Saturday morning, Heather and I drove down to Seattle for the Danskin Tri. I read in the Seattle Times that there were 3,710 finishers in the race. I had no idea that so many women were there...
We stayed in a hotel in Bellevue,WA, just across the way from Seattle. It was so nice! We were within blocks of all kinds of shopping.
So, Saturday evening, after picking up our race packets in Bellevue, and being kind of disappointed in our, "goodie bags," we headed to Seattle to drop off our bikes. When we got to Genesee Park, (I can only speak for myself) I think we both just about wet our pants! The water was so dark, and REALLY choppy. It really looked scary and gross. We saw a little turtle floating on top of some seaweed...he was cute and all--but the thought of little creatures didn't help me. We checked out our transition station, and realized that we were in the *furthest* corner possible from the water. Meaning, we would have to hustle during transition.
I went to bed Saturday night trying not to think about the water.
Sunday morning, we got to Gennesee Park, put on our wetsuits, and waited our turn to swim. I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time. Heather saw some blue caps going in and their numbers were all in her number range, so she went in with them. I saw the second wave of yellow caps going in and got in line with them, even though my numbers didn't line up, because the assignment sheet said there was only two waves of yellow...and that was the second one I had seen. Also, I knew that I was supposed to go about ten minutes after Heather. Anyway, I'm pretty sure now that it was the wrong group.
I stepped in the water, felt my wetsuit fill with water...floated a bit...and after about a minute--I knew I could do it! It was great. I wasn't fast, but I wasn't panicking at all. The whole way was lined with kayaks and "swim angels" cheering you on. It was awesome. Wetsuits are where the money is at for sure. I wasn't cold, I didn't feel the seaweed, or worry about little cute turtles touching me...and I could FLOAT! I usually sink like a rock unless I'm really working at not sinking ;-)
The bike portion was a lot more difficult that I was prepared for. It wasn't ridiculously hard; it was a little more technical. There was a hill, and the course was only about 8 to 10 feet wide (I'm guessing) on that section. Riders wouldn't shift down, and when they hit the hill--would just stop. I didn't clip out, so the whole time, I was sure I was going to wreck...the women got pretty cranky at that point. They were definitely more aggressive on the bike in Seattle, than at the Luna. The entire time I rode I heard, "On your left"..."coming on your left," or just "LEFT!" I thought it was fun...but it was frustrating when someone would go 10 miles an hour in front of you, and just hang out in the left lane, so you couldn't pass...
We stayed in a hotel in Bellevue,WA, just across the way from Seattle. It was so nice! We were within blocks of all kinds of shopping.
So, Saturday evening, after picking up our race packets in Bellevue, and being kind of disappointed in our, "goodie bags," we headed to Seattle to drop off our bikes. When we got to Genesee Park, (I can only speak for myself) I think we both just about wet our pants! The water was so dark, and REALLY choppy. It really looked scary and gross. We saw a little turtle floating on top of some seaweed...he was cute and all--but the thought of little creatures didn't help me. We checked out our transition station, and realized that we were in the *furthest* corner possible from the water. Meaning, we would have to hustle during transition.
I went to bed Saturday night trying not to think about the water.
Sunday morning, we got to Gennesee Park, put on our wetsuits, and waited our turn to swim. I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time. Heather saw some blue caps going in and their numbers were all in her number range, so she went in with them. I saw the second wave of yellow caps going in and got in line with them, even though my numbers didn't line up, because the assignment sheet said there was only two waves of yellow...and that was the second one I had seen. Also, I knew that I was supposed to go about ten minutes after Heather. Anyway, I'm pretty sure now that it was the wrong group.
I stepped in the water, felt my wetsuit fill with water...floated a bit...and after about a minute--I knew I could do it! It was great. I wasn't fast, but I wasn't panicking at all. The whole way was lined with kayaks and "swim angels" cheering you on. It was awesome. Wetsuits are where the money is at for sure. I wasn't cold, I didn't feel the seaweed, or worry about little cute turtles touching me...and I could FLOAT! I usually sink like a rock unless I'm really working at not sinking ;-)
The bike portion was a lot more difficult that I was prepared for. It wasn't ridiculously hard; it was a little more technical. There was a hill, and the course was only about 8 to 10 feet wide (I'm guessing) on that section. Riders wouldn't shift down, and when they hit the hill--would just stop. I didn't clip out, so the whole time, I was sure I was going to wreck...the women got pretty cranky at that point. They were definitely more aggressive on the bike in Seattle, than at the Luna. The entire time I rode I heard, "On your left"..."coming on your left," or just "LEFT!" I thought it was fun...but it was frustrating when someone would go 10 miles an hour in front of you, and just hang out in the left lane, so you couldn't pass...
Oh. And, coming in from the bike, it was really cute to see daddy, after daddy, sitting on the grass with a baby or two, waiting for the wives to come it. There were a lot of male spectators ;-)
The run was pretty, and it really wasn't too difficult. There was one steep hill, and there were 6 people camped out, playing djembes and congas as you ran up. That was cool. Something I was bummed at myself for was just how lazy I was on the run. I lose all competitiveness...I kept thinking, "I just want to be done." I'm a real bum on the run. :- (
Next year, my goal would definitely be to be more competitive in the final stretch.
My time was 25 for the swim, 37:52 on the bike, and 32:22 on the run. My first transition was REALLY slow, because I couldn't find my bike. A girl two rows over had a bag just like mine...and I kept wandering to hers, thinking it was mine. It didn't take me that long to get my wetsuit off...but it took *forever* to get my shirt on. I think that transition was a little over 7 minutes. My second one was a little over 2.
One other thing that happened was, both Heather and my swim time did not get recorded properly. I'm not sure if it was because I got in the wrong wave (one of the officials said it wouldn't matter) or if the chip was defective. It took us forever to find our times at the race, because we weren't with any age group. We were just listed on the last page, with about 10 other people, whose times also seemed to be messed up. The only reason I know my swim time, was because I happened to set my stopwatch on the swim. It was the only event that I did that for...I'm really thankful now that I did.
So! That's how my first sprint distance triathlon went!
Next year, my goal would definitely be to be more competitive in the final stretch.
My time was 25 for the swim, 37:52 on the bike, and 32:22 on the run. My first transition was REALLY slow, because I couldn't find my bike. A girl two rows over had a bag just like mine...and I kept wandering to hers, thinking it was mine. It didn't take me that long to get my wetsuit off...but it took *forever* to get my shirt on. I think that transition was a little over 7 minutes. My second one was a little over 2.
One other thing that happened was, both Heather and my swim time did not get recorded properly. I'm not sure if it was because I got in the wrong wave (one of the officials said it wouldn't matter) or if the chip was defective. It took us forever to find our times at the race, because we weren't with any age group. We were just listed on the last page, with about 10 other people, whose times also seemed to be messed up. The only reason I know my swim time, was because I happened to set my stopwatch on the swim. It was the only event that I did that for...I'm really thankful now that I did.
So! That's how my first sprint distance triathlon went!
