Eagle Creek Sprint Triathlon, Indianapolis
I DID IT!
Several weeks ago, I registered for the OUTDOOR sprint triathlon at Eagle Creek in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, things were crazy at work and I basically suspended all training in June and July. I wasn't sure all week if I was going to go through with the triathlon or not - but at the last minute, I decided to go ahead.
The Thursday before the race, I packed everything:
SUITCASE
- PJs
- Toiletries
- Swim suit
- Sandals
- Cover up
- Shorts (post race)
- T-shirt (post race)
- Undergarments (post race)
Swim
- Triathlon watch
- Swim cap
- Goggles
- Shoes
- Socks
- Shorts
- T-shirt (with number already pinned on)
- Hair tie
- Bike (with bike number put on before the race)
- Helmet (on bike seat)
- Glasses (poked in slot in helmet)
- Tolet paper
- Towel to stand on
- Water bottle
- Power bar
I took my bike to a local bike shop to have it checked out. When I picked my bike up at 3:00, I took it for a test ride and the front derailleur was a mess. About every fifth time that I tried to switch gears on the front derailleur, the chain fell off! I took it back to the shop and they worked on it for a couple of hours, but never could seem to get it right. I finally had to leave to pick up my race packet and just decided that I would only use half of my gears in the race (the easier ones!).
My husband and I had decided to spend the night before the race in Indianapolis so we wouldn't have to leave so early. With all of the hassle with my front derailleur, I wasn't able to get my race packet picked up until 8:00 pm. I had wanted to pick it up at 5:00 pm, have dinner and go to bed, so I was way off schedule. Oh well. I think part of racing is doing your bet job to prepare and then going with the flow. I was flowing!
It was fun to go through the race packet contents. I found my bib number, a number to put on my bike and my timing chip. I also got my official race t-shirt! What fun! There were also a bunch of advertisements for things triathletes would enjoy and a couple of energy gels.
I then drove the course and was totally freaked out! There were hills throughout the bike and the first half of the run was entirely uphill. I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into at age 60 and still considerably overweight. I considered backing out. I really didn't think I could do it.
I met my husband at the hotel at 9:30 and we took my bike into the hotel room so it wouldn't be stolen. I felt like a "real" athlete as I wheeled the bike through the hotel! We ate a pasta dinner via room service and I laid out all of my transition things one more time and checked to make sure I had everything. Then to bed at around midnight. Not the best way to prep before a race, but oh well . . .
The next morning, I awoke at 5:00 am and had breakfast of 1/2 bagel, 2 t peanut butter, a banana and apple juice and put on my swim suit, sandals and cover up. The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 am. I wanted to be there at 6:00.
Setting Up Transition
There were about 600 people registered for this event. Each rack held seven bikes. I found the rack for my number and hung my bike in the front. Then I found a landmark (a big tree) so I could find my rack quickly when coming into transition.
I put all of my stuff on the towel, but really didn't think about the order I would be needing stuff. I really wasn't thinking about the transitions as race events.
The other thing I did was put an extra pair of sandals at the swim exit. There was a lengthy run between the swim and my bike through a rocky, wooded area. I wanted to be able to slip on these sandals before doing that run.After setting up, I went to the restroom only to find that there was no toilet paper. I was so glad that I had read in several triathlon books to bring toilet paper to events. I passed out handfuls of toilet paper to all the women in line!
It took about 20 minutes to get from the first swimmer to me. As I entered the water, I ran across a timing mat so the 20 minutes that I started after the first participant entered the water was subtracted from my time at the end.
The Swim
Nothing prepared me for the chaos of the swim. I never felt that I or anyone else was in danger. There were boats every 20 feet or so. Since this was such a big sprint triathlon there were may weak swimmers. Many people were doing breaststroke and sidestroke.
The weird thing was that I just couldn't see in the water because it was so muddy. I was swimming blind. I did freestyle and knew I was going to have to lift my head every few strokes to see the buoys marking the turns, but I also needed to lift my head to see where the other swimmers were so I could plan my course. I did get kicked a couple of times, but nothing bad. People would hit me and then lift their head and say, "Sorry!" I learned to sense where other swimmers were by the churning in the water as they kicked. It took a while to get used to. By the time we got to the first yellow buoy, people spread out and I could swim freestyle without having to worry about people. I tried to work on form, but mostly, I was trying to conserve energy for the bike. I even swam a little without kicking to save my legs. I swam until my hands hit sand, and then I stood and walked out of the lake.
