start to head out. Trying to get my second foot clipped in, I struggled from my legs being weak, I lost my balance and crashed. I officially had my war scar for the Spring Season. The bike back was quicker than the bike out, but I still had a 10k to run....errr...uhhh... walk? I get to transition, lots of people are packing up going home. Cars are coming though leaving the event and I'm still racing. I get to my transition spot and take off as quick as possible. I have no energy to run so I'm walking pretty much the entire time. By then, it was really hot, it's about noon so the sun is at it's worst. At every aid station, I take a cup to drink and one to pour on my head. The volunteers were pouring the water on me too. At one stop, the guy grabbed a big 5 gallon jug and poured it all over me and I had to tell him to stop, even though it felt good but he ended up soaking my shoes and socks. That part I hated. I had to complete the last two miles with squishy socks! I walk through the resort with people being so kind and still cheering me on. Then at mile 5, my buddy Will comes and is carrying 2 ice cold water bottles. He walks the last mile with me and keeps me company. It was a great surprise and really helped me get through to the finish. He tried to get me to run a little and I was not having it...but I appreciated his efforts =) I finally make it to the end, I hear Bernie cheering me on from across the beach, I hand over my water bottle to Will and slowly jog my way to the finish. Happy to be done, Happy to see my friends there at the end and Happy for not giving up, I completed my second triathlon, my first Olympic distance.
Me as an official Lavaman Triathlete and my battle scar... GO TEAM! See you in DC!
