The swim was my favorite part of the day. (It should be noted I have never said this before). This is a picture of me leading the second pack of girls around the harbor and out of the water. And although I missed my swim bet (It is extended for Wildflower!), I PRd my swim with a 28:55 and for one of the first times ever, felt like I had a decent swim. Whooooo hooooo!
I had been told the main difference in racing pro and amateur is the amount of time I would spend by myself. This was spot-on. I headed out on the bike completely alone. During the entire ride I passed two girls, a couple passed me and ten age group men went by. That was it. The rest of the time it was me, some beautiful scenery and a power meter telling me to stop daydreaming and gazing at the green grass and flowers and race harder. My bike split was 2:45, same as last year and let's just say I have new motivation to work on my bike.
The run was fun, and different. The lead men went by on their second loop with their bicycle escorts. And then nothing, just me running alone, chasing girls I could not see. It was a very different race and I loved it. I ran 1:30. I'm going to need to learn how to race harder without being able to see my competition.
Dirk made sure the rookie pros didn't fall apart in the talented field. Ian finished 15th, I was 16th and Kevin 17th. The three musketeers like to stick together. In all seriousness - these boys motivate me and make me laugh. They are a huge part of what makes training and racing so very fun.
My time was 4:50 - two minutes faster than last year, but more than anything the race was a great learning experience of what this year will hold.
My Dad bonked on the run, but still had a great Blazeman roll left in him.
A huge thanks to: Steven for being more supportive than I thought possible. SableWater Optics for helping me navigate a pack of girls in a straight line while swimming into the sun. QR, Zipp and Profile for an awesome ride. GU for keeping me from bonking. Rudy for protecting my head and eyes. MicroscopeWorld.com for all those flexible work hours when I am off training. TriSports.com for the support and Zoot who not only keeps me running in awesome shoes, but has made me part of their family!
