Aug 5, 2007 7:36 PM
Denver Tri for the Cure RR
So this morning was the Tri for the Cure. My cousin was in from out of town to do this as well. We got up at 4:30 so we could be out the door at 5:00. We were loaded up with our gear and water. In an effort to do well, I was drinking a lot!! 
My last tri like this I got SO dehydrated I was sick. So lesson learned!
We got to the race site, parked, unloaded all our stuff, and started hoofing our bikes to the transition area. We got set up, and then I ran into a friend from work who was also doing the tri. It's such a great fun atmosphere with all women and everyone is really supportive.
The first wave of elites left at 7:00. Our wave, the "Buddy Waves" weren't scheduled to start until 8:30, and there were four of them. We watched a couple waves take off and killed some time. Eventually it was our turn. My cousin and I ended up in the very last wave. So we are standing in the water, which was not as cold as I was expecting... And they count down. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... And we're off.
I started my watch then, and I emerged from the water about 20 minutes later. The course simply had to be short because I have never in my life swam a half mile in that time. I haven't been very diligent about swim training but it went well. I got going and it was fine. I didn't get kicked in the face, and I tried not to kick anyone in the face!
Out of the water, and onto the transition area. Our racks were a long ways away from the water, and then we had to backtrack that whole way with our bikes to start the bike course. My T1 time was about 8 minutes. But I wasn't trying to rush, just get things done and get out on the bike course. I sprayed on some more sunscreen, drank some water, put on the jersey, shoes, and sock. Helmet & sunglasses. And I was off, walking my bike to the start of the bike course. I almost fell getting on my bike because I am a giant klutz. But aside from that, the bike portion was awesome. I passed people like crazy. I went by tons of people like they were standing still. I must have shouted "On your left!" 100 times. I only got passed by 4 people, and that was on the uphill part. I caught all of them but two on the downhill! I just flat kicked *** on the bike. I super proud of my bike session. I'm not sure what my average speed was, but I did the 12 miles in 43:44 minutes, which I think works out to be about 16 mph, which is great for me.
Back into the transition area to get ready to run. I had hydrated well on the bike, making sure to take a drink of my watered down gatorade at each mile marker. So I trudged off. I walked a little at the beginning because my legs had that weird jelly/lead feeling. Then I started "running" along. I got passed a lot on the run, but I was expecting that. I ran almost the entire 3.1 miles, and my legs started to feel better after about mile 1. Still tired, but not like they were full of jelly lead!
I met up with a couple friends on the run course and we ran in to a strong finish! Overall time: 1:55. I'll take it!! I was surprised at how good I felt and how strong I finished (for me). I haven't been on the bike all that much and my swimming has been sporadic. But my running has been consistent and I've been increasing my distances and # of days per week. It definitely paid off!!
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Courtney
My User Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
My last tri like this I got SO dehydrated I was sick. So lesson learned!We got to the race site, parked, unloaded all our stuff, and started hoofing our bikes to the transition area. We got set up, and then I ran into a friend from work who was also doing the tri. It's such a great fun atmosphere with all women and everyone is really supportive.
The first wave of elites left at 7:00. Our wave, the "Buddy Waves" weren't scheduled to start until 8:30, and there were four of them. We watched a couple waves take off and killed some time. Eventually it was our turn. My cousin and I ended up in the very last wave. So we are standing in the water, which was not as cold as I was expecting... And they count down. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... And we're off.
I started my watch then, and I emerged from the water about 20 minutes later. The course simply had to be short because I have never in my life swam a half mile in that time. I haven't been very diligent about swim training but it went well. I got going and it was fine. I didn't get kicked in the face, and I tried not to kick anyone in the face!
Out of the water, and onto the transition area. Our racks were a long ways away from the water, and then we had to backtrack that whole way with our bikes to start the bike course. My T1 time was about 8 minutes. But I wasn't trying to rush, just get things done and get out on the bike course. I sprayed on some more sunscreen, drank some water, put on the jersey, shoes, and sock. Helmet & sunglasses. And I was off, walking my bike to the start of the bike course. I almost fell getting on my bike because I am a giant klutz. But aside from that, the bike portion was awesome. I passed people like crazy. I went by tons of people like they were standing still. I must have shouted "On your left!" 100 times. I only got passed by 4 people, and that was on the uphill part. I caught all of them but two on the downhill! I just flat kicked *** on the bike. I super proud of my bike session. I'm not sure what my average speed was, but I did the 12 miles in 43:44 minutes, which I think works out to be about 16 mph, which is great for me.
Back into the transition area to get ready to run. I had hydrated well on the bike, making sure to take a drink of my watered down gatorade at each mile marker. So I trudged off. I walked a little at the beginning because my legs had that weird jelly/lead feeling. Then I started "running" along. I got passed a lot on the run, but I was expecting that. I ran almost the entire 3.1 miles, and my legs started to feel better after about mile 1. Still tired, but not like they were full of jelly lead!
I met up with a couple friends on the run course and we ran in to a strong finish! Overall time: 1:55. I'll take it!! I was surprised at how good I felt and how strong I finished (for me). I haven't been on the bike all that much and my swimming has been sporadic. But my running has been consistent and I've been increasing my distances and # of days per week. It definitely paid off!!
------------------
Courtney
My User Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
