2006 UCD Triathlon Race Report
Alright, here is my race report that I sent to the UCD tri team. I cant promise its as good as Matt Ropers and sorry, no pictures either. :)
I was undecided as to whether I was going to race until basically the last minute possible. I had been sick the whole week prior to the race and had a slew of other pathetic excuses as to why I shouldn't race. Truth be told I think I was scared, for those who don't know me I was forced to take last year off from training and competing and had surgery on my IT band. Last year I was uncertain whether I would be able to do a triathlon ever again let alone even run again. My coach, Jan has been building me back up slowly and having not done any speedwork yet I was uncertain how my IT band would react to a sprint distance race. I am also one of those psycho people who hate sprint triathlons and would rather do a half or full Ironman any day instead. Finally, with enough convincing from Niki Kalaf as she basically told me to suck it up, stop being a ninny and race for fun like she always does, I agreed. I also felt compelled to race because I was a newer member to the UCD tri team and this was the home race!
Ah, the swim. My nemesis as I might add. I knew I was going to be in a world of SLOW torturous hurt. I was cursing myself as I was slogging out the laps counting them one by one for not training lately. I am a total cold water wimp and this unseasonable cold/rainy weather has given me endless excuses not to swim. So, when I was finally done and my arms were burning and I was thrilled to get out, I couldn't. You expect me to climb out of that pool after completely exhausting my arm muscles? I struggled and must have looked like a beached whale rolling myself out of Schaal pool. Ha, so much for a fast transition.
Out on the bike I felt fairly good and just tried to keep a smooth pace. It was fun to see so many UCD triathletes out on the road and cheer them on as I passed them or they passed me. I enjoyed the course and was happy to cheer on some Mad Cow's, Sinclair, Chad and my boyfriend, Dan as they headed out on the bike course as I made my way back in. As I jumped off my bike and ran into transition I was happy to note that my IT band felt fine. Yay, now onto the run.
Ugh, that was a rude awaking. My legs felt like logs and my calves were in knots. I honestly thought for the first mile, "I don't know if I'm going to finish." I finally warmed up and the second mile wasn't as painful so I kept chugging along trying to keep positive thoughts in my mind such as "I love sprint triathlons, oh yes I do, they are the best!" My favorite part was the turnaround where Adam was cheering in the cow suit and another volunteer had a cowbell and they were screaming at the top of their lungs. It gave me a bit of inspiration and pushed me quickly down the hill and onto the last half of the run. I was so glad to see the finish line when it came up and pushed it in the last 100 yards. My first words were "I hate sprint triathlons, man they hurt like a b****!" After that I realized how lucky I was to have finished another triathlon and my IT band felt fine. Phew!
After the race I promised my friend I would run the course with her as she was doing a relay and this was her first race ever and the first time she was running 4 miles. It was great to have a different perspective on racing and support her along the way. As my friend and I made our way out we saw Sinclair running on his way back in and cheered him on. Although he looked speedy I dont think he was feeling very good as he cursed something about himself and my friend and I had a good laugh. Ha, I love the people in this sport.
That's all for now...congrats to all the UCD finishers. Thanks to all the volunteers and especially the race directors who put in tons of time and put on a great race!