Transition 1
Because I wasn't sure I would have enough energy for the bike, I walked, rather than ran, from the beach to my bike. I took my time at my bike - fixed my hair, ate an energy bar, drank some water, and sat down to put on my socks and shoes. Then I leisurely walked my bike out of transition. I now understand that the transition is another race event, but I didn't understand that then! Because I don't yet feel comfortable in a triathlon suit (silly pride), I also wasted valuable time putting on shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe someday, I'll have enough courage to wear a tri suit!
Bike
I loved, loved, loved the bike! In the beginning, I was afraid of going fast on the downhills and rode the breaks all the way down each hill - and then had to work like crazy to get up the next hill. After a while, I learned that if I went as fast as possible down the hills, I could coast about 2/3 of the way up the next hill! By the time I finished, I was flying! The bike was exhilarating. I kept wanting to yell, "Weeeeeee!" as I flew through the air. Loved the bike!
While riding in Eagle Creek Park, we were with cars but since we were in a park, the cars were going really slow. On the four-lane highway, they coned off the outside lane in each direction for the bikes. I never felt unsafe. I also appreciated all of the volunteers and police officers who yelled encouragement along the way. As I passed them, I often yelled "Woohoo!" in pure joy. That made everyone laugh. I was just have such a good time speeding along!
I should probably also mention that I think the SPIN class that I take weekly was extremely helpful. I passed several people on the uphills and felt like I had the stamina to last the entire 12 miles.
Timing Mats
One mistake that I made was not knowing exactly where the timing mats were before the race. I got off my bike early
Run
Ugh. The run was a challenge, as I knew it would be. Immediately out of Transition 2, we climbed a rather significant hill. I was determined not to walk, but I was running very, very slow. I overheard one little boy say to his father, "Daddy, look. She's running really slow." What a hoot. But, at least I was running. Many people walked up that hill. When I drove the course the day before, I thought the route out was uphill (slightly) and the route back was downhill. But, as I was running, it seemed to be uphill both ways. I know that's not possible, but I swear I ran uphill for the entire 3.1 miles! At the turn-around point, it was so nice to know that I was going to finish.
Racers who finished in front were getting into their cars to leave. They cheered me on as I struggled keep my head up and keep my cadence. My favorite comment, which I still play through my head when I'm tired, was from a young man who said, "Nice pace." Another said, "Way to go runner!" It was cool to have someone call me a runner. And another said, "Keep going 452 (my bib number). You're almost there." While I loved the kindness that they were showing, I found that their comments were distracting to my focus and cadence. In the beginning, I said "Thank you" every time someone said something encouraging. But, that took air which I didn't have. And I found that every time I responded, even if just with a head nod, I slowed down. So, after a while, I just kept running without acknowledging their comments. The worst was when people wanted to give me high fives as I ran by. I was so exhausted that I couldn't possible lift my arm in return. For a couple of them, I just said, "Can't lift my arm." They smiled with understanding.
When I got to the finish line, I ran a little faster to "finish strong" as the saying goes, but not much. I now know what it means to be physically "spent."
By the time I crossed the finish line, the awards ceremony was over and the race organizers were cleaning up. They posted the "final" race results before I finished. I found the race director and asked if I could see my times. He was very helpful. I did not come in last! One woman finished after me and several didn't finish. It ends up that there were three people in my age group (60-65 female) including the woman who finished behind me. So, I came in second in my age group, or as they say, I "podiumed." And, as second in my age group, I received a cooler as an award! Go figure!Here are my results: Slow, slow, slow. But, I met my goal. I finished!!
Overall: 452 / 467 2:02:31.4
Swim: 410 / 467 16:24.8 (4:01.5 / 100)
T1: 462 / 467 6.47.1
Bike: 434 / 467 46:45.1 (12.8 mph)
T2: 455 / 467 3:44.2
Run: 457 / 467 48.49.6 (16:16.5 pace)
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