Nationals Bound

Satsop Sprint Triathlon
Elma, WA
500 m Swim/12M Bike/5K Run

Overall Time: 1:24:56 (20/76 OA (incl. 2 DNF), 6/43 F (incl. 2 DNF), 1/8 30-34)
Swim: 12:23
T1: 1:21
Bike: 44:47
T2: 0:50
Run: 25:33

Fashion Report: Black tri shorts, red Sugoi shimmel, black Transition Girl skirt for the run, LIT visor, & a temporary Red Lizard tat on my right shoulder
Breakfast Report: 2 packets of Cinnamon Bun oatmeal with dried cherries, coffee, water
Race Nutrition: 1 Vanilla Bean Gu (20 min before swim), Gatorade Endurance on the bike
Post Race Libation: Full Sail Amber Ale

Wow! Where to begin? This was an incredible weekend kicked off by my friend, Matt, who thought it would be fun to put together a tri camping weekend with a few other families (Matt/Rachel & kids, Kristine/Mike & kids, Tammy/Steve & kids) where we'd camp, eat, drink, be merry, oh and race. How could we resist?


We rolled into the campground around lunch on Saturday and what ensued was an orgy of feasting, laughing, and good times. Food and wine flowed freely and for a moment we all contemplated a DNS where we'd just write each other's RR.

Kristine, Me, Chad, Tammy, Matt

The race started at the civilized hour of 9:00 so we had plenty of time to greet the day, eat breakfast, and make the 20 minute drive to the race site. The usual packet pickup and transition setup and I was faced with the first decision of the day. Wetsuit or no wetsuit? I came into this race with no expectations but I still wanted to race hard. It was a C Race so my goals were simple, sort of.

1. Have a blast with the group
2. Age Group Hardware
3. Super Secret Goal, The One that I really didn't seriously admit to myself: Win my AG outright and punch my ticket to Nationals next month

I walked down to the water and saw steam spiraling up from the surface. Hmm, looks warm. Down to the water's edge, feels warm. Decision made. No wetsuit. It was only 500 m and I can save a pile of time in T1 since I'm still apparently wetsuit-removal challenged. While we were hanging around at the pre-race briefing, we hooked up with Renee, another friend who, like Tammy, was signed up for the oly. After a few minutes of chatting, she joined Tammy in the water for the start of the oly race. The sprint would start once the final oly swimmer made the final turn home.


The swim course was very simple - out around an orange buoy and back. Kristine and I lined up near front and center. Wished each other luck and off we went. That was a beginning of a fun cat and mouse game that lasted the entire race. We were swimming so close to each other and matching stroke for stroke that we ended up running into each other and swimming over each other a few times. It wasn't long before we caught up with the stragglers in the wave before us. I made the turn and caught a nice draft most of the way back to the beach. After a faster, uneventful T1 with Kristine still at my shoulder, I went to mount my bike and almost bit it. Oops. We turn out of the park and encounter the most god-awful roads imaginable. I hate, despise, and detest chip seal. But it is what it is and everyone else needed to deal with it too. I admit, I'm a rather slow starter on the bike and it takes my legs about a mile to wake up and realize that they're supposed to be cycling so Kristine blew by me, then Mike, then one more woman. Once my legs woke up, I buckled down and started to stalk them. First the woman went down then I passed Mike who yelled at me to catch his wife. Another half mile later, I got her and we played cat and mouse for the rest of the bike leg switching places on hills and cursing at boys with 17 year old legs (his chain dropped at the top of a hill and we blew by him never to see him again). It was a blast! The course itself was unique - typical Pacific NW scenery punctured by two nuclear cooling towers - with one big hill and a few rollers to make it interesting. The chip seal pavement finally transitioned to smooth road as we passed the cooling towers and it was about then that I realized my front brake was rubbing. Do I fix it? I only have three miles left and they're mostly downhill so I let it go and hammered the bike home. A fast T2 and I was off on the run and already redlining. I need to hold on for only three more miles. I focus on my form and cadence and start playing mind games to distract myself from my searing lungs and burning legs. Kristine blows by me at the turnaround and yells at me to stay with her. No dice. I'm running as fast as I can go at that point and she's flying. I finally find my first rabbit after the turn, a tall guy in blue. I stalk him and finally pass him on a small rise 1/3 mile from the finish. With about 400 m to go, he kicks and passes me again. No freakin' way. I dig down deeper and somehow find that extra gear. There is no way he's outkicking me. I see an opening on his inside as we enter the finish chute and I slip into it just as he gets confused and tries to run into transition. Unfortunately, I was already in his way. Contact and some tangled legs but I bobble, stay upright and manage to zip around him and chick him firmly right before the mat. After a minute where I willed myself to remember how to breathe, I checked out my results. I'M GOING TO NATIONALS!!!!!

Must.Out.Kick.This.Guy

First Place in 30-34F, 35-39M, 40-45F

To be brutally honest, I was not mentally ready for that to happen. I figured I'd get HW but never imagined I'd win my AG since there's always that one who shows up and blows the entire field away. This also sends the rest of my season into turmoil. I was planning on ramping down in multisport to prep for a running-heavy winter. But how often does one get a chance to compete at this level in their own backyard, sleeping in their own bed, and eating their own food?

Nationals, wow. In my mind, I've already won.

Renee, Matt, Kristine, Tammy, Me, Chad, Nathan