Modest Expectations

MAC Sprint Triathlon
McMinnville, OR
500 yd/13.1 mile Bike/3.1 mile Run

The Short Version

Best 500 yd swim evah
A "cup of coffee"
Smokin' bike split
Another "cup of coffee"
The first BRICK of the year

Overall Time: 1:17:41 ( 35/140 OA, 6/??? F, 4/??? AG) - 2:27 PR!! (Previous: Hawthorne Farms 2009 1:20:18)
Swim: 8:29 (Previous Best-8:42 (2008)) - PR!
T1: 2:18
Bike: 39:03 (20.13 mph!) - PR!
Run+T2: 27:51 (T2 was 2-3-ish minutes, 5K Run was 24-25-ish minutes)

Breakfast Report: Oatmeal w/ dried cranberries & brown sugar, coffee, water
Fashion Report: Black tri shorts, blue Sugoi shimmel, funky Terry arm warmers, black Transition Girl skirt for the run, LIT visor
Race Nutrition Report: Raspberry Hammer gel & water before the swim, Gatorade Endurance on the bike
Post Race Libation: Golden Valley Brewing Company French Prairie Blanche

The Long Version

OK. So I'm a sandbagger. *shrug* Regardless of this result, I'm still not making goals or taking this season terribly seriously. I'm still training, more to be able to race what and when I please and to keep the muffin top somewhat under control. I'm fond of saying that your best race results often come when you least expect them and I'm thinking my relaxed approach to training coupled with getting much more rest than in the past coalesced to produce a crushing sprint PR. And to think, the PR would likely have been larger had I not floated through transition without a care in the world.

This was a pretty low-key inaugural sprint in the heart of Oregon Wine Country. Since the Hawthorne Farms triathlon folded, John, the RD, did not think there were enough races in the Willamette Valley so decided to put this race on as a fundraiser for McMinnville Parks & Rec and it attracted everyone, from newbies to Ironheads. Judging from the volume and frequency of emails in the past month, I had the feeling that John was quickly developing a hernia only because he wanted the race to go off without a hitch. And he succeeded. It was well run, well-signed, with plenty of awesome volunteers. I would definitely do it again.

Race morning dawned with really crappy weather. Light to heavy mist, cells moving through the valley, and a balmy 40 degrees. I tossed a bike shell and my knee warmers into my transition bag just in case, ate breakfast, and then woke the family right before we had to make the 50 minute drive to McMinnville. I picked up my packet, set up my transition spot, and headed into the warmth of the aquatic center to watch wave 1 and the start of wave 2 before I headed down to the smaller pool for an easy 200 yd warmup. As my lane mates gathered before our wave started, we exchanged small talk, seed times, lane positions, and griped about how farking cold it was outside. Upon hearing that I seeded myself with an 8:45 swim time, one of my lane mates worried that her lane position would have her overtaking me sooner than later since she seeded herself at 8:00. No biggie. I've been swimming consistently but I won't be breaking any records. So I get passed. *shrug* Uh, huh…I neglected to consider my highly competitive nature. I was the first to start and settled quickly into a solid stroke a little faster than LT effort, breathing every 4th stroke. I can bilateral breathe but I find that it takes me off my rhythm in race situations so I go with what is most comfortable for me, switching to bilateral in cases of extreme chop. Going into the swim, I really had no plan save for just putting in a solid effort before I can hammer on the bike and run. But no plan quickly morphed into keeping my lane position and not getting passed and I succeeded. Chad said that 8:00 chick would close the gap on the outbound 25 but lose me again on the turn. Not quite sure how that happened but maybe the pool was sloped. The swim was over in no time and I salmon-flopped my way on to the deck and left the warm, warm building for the cold, cold outdoors.

I decided on arm warmers but left everything else as I lollygagged through T1. The first 400 m of the bike course was a no passing zone due to an uber-steep wall coming out of T1 followed by a quick turn out of the park to the main road. I navigated that section with no issues, kicked Bella into the big gear and started to hammer, chicking one guy and passing what I think was the only woman in my wave to beat me out of T1. My plan for the bike? Ride like I didn't have to run after it. The run will be what it will. The course was smooth, with some gentle rollers, and a false flat up to to the turnaround at Baker Hill Road. It was a very fast ride save for the few minutes of "Caution" where we had to yield for an ambulance. One guy passed me as we turned into the country and I quickly passed him back going up the next roller. This is going to be fun! Bunny hopping! Alas, I never saw him again until after the race when he mentioned that he tried so hard to catch me but lost it soon after the turnaround. The turnaround where I went so wide that I'm surprised that I didn't end up in the gravel. I hammered back to T2 and downshifted as I hit the wall, popping out of my saddle to the cheers of most of the volunteers and the yells of one to slow down. Um, if I were going any slower, I'd fall over and be one of *those* athletes at the dismount line. I floated into T2 and got my socks, shoes, skirt, & visor on chatting with Chad as he commented that I just put together a smoking bike split.

I left T2 to embark on my first BRICK of the year. Yep, my first BRICK was in a race and it sucked, just like all BRICKS do. I passed the aide station just out of T2 and the guys manning it were cheering and yelling, "You're almost there." It cracked me up so much that I turned and told them that I was just getting started. The first part of the run course wound through the park, over curbs, over bark chips, through grass, up a hill before finally popping out on the same road as the bike course which we shared for 1.5 miles. I settled into a solid pace with a steady cadence and was passed in quick succession by three women, all of whom were obviously much stronger runners than I. The elastic broke pretty quickly and there was no way I'd be catching them. It was a pretty uneventful run, albeit a false flat until the run turnaround where my legs finally shook free of the lead jello feeling and I was able to pick it up on the return trip and then kick it in to the finish.

I grabbed a banana, talked to some guys who commented that I looked really strong on the bike before packing my stuff up and heading home. I'm pretty pleased with this race. I came in with no expectations, yet absolutely crushed my old PR. It was also the first race where I'm officially in the 35-39 AG and holy cow! My peers are all fastholes. I almost choked when I saw that I had placed 35th OA but only 4th in my AG. This season's going to be one fun ride! I can already feel it.