June 29, 2014
I DID IT!
Participants in my age group: 16
Swim - 4th
Bike - 7th
Run - 15th
First, let me explain how I ended up entering this event. So, several month's ago, I received an email saying that I had qualified for the USAT (USA Triathlon) Age Group National Championship in Milwaukee in July. In my age group, it's not hard to qualify since there are so few competitors. I thought it would be fun to go to a national event. I checked the 2013 times and based on those times, I would come in second-to-last so I registered! Then, ITU (International Triathlon Union) announced that one of the triathlons in the World Triathon Series would be in Chicago. I figured Chicago would be a good dress rehearsal for USA Nationals in Milwaukee so I registered for that too.
Please keep in mind that I am still a beginner in triathlon. It's just that at age 60, I don't know if I'll ever have these kinds of opportunities again, so I'm going for it. It will be ok if I come in last.
CONQUERING FEARS: I think one of the things that I like the most about doing triathlons is having to conquer my fears. In some crazy way, it makes me feel alive. Doing an international race with 4,000 competitors from 49 states and 31 countries is a bit intimidating. How would I find my bike in transition? In addition, in this race, I was doing a LOT of firsts:
- Transition: The transition was 1/4 of a mile from the swim exit. Could I run that far in my bare feat? Would I be able to find my bike in the acres and acres of 4,000 bikes?
- Wave swim start: 150 competitors in each wave would tread water and then start all together on the gun. Would people swim over me?
- Ramp swim exit: The exit from the swim was a temporary ramp that swimmers would have to climb to get out of the lake. Would I be able to climb it?
- Wetsuit: A week before the race the race organizers sent everyone an email to suggest that we all bring wetsuits. The water temp was 62 degrees! Would I get claustrophobic and panic? Would I be able to raise my arms?
- Underground bike route: About 2/3 of the bike was underground on Lower Wacker Drive - racing between cement pillars holding up Upper Wacker Drive. Would I hit the wall?
- Looped bike route: ITU loops it's bike and run routes so spectators can see racers pass multiple times. There would be 150 bikes in each mile of road. That's a LOT of bikes! Would someone hit me?
PRE-RACE JITTERS: The morning before the race, I lost it. I mean tears and everything. I was so scared. During check-in, I told one of the ITU officials that I was a beginner and asked a question. He responded, "This is a pretty ambitious race for a beginner, isn't it?" Everywhere we went, everyone had a t-shirt on from an Ironman event that they had completed. I felt like I was entirely out of my league. I seriously considered going home. My husband was helpful in getting me calmed down.
I texted my coach about my fears and the race official who told me I was in over my head. My coach responded, "You should have told that race official that he was small minded! Don't let others hold you down or restrict you from doing what you set out to do . . . If I didn't think you could do this, I wouldn't have trained you for this race. We have accomplished everything that we have set out to at this point. This will be no different." From that point forward, I kept repeating his words in my head over and over and over, "If I didn't think you could do this, I wouldn't have trained you for this race." That reminded me that I was not in this alone. My coach also had a part to play in this and he believed in me and felt I was ready. That helped SO, SO much.
CONFIDENCE: This was the first time that I had a chance to race against other women my age. Nine of the women in my age group who
registered for the race must have been no-shows because there were only results
for 16 women. I was 10th overall, 4th in the swim, 8th in the bike, and
15th in the run. A year ago, I consistently came in dead
last. In this race, I beat 37.5% of my age group and 31.2% of all
women. I am improving and I'm pleased with the amount of improvement in
one year. It is also so, so nice to finally know where I stand in my age
group. I feel like tackling this race was HUGE step in my
journey. I have a LOT to learn. But I belong here.
RANK
|
Faster Than
|
Swim
|
T1
|
Bike
|
T2
|
Run
|
TOTAL
|
|
ITU TIMES
|
18:03
|
6:36
|
37:47
|
5:10
|
46:48
|
1:54:21I
|
||
ITU PACE
|
2:24
|
19:74
|
15:04
|
|||||
PLACE (Overall)
|
603 /759
|
21.5%
|
||||||
PLACE (Women)
|
238 / 341
|
31.2%
|
164
|
211
|
164
|
218
|
319
|
|
PLACE (Age Gr)
|
10 / 16
|
38.5%
|
4
|
11
|
8
|
10
|
10
|
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