Race #2 of the Season: USAT Sprint Nationals

So. I learned back in ... October, maybe? ... that I apparently qualified for USAT Sprint Nationals (and Olympic Nationals, which there was no way in hell I was signing up for that) thanks to my performance at Brineman. Which given that was not my fastest Brineman, I'm guessing it's solely because Brineman was a state championship race.

Therefore, in 19 years of racing triathlon, I finally qualified for something. And with deferring Roth ... why not?

Drove out to Milwaukee and got there Thursday. The reason for getting there so early was in theory to do some open water swim thing on Friday ... but I realized that was paid and that there were times to get in the water for course familiarization that were free, so I did that instead on Saturday. Alas.

Did get registration out of the way Thursday afternoon though.

Thought the hotel was a lot closer than the mile away it ended up being. 

But there were a lot of us triathletes there.

Went back down Friday to get my bike double-checked by Quintana Roo (first race on the new ride!) and then Saturday to do the course swim and then later to check the bike in for the next day.

Enjoy transition, Andarna. 

Went to the Brewers game after check-in which might not have been the best idea, but meh. It also meant that I wasn't doing pre-race breakfast for dinner for the first time in a very long time. Which was purposeful given that I highly, highly doubt I'll be able to do it for Roth next summer.

Race Day

Up early, like always. B found a 24 hour diner right near the hotel so he found us some breakfast which I ate once we found a parking spot near the race site. I realized too late that maybe it would have been smart to prepay for on-site parking, but thankfully street parking in Milwaukee is free on Sundays (... I miss when that was still the case in Denver ...) so we ended up maybe a block, block and a half from transition. Which wasn't bad.

I went and set up my transition zone, taking my bag with me when I left since bags weren't allowed in transition. Having B there (and the car close) was nice since I could just give it to him instead of waiting for the (very long) line at bag check post-race.

 
All set up.

And then it was just waiting ... since I had to be out of transition by 6:30 and I didn't go off until the second to last wave ... at freaking 9am.

I watched and cheered on the other racers, did my pre-race business, ate a protein bar, tried to stay calm, the usual. Two of B's cousins also came to cheer (one from around Madison and the other from Chicago - we also did the baseball game with them), so we met up with them.

EVENTUALLY, it was finally time for me to race.

The Swim:

Those are my blue and magenta tri suit sleeves. Photo courtesy B's cousin Peter.

I'm just above the 4 adjusting my goggles. Photo courtesy B's cousin Peter.

There I go with my awkward swim stroke.

The swim ... was. Felt better than the practice swim I did the day before, but ... I can tell my swim just wasn't what it was in 2019 or even what it had held on to be in 2022. Definitely something that needs to change over the winter. Which just means swimming. A lot.

Time: 20:30 (65th division, 651st gender, 1393rd overall)

T1:

It was a decently long run to transition, but I found my stuff relatively easily. And yes, it was partially because my bike was fairly alone on the racks. It is.

Time: 3:53

The Bike:

Starting the bike. Photo courtesy husband.

I'm on the far right. Husband is far left. Photo courtesy B's cousin Peter.

The bike started off okay. I was able to pick off a few people which felt nice.

About four-ish? maybe? miles in, there was a decent hill and I realized very quickly that I have zero climbing legs anymore. Zero. A few of those people I passed? Yeah, they passed me back.

Same thing happened on the other decent hill (we got to ride part of a highway which, ngl, was pretty dang cool). 

I felt like I was riding pretty well, all things considered (shit training), and I think part of the reason why is the new ride. She really is just faster. Ate a few maple candies and hydrated with my Skratch as I do.

Time: 42:32 (43rd, 391st, 1059th)

T2:

... I am not sharing it with you, but Peter did get a fairly funny photo of me running through transition dealing with all my crap. Still, tried to make it as efficient as possible. Which included me putting the aquaphor on the back of my neck for my wetsuit chafing that I DIDN'T do in T1.

