2011 Athleta Iron Girl Race Report

I never know where to start with these race reports so I am going to start with my feelings on the race..

Every year I've raced this race, there is something that has changed...whether it be the swim, the transition, the Expo, Something has changed...

Just to give you background, this race is at Oneida Lake State Park in Brewerton, NY. It is a first timer race for many of the local newbies as it is a ALL women race. It is a race to Empower women and give them a sense of accomplishment....

I woke up at 4:30AM this morning, had my usual pre race breakfast, settled down for a chat with my honey, Grabbed my NEW Blue Seventy transition bag ( I got for a STEAL of a price through the expo!! They had them marked wrong! WIN for me!) and was out the door by 5AM.

My honey and I were taking different cars because he needed to leave early for work and had to park off site. Come to find out they weren't even checking wrist bands and letting everyone in!

I arrived around 5:30 to the body marking tent and almost got dizzy from the fumes! I settled in with my bag, got all my stuff in position, helped a women change her tire, helped my speedy swim friend pump her tires up and was out of transition at 6:30. I even met a person I went to high school with in Transition!! Wow! Time flies!

My friend G and I had a pep talk about who we were gunning for and then got into the water for a quick swim out to test the water.

I finally met up with my honey right before my wave went off at 7:35Am, kissed him and got into the water. I was singing crazily...fist pumping as the music was rolling..then the Gun went off!!It was a mass chaotic mess to the first buoy!! I was fighting for my position with these girls!! All I kept thinking was keep at it and it will disperse soon as these girls will get tired. I had a girl to my left who kept hitting me and putting her palm in my face, I finally stopped swimming for a minute and grabbed the top of her shoulder and pulled her back...I was not happy...After we rounded the first buoy I swam over 2 girls in the wave before me who didnt have wetsuits that were right in the middle of all of us. HEY, I had no where to go but there!! As I rounded the next buoy to come to shore, I had a lot of weaving in and out to do!!! The wave before us, there was a bunch of girls waliking, breast stroking, back stroking, that I had to weave in and out of...I ended up way off course and had to swim under a buoy line to get back on track.

The swim was supposed to be 600m but think it was a little longer-

Swim time: 13:57 (I did this for a 800m a month ago!!!)
(49/1047 Overall swim time)

T1- This was a long transition up the beach to the parking lot. I ran the whole thing, Should've ran a little harder!!  Time: 2:21

Bike- I wanted to try keeping my shoes on the bike and getting them on while biking. The pavement was so full of gravel, I cut my foot. I got on my bike and tried to put my shoes on. I took me a good 1/2 mile to put them on. I think my time was slower in these few min because I was fumbling!! I finally got them in and started biking really well. I averaged about a 22-23mph for the first 5 miles. I was passing people, really enjoying my bike. Until, the railroad tracks came!! I tried to hop them and when my bike landed my aero bottle flipped out of the front of my aerobars. I screeched to a halt, went down in a ditch and grabbed my bottle, trying to put it back on my bike. I finally said screw it, and threw it at the volunteer across the road, hitting her in the leg. I felt bad. I asked her to take it and then threw it!!! So I wasn't being mean as everyone who has heard my story thinks!! ha ha!!

I then proceeded on the bike, saw a guy hand water to a lady, but then as I went by, I saw he had a Whole case and was handing them out!!! Crap! I should've grabbed one!! (But isn't that getting outside assistance??) I saw a girl pass the yellow line..a few people with I Pods on. Man this bike was just crazy! at some points I was biking really well, averaging close to a 22 mph speed. Some parts I was up to 27mph..I felt like my biking was much better than the time I had. I will have to see about that when I plug my garmin in. I Know it was 19.3 miles and not 18.8 like they said! I had a gel only on my bike and took it around mile 10. So glad I had these at least!

The bike dismount went great. Got my feet out on the bike, and then we rounded the last bend I had to screech on my brakes!! Bike jam! I was screaming come on!!! I wasted timeat the bike mount because people were everywhere!

Bike time: 51:20/21 mph ave speed even with stopping and fumbling!!!
(12/1047 OA)

T2- Same thing, big transition- Time: 1:09. I stumbled a little getting my shoes on but pretty good there

Run: Now, this is where I am the weakest. I have been working on this with my coach but there still is so much need for improvement. I was off the bike feeling pretty good despite my lack of nutrition. I am so glad my pre race nutrition was spot on and I think this is what carried me throughout the race. And, I had my head in the game for the most part!!
Not too much to say about the run except on the last mile a lady with the bst triathlon body came out of no where and was in my age group and I tried to gun her down but she was just so much faster than me I had to let her go. I was running out of steam quickly. I took some perform and 1 gel on the run.

As I was out running, so many people I knew were cheering me on, I was cheering them on...Such a great great race!!!

Run time: 27:06/8:45min/mi pace
(161/1047 OA)

Total Time: 1:35:53.
20th OA!!

Not a PR, but I have come to terms with this race finally. I knew I had done alot over the last few weeks. After 2 weeks of racing, training, no rest. I guess I know what a Ironman will feel like....Slightly!!!


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