Before the race the pros were told the water was 70 degrees, which meant no wetsuits. None of us were prepared for this, as we all thought the water was 65. I had no legal speedsuit with me and a top that would be 10x more effective than a drag suit at slowing me down. Thankfully I had a sports bra in my bag, so I threw that on and made it work with my bike shorts.
My 1.5 mile swim took 38 minutes. I honestly have no idea if this is a good time (for me) or not because I normally swim 1.2 mile races. The water was beautiful and calm and I spent most of the swim alone, traveling in a surprisingly straight path. I came out of the water 5th female pro.
I followed up my uneventful swim with the world's longest transition. Trying to put my tri top on while wet and getting stuck, having trouble clasping my helmet, etc.
Ah finally. On the bike. Time to do some work.
I spent the first 15 miles feeling like my legs were completely flat. And then thankfully they warmed up and I felt great for the rest of the bike. The course was awesome. A bit of everything - hills, fun descents, beautiful scenery, etc. I pulled my watts up and enjoyed the course. The 49.9 miles took me 2:22. I came off the bike in 4th.
The run was one of the hardest runs I have done in a very long time. The legs had nothing. I was uncomfortable. I felt like DEATH. The run is a two-loop course with a very steep hill thrown into the middle. We are talking an evil hill. It was toasty hot too. I trudged along.
At the top of that evil hill....I like all the fall leaves in this picture.
The 9 mile run took me 1:08. For a total race time of 4:11 and a 4th place finish.
My friend Emily had an awesome race and finished 2nd. Whooooo hoooooo FUN!
Next up is Austin 70.3 in two weeks. Go go gadget legs.