Time: 3:51

The Run:

... I wasn't sure how the run would go. How well I'd be able to run at all. My running has been ... okay, not great. Fairly mediocre if I'm honest with myself, but hey.

I managed. I ate a maple candy or two. And I did my best. Even though it was pretty humid (thankfully the clouds hung around all race to keep it from getting that hot).

B found me by the time I entered the park where the eventual finish line was, though the cousins disappeared by that point, having to have needed to get home for work the next day.

Oh hey. Photo courtesy husband.

There was an out-and-back section that seriously was the longest EVER, but one of the other women out there was high-fiving everyone who ran past and her energy was so outstanding. And necessary.

And although the clouds looked ominous and the rain was threatening ... I finished before the storm came.

Time: 33:44 (72nd, 620th, 1383rd)

Overall Stats:
Time: 1:44:28
67/76 division (F40-44)
578/758 gender
1314/1600 overall
70/76 Team USA rank*

If we talk about my goal for this race - finish above 75% (have 25% of the field below me) at sprint nats - I failed at it. Except within my own gender, which ... kinda. And I know it's my own damn fault, regarding my shit training ... but it still kinda hurts. As it honestly should.

I did get word I automatically qualified for next year (apparently attending nationals qualifies you automatically for the next year), but I am still very undecided if I want to go. It's a month post-Roth and logistically I probably could, but ... eh. We'll see. As of right this second though ... I'm not sure. And I don't really like that this in theory means that I have now officially qualified in perpetuity because really, have I?

But regardless, glad I went, if only for the experience.

And the very Wisconsin cheese medal. 

 

 

 

*to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what the Team USA rank is or what it means. And I'm okay with that.

Race #1 of the Season: Icebreaker Sprint Duathlon

... did I hope to train better for this this year? Yes. Did I? Clearly not.

Did it still go surprisingly well? Apparently.

So I actually got my new tri bike in like four days before the race, but I still need to fit it to me (and build it officially), so I decided this race would be my last one on Sweet Cheeks. 

It's been a wonderful 13 years, bike.

Like always, there were very few of us racing the duathlon - four total. Unlike usual, it was warm. It's been stupidly warm here all winter and I didn't even bother with arm warmers, much less the jacket I needed last year.

The Bike:

I recognized the older guy racing; he also recognized me. As per usual, he went off quickly while I did my best to settle in, knowing that I probably haven't climbed significant hills on my bike since I raced this race the year prior. 

And yeah, the uphills sucked just as much, though I was able to power through.

Going out on loop two. Look! No layers!

First loop was nice and quiet; second dealt with people coming on from the triathlon. I ate a few maple candies on the second loop, dealt with people who don't know how to properly share space on a race course, the usual.

I had no idea if my time was good or bad or whatever; I just rode.

Time: 45:33

T:

Quicker than the year prior due to not needing to peel myself out of layers, which was nice, but still not fast.

Time: 1:50

The Run:

... so I apparently don't remember how to race (or, more accurately, use my Garmin), because I realized like a half mile in (maybe?) that I was still technically in the bike screen for my multisport. So I fiddled around with that on one of the big hills (I've learned my mistakes - I walk them and don't try to run them anymore). Eventually, I figured it out and got back on track.

However, not having figured it out until decently into the run means I have no idea if the course is still technically short. I'm guessing yes since they changed the location of the finish line slightly ... which also shortened the very end somewhat.

Still, I was able to run ... okay, not great once I didn't have to deal with the dumb hills anymore. I also did eat a few more maple candies. 

Time: 33:40

Overall Stats:

Time: 1:21:03.81

1/2 gender

2/4 overall

That 1 of 2 clearly means another default podium for meeeeee.

However, in looking at my stats from the previous years ... this was somehow my fastest year of the three. Run was a minute faster year one (transition was quicker too), but my mishap on the bike course kept it longer. So even though it was due to user error that year, it's kind of nice knowing that Sweet Cheeks's last race ended up being my fastest bike of the three.

