I Felt the Air Rise Up in Me

This weekend was a test of sorts - a benchmark in this "new year". I loaded up the car - with pillows and blankets in case I could not find a place to crash besides my car - and made my way to dirty Jerz to RACE!

With test after test behind me and a nice 25+ hour training week in the books, I was looking to cap the week with a 1/2 Iron. The race seemed a good match, cold, long swim, windy long bike and long run.

What I got, beyond bonus fitness, was a lot of fun and a nice confidence boost. Sure as heck wasn't my fastest race, but on that day, it was good enough. A field of over 500 athletes made it that much more fun and a different crowd of competitors - mostly from the South, DC, Philly and Baltimore area.

My arrival on Saturday was pretty uneventful, I checked in and asked for suggestions on where to stay... "umm, there are a few 'lean-to's' open"... yea, I don't think so! The race is in this beautiful and massive park, but there's nothing else in the area, except Atlantic city a few stops down the Garden State. Back on the road, it occurred to me, all through the meeting I was looking at people, men and women and thinking, "I am going to kick her ass. I'm going to crush him. I'm going to win."

Yea, not the kindest thoughts, but there was a recognition there - FINALLY - after feeling so crummy and some dissapointments this year due to health or technical failures, I'm getting my groove back. That competitive edge usually shows up when I'm well rested, not suffering from Lyme, Mono and a faulty ticker simultaneasouly - and after a big training week.

Needless to say, I was amped. Comfy hotel, good food and a few chapters in my book later accompanied by some vino (yes, I drink wine before all of my races) and it was sleepy time.

The morning came fast, but I was eerily relaxed. Driving to the race site, I missed the exit - still no anxiety. Traffic at the entrance - no problem!

7 AM rolls around and the Sprint athletes are still mulling around. 7:30, they still haven't started. Some volunteer asks me why I don't have my wetsuit on and I smile and tell them, "if the sprint is 30 min. late, so are we - and my race doesn't start until 1 hr after the sprint!".

We ended up being delayed by about 90 min. and boy, was I happy for that extra comfort I got from my kick-around clothes. Some athletes were still soaked and freezing from the 62 degree water - they chose to get in the water early and it just looked painful.

The swim was uneventful - a 4ft deep pond was a better description of the "lake", but who cares - the course was long and we all swam slowly - I just laughed when I saw my swim time. A group of girls had dropped me early on as we started overtaking the men's swim waves and I never reconnected with them. They exited the water about 1:30 ahead of me, but I beat most out of the sandy transition.

Onto the bike, the wind was howling and - pop! - damn, my bottles fly clear out of the cages. I pulled the bike off, knowing the water stop wasn;t for another 29 miles, I ran back, grabbed the bottles and moved on. Better to get the bad luck out of the way early!

A lot of athletes were grumbling "I thought this course was flat!" - to which I could only laugh in response - there was maybe 80 feet of total climbing on this bike course. The one hill on the course, I didn't even notice. It was a lot of fun and a great prep - to get in 60 windy miles never leaving the aero position.

Onto the run, the sun was out and I was excited at how well my legs had performed on the bike. I picked people off the whole time and was in a happy space. Tummy felt good and so I skipped the first few aid stations to let it empty a bit.

The run was a blast - an xterra style off-road/on road mix of trails and paths in the park. I was feeling happy, just letting the legs come around for the first few miles and then things turned bad as I tried to speed up a bit. The tummy was all puffed out and distended and I was not feeling good at all. A few puke spurts later and I felt 5x5 again! I apologized to those around me for my "unlady-like" behavior and turned on the gas. The last few miles didn't "fly" by, but they definitely went by quick!

Across the finish and it was straight to a hose for a shower. I spoke with the RD and gave him my congrats on a fun event and told him I was heading out. A quick peak at the results made me smile, but I didn't feel the need to stay for the trophy.

While this was a strong race, it is just a stepping stone for the biggie. With a bit more focus, I"m ready to tackle the last training for Fla and really shine when I need to. Big hugs and many thanks to you all!! It is a happy new year already!!