A friend Jeffrey and I decided last minute to drive down to Georgia together. We didn't know each other super well beforehand, but I'm really glad I was able to get to know him better. Jeff very graciously did most of the driving so that I could get some studying done. He has his PhD in exercise science so we were able to talk a bit about what I was studying and the differences in our fields. Even though my background is marine biology, I am really interested in exercise physiolgy and have actually considered working on human swimming biomechanics and/or wetsuit design after grad school (my work involves a lot of fluid dynamics). We also had a ton of fun, pretty sure we laughed most of the way down to Augusta. It's really nice to be able to joke around before a race, given how stressful race weekends can sometimes be.
I was able to get in the river Friday and Saturday, and the current was whipping, especially on Friday. Although it had slowed just a smidge on race day, I was still excited to have a super fast swim. The only problem with a super fast swim, is that since it's my weakest discipline, the other girls are still going to be faster. More on that later.
My homestay, Brittany, was wonderful. We actually met in line for the port a potty before Rev3 Williamsburg. I mentioned I was doing Augusta and she offered me a homestay. She is on the Rev3 tri team and has an incredible story of resilience and hard work. It was very inspiring to learn more about her journey in the sport and I look forward to staying in touch.
So on to the race. I got to transition really early and had my area all set up and ready to go with plenty of time left to hang around until race start. I felt a little awkward just standing around my bike, but then I met a very nice pro named Helen and chatting with her before the race really eased my tension and made the time go more quickly. In retrospect I probably should have practiced diving off the dock at least once, but was worried about standing around cold before the start. The men went off first and when they dove off the dock, the force pushed it back and all the pro women nearly fell in after them. We lined up at the edge and three minutes later, dove in. Immediately my goggles flooded because I didn't tuck my head enough. I hastily cleared them and tried to keep track of what the group was doing, who was breaking away etc. I just couldn't get on any good feet, and ended up by myself with a few women on my feet. I put my head down and just tried to make sure I was staying on the line of buoys which was a little tricky with the angle of the sun but I managed ok. They had told us to keep the yellow/orange buoys on our left and then go around a red buoy at the finish. I had been counting buoys and knew I was nearing the finish, but then I saw 3 red buoys, which one do I go around?! I didn't want to get a penalty so turned one way, and then a kayaker pointed me another way and I finally saw the finish.
Transition went fairly quickly and I was on the bike right with the women I had come out of the water with. I rode a little back for awhile and then 2 of them went off ahead. I kept riding at my prescribed watts to avoid blowing up too early. Coach and I have since determined that the watts I was riding are probably closer to what I should be doing in fulls, but it's still something that we are working to dial in. Once I hit the hills about 10 mi out, the road got rougher and the riding was tougher than I had anticipated. I lost a little focus here and didn't regain it until about the halfway point or so. I did really enjoy the last half of the ride. One of the pro women had been riding a little ways back from me and all of a sudden passed me with a couple miles left. I kept her in my sights, hoping to get out on the run with her.
I started out on the run with that pro woman just in front of me, I was hitting my target pace and my legs felt good so I let her go, I knew that my target pace would be challenging enough, and if I tried to catch up to her I would do myself in. I was feeling pretty good and for the first time in a half this year, really felt like I was going to nail the run. At about the 3 mile mark, all of a sudden I just didn't feel so good. I got cold and something was just off. This was frustrating for me because I could see that great run split slipping away. I came out of this eventually and picked my pace back up but wasn't able to get fully back to that target pace. Though this was frustrating, I am happy that I was at least able to come out of it. I often forget that my 70.3's this year are still much faster than previous years. They aren't quite as fast as I want them to be, but I am at least making progress, and slowly dialing in what I need to do at this distance. My coach, Tara, has really been incredible this year. She helps me learn from each race and helps me to put things in perspective. I loved something she said to me after Augusta. She said that she was glad I wasn't satisfied with 9th, that it was a good race for me, but that I should want more. She is always reminding me to be patient, that I am young in this sport, and I am really grateful for these reminders. I really believe in my potential, and am excited to see where this sport takes me. All in all, although I was looking for a little more, this wasn't a "bad" race for me, but I love that it made me hungry for more.
After the race I was able to meet up with my team mate Danielle (who killed it, and got a 70.3 Worlds slot) along with friends Gisela, Sarah, Susan, Jeff, Brittany and her daughter. We enjoyed a really fun dinner out, swapping race stories. Part of the reason I love this sport so much is that you just meet the coolest people. I am always so touched by how many amateurs use precious breath during the race to give me a bit of encouragement. The other pros are very welcoming as well, and quite a few of the pro men that went by me on the run, and were obviously running hard, still managed a "good job" as they went by.
Thank you to Zoot for the awesome kicks (Kiawe 2.0) and comfortable kit, my prophet wetsuit kept me warm and buoyant on the swim and was super easy to get off. GU fueled me on the bike with my favorite peanut butter gels and then some roctane gels on the run. My nagging foot discomfort didn't bother me on the run thanks to Ghent chiropractic. And my bike was tuned just right thanks to Fat Frogs Bike and Fitness Chesapeake.
Last race of the tri season is Ironman Florida on Nov 2, and after Louisville I am definitely looking forward to it. I'm excited to see all the Fat Frogs race their first Ironman, and it will be nice to wrap up the season with a race that is so near and dear to my heart.
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