I love this little local race and even though there's rarely anyone racing the du, I hope they continue to keep the option. Especially when I learned that a lot of people end up walking the (pool) swim. 

Race #3 of the Season: Brineman Triathlon

... did I train for this race? Marginally. Was it better than last year? Eh. Is it still fun? Yes.

We had a lot of travel prior to this race (literally flew back home from Boston on Thursday, getting in early that afternoon like five hours before packet pickup started ... and that trip was a day or so after getting back from a different trip), but hey, we roll with it. And it's nice that it's around the corner so it was an easy peasy ride on the gravels over to packet pickup.

And an easy peasy roll out of bed that morning to drop our stuff off in transition.

However, I did stress out HORRIBLY going back to transition after coming back home for breakfast since B was racing and was a lot less worried about the timing of things.

(he also rolled back out of transition like 5-10 minutes after it closed. not for me ...)

I mean, I partially get it since we get kicked out at 8a and then the sprint doesn't go off for like 75 minutes, BUT STILL.

Getting into the wetsuit wasn't quite as bad since we actually did a tiny open water in them up at B's parents' cabin the week prior ... but I don't know if my nail luck finally gave out or if it's because the neoprene was old (... wetsuit was purchased in ... 2017? 2019?), but some chunks came out. Same with B. So I guess a new wetsuit gets to be purchased next year. Hooray?

Anyway, teeny tiny practice swim, back out, line up, go.

The Swim:

... the swim actually felt a LOT better than last year. Granted, the swim numbers have still been abysmal, but my sighting was a LOT better (even the Garmin map said so). The first bit around the little island seemed like it didn't take long at all and the worst part was the final stretch back ... but that was mostly due to the sun and not being able to see a damn thing.

But I didn't almost run into a dock this year, so there's that.

I definitely didn't run as much to transition like last year, but things were a lot quicker, which was awesome.

Time: 20:10.48

T1:

... I don't know if it was a less advantageous spot or what, but this was a bit worse this year. I dunno. I didn't like being on the other side, though - not as easy to help get the wetsuit dry.

Time: 2:10.36

The Bike: 

... when I looked at the times from this year as opposed to last year, I was a bit surprised to see that my bike was actually slower. They might have had us go a bit further onto the causeway, but not a full 1:30 further.

Although, to be fair, I think the headwind coming back was a lot worse. And the stupid winds that can be around our neighborhood can make quite the difference on the bike.

And apparently they did this year.

Who knows.

Time: 34:36.19

T2:

... this was ABYSMAL. I NEVER have transition times this bad anymore. I didn't even BodyGlide the toes (which I probably should have). Part of it was one of my socks somehow got tangled up in my race belt skirt (how it exited my shoe I DO NOT KNOW) and so I was freaking out trying to find it. Eventually, I did.

Eventually, I got moving.

But sheesh. Terrible.

Time: 4:11.53

The Run:

So. The run still isn't a 5K (or 3.2 mi - I forget what they advertise), but it IS actually closer to it now. It's more like 3.3 miles as opposed to the 3.5 it WAS.

We were thinking I would catch B on the run since he injured himself playing hockey about a month ago and running for him really hasn't been a thing (since we know he would get out of the swim before me).

Honestly, it was going pretty well - I neg split the first two miles - but did spend some time walking with B once I caught up with him because why not. I also shared with him my last two maple candies in case he wanted them (he did).

The reason the run course got closer to the actual distance is due to changes off the road - there's now a fire station - so we can detour off to get to the nature park more efficiently than before ... and it cuts off a decent chunk.

Time: 36:41.82

Overall Stats:
Time: 1:38:30.4
4/8 division (F40-44)
50/112 gender
159/277 overall

Eight overall seconds slower than last year. I blame that terrible T2.

I finished and waited for B to cross the line ... which he did, hobbling, and collapsing right after. Apparently he took a bad step soon after he entered the nature park and re-tweaked something. Thankfully he's fine, but it was a bit scary.

Done.

Sadly not a comically large oversized brine shrimp this year.

Local pro Skye Moench was doing the long course as a Kona tune-up and we saw her walking back home.

I would say I'd return to this race next year ... but the date changed to like two weeks later so it might interfere with us going to/being in Germany for Oktoberfest (since we're probably going to do that hockey tournament again). So ... maybe?

Anyway, always a good time to race so close to home - in more ways than one.

Race #2 of the Season: Jurassic Run 5K

We were supposed to run this race last year.

We found it, saw "oh hey, dinosaurs," signed up. Then bought tickets for "How to Train Your Dragon" in concert (symphony plays to the movie) that night. Realized the race was an evening race and ... oooops. Thankfully, the race allowed us to defer a year so we got to run it this year.

The race takes place partially inside (but mostly outside) the Ogden Dinosaur Park so you know, right up our alley. Downside is that it's an evening race in late June, so it's also hot. Thankfully not as hot as last year would have been, but still.

Photographer got us walking around pre-race.

We got there relatively early - mostly for parking purposes - and then just hung out walking around and stretching before we were set to start at 7p.

Sign.

Like I wasn't wearing my T. rex (T. flex) shorts for this race.

Neither of us have been running a lot this year (you know I haven't and it's been a lot less for B), so we had zero expectations for this race. Well, that's not entirely true: since B doesn't do well in heat, the goal for him was to not die.

We ran together - what I didn't know is that the little park you do an out-and-back in nearby has a MONSTER hill. Yeah, we mostly walked that. 

But other than that, we were running fairly well early on, but the lack of any training for either of us, plus the fact that, y'know, balls, meant that we crumpled some in the back half. Eh. It was expected.

Final bit was actually in and around the dino park, as evidenced by the official race photo.

Weeeeee!

Wasn't much to the finish after this and though I crossed the line first ... B beat me by .1 second. Grumble.

Overall Stats:
Time: 33:13.5
7/30 division (F40-45)
40/211 gender
101/368 overall

What I DIDN'T know going in is that we got medals.

... and this picture made me realize that there were several different medals and that the third option was way cooler than mine. So obviously I swapped.

Regrets, I have zero.

Ultimately, fun race, we enjoyed it. Would it have been better had we trained? Yes. Would it also be better in the morning prior to the park opening as opposed as to at the end of the day? Also probably, but I get why it's in the evening.

Still, fun, small, local race. May do again. Probably. 

(because dinosaurs.)

Race #1 of the Season: Icebreaker Sprint Duathlon

... did I sign up for this race, knowing that I enjoyed it the year prior? Yes. Did I train for it? No.

Is this my life these days? Unfortunately, yes.

Still, I paid my money so I showed up to race. Got there early for parking and then just hung out. Eventually made my way to race. Weren't a lot of people racing the du again as usual, and the other women I saw were first timers to multisport in general.

One B was helping with her bike and we realized she needed her tires pumped up badly so we quickly managed that with a few minutes still to go prior to the start.

Lined up, waiting to go. Glad to have the new winter weather cycling jacket.

The Bike:

Similar to last year, the two older dudes racing took off and left the rest of us in the dust. I did not forget the two terrible hills early on, but they were a bit more terrible with very few bike miles on the legs. Also, it was cold. I don't think the legs officially thawed out until the second loop.

Which, I might add, I did NOT miss the turn off for this year. I swear it wasn't labeled as clearly last year. I SWEAR.

(I did, however, encounter a car that, had I not been paying attention, I may have collided with, since they do not know how to turn with urgency on a race course.)

More people were on the course for loop two - people finishing the swim portion of the tri as well as more cars - but I managed well. Ate a maple candy at the halfway point and continued dealing with the shitty hills.

Time: 47:21

T:

So this was a lot slower than last year, but I also peeled myself out of my cycling jacket since I knew it would be way too warm on the run. So eh.

Time: 2:04

The Run:

Like last year, B was there for the first little bit. I ate a maple candy right out of transition - oh look! I'm learning how to fuel! - and wandered off. I didn't really run much of those two nasty hills - the run course follows the bike course for a bit - having learned my lesson from St. George. I was fine walking them if it meant quicker things later.

Other than that ... fairly uneventful. Ate a maple candy at miles one and two. Felt like there were fewer people on the run course with me than last year. Saw B a bit earlier on the run but I'm not mad at that.

And it was short, again. But I'll take it.

Time: 34:11

Overall Stats:
Time: 1:23:36.03
1/3 gender
3/5 overall

Slower than last year, but faster than the others who showed up which means ... podium for meeeee.

I dunno where the other two went. I had seen them around prior to the official awards ceremony ...

Glad to have raced ... even though damn do I need to figure out a way to train. Also: did race for pancakes again, but they were WORSE this year. No butter? For shame.

(Flippin' Flapjacks, I miss you.)

Race #5 of the Season: Haunted 5K (Provo)

I also ran this one for the medal.

With how well I ran the half, I thought that maybe the 5K could also go well ... but I think I destroyed my poor immune system and got sick in between the two races. 

Everything was in my head - nothing in my chest - so I figured I'd show up, run easy, and if I needed to, I could just walk it in (perks of it being just a 5K).

Pseudo-dragon rider outfit. Kinda.

I definitely started out pretty easy, but I was happy with how much I was able to run. I walked whenever things seemed to get spicy with the ol' lungs (and heart rate), but I ran way more than I was expecting. 

Honestly, for running sick, it went well.

Truthfully, there's not much to say about this race other than that I FINALLY ran smart enough while under the weather to not finish it hacking and dying like I usually do.

That's growth, friends.

Overall Stats:
Time: 34:24.04
17/65 division (F40-44)
214/798 gender
442/1286 overall

And yes, I got another badass dragon medal for the effort.

Race #4 of the Season: Haunted Half (Emigration Canyon)

I signed up for this race solely for the medal.

Let's just get that out of the way now. While last year's Haunted 5K had the creepiest clown medal known to man, the two Haunted races this year (Emigration Canyon and Provo) had dragon medals ... and the best two were the Emigration half and the Provo 5K. So I maybe signed up like a week before Emigration for both races.

I had barely run since St. George, but the race was downhill and I figured I had enough residual fitness to be fine.

(... I clearly have a LOT of faith in myself ...)

B was out of town so I was rolling solo for this one. I woke up early, ate breakfast, packed my handheld with Skratch, and grabbed some maple candies before driving down to Sugar House where I had to catch a bus. I also took Dramamine ... which is having the (helpful?) side effect of canceling the need for (any, really) race morning poops.

Unlike St. George, it was quite chilly up at the start and stayed that way through most of the race - it was probably low-40s up at the start and windy and I don't know if it even hit 50 by the time I finished. Maybe low-50s at the finish. In other words ... perfect running weather for me, since we all know I run hot.

Waiting to start. That arch was FIGHTING the wind.

We started and I just ... ran. The first ... 9-10 miles were all downhill running down the canyon. I don't even think I walked for the first time until three miles in.

In the meantime, I was just clicking off sub-10 miles, but I didn't feel like I was pushing it that hard.

I forget whether I started at two or three miles in, but I did start the maple candies and then ate them every other mile (so if it was at three, on the odds, and if at two, on the evens) ... as well as a slug of Skratch every mile.

I did walk a tiny bit here and there, but for the most part, it was just steady running.

The problem with this is, of course, is I started wondering if I could hold it and PR.

Photo courtesy of Runtastic Haunted.

Photo courtesy Runtastic Haunted.

We exited out the canyon with ... I think four to go to the finish, with half of that on the 5K course - which, if you recall, I ran last year. And I knew that it was a lot more undulating than I had been running, with one horrible hill in the last mile.

Still, I decided to push it, to try, to see what I could do.

It hurt. A lot. I was doing my best to keep the walk breaks to an absolute minimum and to never extend them longer than the 20 breaths. Since I have become a giant Empyrean series nerd (... peep the shirt that a friend designed!), I channeled my inner Violet Sorrengail by telling myself to box the pain in my brain and ignore it.

Look at that delightful grimace. Photo courtesy Runtastic Haunted.

The question is ... was it enough?

Holy. Fuck.

Overall Stats:

Time: 2:09:51.65

27/64 division (F40-44)

234/534 gender

483/891 overall

That, my friends, is an eleven-year-old PR broken. Almost 11 years to the date, too. If you recall from that race, the Garmin had 2:09:44 for 13.11, but it measured long, so watch stats had like 2:12 for 13.3 miles or whatever. This one? 

This one's official. 

There has been a part of me that wondered if I'd ever go that fast again, whether I wanted to try. 

Turns out I just needed a downhill course and the perfect conditions. And a willingness to suffer (nice to know that still exists, too).

Race #3 of the Season: St. George Marathon

Back about a little over a year ago (two?), I finally seriously started considering running a standalone marathon.

I don't remember if it was due to all the fun tracking friends at Chicago and New York or what, but I decided to go for it. Partially because the thought did scare me, and it's been a long time since I signed up for the big scary goal, so to speak. We all know that I tried for Chicago and didn't get in, so I went with my backup plan, which was St. George.

Early training started out okay ... and then I got sick in early July and training was never the same. 

(Training hasn't been the same since 2021. I'm starting to wonder if it ever will be.)

If I had to guess, I got in maybe 6 or 7 double digit runs throughout the whole training cycle. The longest I got up to was 16 (17, maybe?). The only thing that would save my ass would be, once again, just knowing I can do hard shit - it just hurts a lot worse undertrained.

I booked our hotel in St. George starting Thursday since I thought the 5K B was running was Friday morning - it was Friday night. Oops. It did make things a lot less stressful on Friday, though, with the expo and everything.

As I said in my IG stories - we'll see if this is a true statement by Saturday afternoon.

After the expo, it was mainly resting and eating (... and pooping - nervous colon was acting on overdrive this day) until it was time for B to do his 5K ... which was going to be in the mid-90s, thanks to the temps being slightly unseasonably warmer.

Start line. I was on cheer duty and unfortunately only mostly got video.

We know B doesn't do well in heat, but he had some water with him and knew to take it easy. Wasn't his fastest 5K by any means and the heat did get to him a little, but he finished, so hooray for that.

Then, off to Denny's for some pre-race breakfast-for-dinner and some to go scrambled eggs so I could in theory have some food for my ass-early wakeup call.

Race Day

The alarm came nice and early. I got dressed and prepped my pack. I attempted to eat my reheated scrambled eggs, but maybe only got down a bite or two. I also took some dramamine for the bus ride ... just in case.

My bus time was 5:15 so we left the hotel around 4:55ish in order for B to drop me off. I got on the bus and went up to the chilly and windy start line, 26.2 miles away.

I stayed in my hoodie as long as I could - up until the 15 minute prior mark, when morning clothes had to be dropped off - with the space blanket they gave me wrapped around my knees. I mostly sat by myself, but eventually huddled around one of the campfires and briefly chatted with a few other runners. I dropped off my bag by 6:40 - keeping my space blanket - and decided to try a porta potty stop pre-race. I didn't have to go much, but I went some, and that made me feel better.

They had a small drone show to start which actually did the race countdown and at 7am, the gun went off. I crossed about 8 minutes later.

The first few miles clicked by pretty steadily. I kept to my practice strategy of water every half mile and a swig of Skratch at the mile markers/beeps. I started eating two miles in, with a maple candy, and at 3, a bite of pickle chicken ... rotating those two every mile. (I think it was two in.)

5K mark: 34:51

Sometime early on.

I was a little surprised at how well the early miles felt. It was a gradual downhill, any breeze was (mostly) behind us, it was cool but not cold, and I just steadily made my way down the course.

So steadily, B barely beat me to Veyo.

10K: 1:06:23

Veyo was about 7 miles in and I was able to get a nice high five from the hubs before I started the hellish climb out of town. That I've ridden before, but completely forgot about.

... those would be uphill runners. Photo courtesy B.

It's funny to say at mile 8/9, but the post-Veyo hill really was the beginning of the end for me. Up until this point, I had been walk/running, but definitely mostly running, and the lungs were doing fine and the HR definitely manageable. I still kept to my 20 breath walk breaks going up Veyo ... but if I were to do this again, I wouldn't. I would only run once my HR truly got back recovered again. I think everything got elevated and then it never really wanted to come down.

This hill is like a mile and a half and then the next ... four?ish miles are like straight rollers.

Half-Marathon: 2:31:33

You'd see the star balloons a decent way off, so it was nice to know you were coming on a mile marker. Also, I saw this and was happy to be halfway done but also a little like, still another fucking 13.1?

I think it was some point after this that we got the super fun 6% downhill grade - I am very grateful I'm a decent downhill runner as the gravity on any substantial hill meant I was running - walking was too awkward; the legs were just going to run instead. 

It was also starting to get quite warm at this point, though I was happy with the pace I was maintaining. I kept to the side of the road, running on the painted lines to keep my feet from overheating.

Speaking of my feet ... I was feeling like maybe I was developing some blisters on my bunions (spoiler: I did), but there's nothing to do but keep moving, so that's what I did.

I forget exactly what mile marker this was near - sometime between 17 and 18, I think? - but it was where the wheels really started falling off.

The race had a misting station at the crest of this little hill ... but it didn't really do much. I refilled my Skratch bottle sometime around mile 16 I think and added ice to it when I got that at 19 or 20. The ice bag I got went in my hat for a second, at the back of my neck, down my shorts ... before I put one cube under the hat, saved one for each hand, and put the rest in my bottle.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get ice again. I tried at 22 or 23ish, but the aid stations were out.

I saw B again at 24, I think, and I drank some of the icy cold water that he had. Around 24 was also where I lost my sub-12 pace, unfortunately, unable to keep running much more than a handful of feet before needing to walk, due to heat and feet.

I had the perfect amount of maple candies and pickle chicken, finishing up the last of each in their respective mile (24/25). I probably could have filled my pack a touch fuller in the morning, as I ran out of water at like mile 24.5, but I had enough Skratch to still get me through (and still a few ounces left at the finish).

It was hard, horrible, and brutal - but I did it. And I didn't need to stop for IcyHot (... never used it before; wasn't going to start then) or walk backwards down the hills, like I saw some people doing.

Overall Stats:

Time: 5:21:12

131/197 division (F40-44)

1171/1802 gender

3101/4600 overall

First official race at a distance means an automatic ringing of the PR bell!

Wee, medal. I think B's 5K medal is actually a touch bigger ...

Dead and DONE.

All in all, not too horribly terrible for being undertrained. Despite being labeled as a downhill course, St. George is deceptively hard and terrible ... which everyone I know who's done it previously decided to tell me in commiseration post-race. 

I feel extraordinarily lucky that I was able to manage stairs okay both up and down the day(s) after the race. I even did a stick/puck session in Vegas Sunday night with friends ... though I was a lot slower and the foot blisters were not my friends. The massage I got Monday was probably the worst thing for my recovery as I'm pretty sure the therapist bruised my damn spine as that hurt for like a week after. 

****

So now I've run a marathon ... I do believe that it did technically hurt worse than an Ironman, especially given the comparative effort/time. Running is very stupid ... but I'll still probably do another one eventually. In like another 10 years.

Race #2 of the Season: Brineman Sprint Triathlon

Because I liked doing Brineman last year, I decided to do it again ... even though, as we all know, my swimming and cycling has been abysmal this year.

Like, bad. 

In typical Utah fashion, I went back to the gym to swim ... only to be told the pool would be under construction for like two weeks (almost the entire lead up to the race). This happens every time I try to swim again after a layoff - dead serious. I actually went to my backup option this time, though, and got in a few times. I also dragged out the ol' tri bike and got back on it - that was less painful. And running ... well, I've been doing enough of that.

I also have like 17 years of experience doing endurance sports, so meh. Which is the worst attitude to have, I fully admit.

They did a packet pickup at the Nature Center near the house on Thursday night, so I chose to do my daily walk to that (nice little two miles round trip).

Friday morning, I rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, threw on clothes, threw together my transition bag, and walked the half mile to transition to set up my spot.

Then a walk back home to eat breakfast, poop, and actually get dressed (and sunscreened and all that good stuff).

I forgot that there's a looooong wait in between the swim waves - there's about 90 minutes from the start of the half to the start of the sprint - so I just hung out while B went back home to make more coffee.

Perhaps not smart, I got into my wetsuit way early. And it was obvious I hadn't worn it in a year - it was TIGHT.

In chatting with someone before my start, apparently wetsuits do shrink if you don't wear them (it's not that we all gain weight), so next time I apparently need to get it wet and put it on to start getting it stretchy again like a week or so in advance. Still learning ...

A little after all the Olympic racers got in the water, I popped in for a tiny practice swim, just to see if I remember how to swim open water. Kinda - just have to get used to that first rush of COLD, as always.

The Swim: 

I feel like I got beat up a lot less than I did last year on the swim. I also felt like the first tiny bit went well ... and not so much afterward. Drank some lake water, the usual.

I felt like my sighting was terrible - even B commented on how terrible it was post-race - and it was obvious in how much extra my Garmin said I swam this year as opposed to last year: it's a 750m swim; Garmin had me doing 800something last year ... and over 1000something this year. Ooops.

Therefore, it's no surprise that my swim was like a good 5 minutes slower than last year.

(also huh, maybe not swimming actually matters ...)

Time: 22:55.3

T1:

Teeny tiny bit of Aquaphor on the back of the neck just in case I chafed (only felt like maybe? but better to be safe ...) and otherwise, in, out, faster than last year. Boo-yah.

Time: 1:58.33

The Bike:

... they really need to update the maps and distance of the bike course in their system, as it was the same course as last year (my usual ride out to the Antelope Island Causeway with a u-turn soon after the guard station) and NOT the weird winding neighborhood route.

I went back and forth with a few people, but mostly left them in my dust, which was nice.

How I managed to do better on the bike this year (by almost THREE MINUTES), I don't know. But I did.

Time: 33:00.65

T2:

Uneventful as per usual. Also chose not to BodyGlide feet (eh it's a sprint). Shaved off like a second from last year.

Time: 2:24.71

The Run:

So ... I was a little surprised on how well the run went, but TriUtah really needs to get their miles figured out. I hit mile 1 at 1.08, 2 at 2.08, 3 at 3.05 and the "3.2" mile course is really like 3.5. But thankfully I knew that going in this year UNLIKE LAST YEAR.

In looking back at last year's report, mile one was sub-11 - it was this year, too. Mile two was actually a lot slower, though, as I gave up and had a porta potty stop. But mile 3 went back sub-11 ... so without that porta potty stop, my run probably would have been significantly faster as opposed to like two seconds slower.

Dumb.

At like ... 1.25ish, maybe? Not looking terrible, tbh.

Looking a lot more terrible coming into the finish.

Time: 38:03.24

Overall Stats:
Time: 1:38:22.30

5/15 division (F40-44)

34/100 gender

113/237 overall

A bit worse than last year, and it's pretty much because of my terrible shit swim. But given how much I haven't swum over the past, well, two years, am I surprised? No. Am I still glad I can pull a sprint triathlon (essentially untrained) out of my ass? Yes. Very much so.

And I'll never not take a hilarious oversized brine shrimp medal.