Never before have I had so high a race number (#4!!), and probably never will again.
First, a bit of back story. I was down to do the Sunday race because my eldest niece, who turned 10 this year, was going to do her first kids’ triathlon on Saturday. The weather for the kids’ tri was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and perfect, and she had a blast. She was seeded toward the end because of her swim time, which was fine, but seemed a bit high for 100 meters (5:30) when I checked her bib info at packet pickup.
Well, there was a reason it was a little high. Evidently when I registered her for her race (her birthday present) and myself for the adults’ race, our two swim times got switched. So instead of 3:30 to swim her 100 meters, she got my 5:30 for my 300 meters, and vice-versa. Which meant when I showed up for packet pickup, I was something of a star to the volunteers because I was getting a single digit number, meaning I was supposedly faster than fast. Only, I’m not. Thankfully the race director was kind enough to tell me where I should seed myself for the swim start, and the story made for a fun one while standing in line for the swim.
Race day itself broke nice and wet. Just like the Mooseman race I did this same weekend last year. I’m sensing a trend for these races when I stay with my parents, who had brought up my niece in their RV. So we trundled out to the Y, early enough to get good parking, and I set up transition in the rain.
The swim itself was, well, dark. We had been standing outside in the semi-sun, had maybe 30 seconds at the door and into the edge of the pool before launching into the swim, and that wasn’t enough time for my eyes to adjust before I was into a churning pool full of hyped up triathletes. Heart rate was, as usual, far too high on the swim. Trying to relax there has to be my biggest weakness, even in a pool snake swim. I passed two folks, and two others passed me, so I think I seeded myself just about right. Didn’t stop except to let folks pass, and got out as soon as I could. Once out I had a good chat while running over to transition with another woman who made it out just before I did.
T1 went well, and I popped out on the bike pretty well. The woman I’d left the swim with set a pretty good pace on the bike, so, while staying out of her draft zone (USAT folks were very much in evidence on their motorcycles) I followed behind. The course was moderately hilly, but not bad. I think I shifted more in those 12 miles than I’ve done in the last month (ah, good old flat Hains Point). The rain was off and on, and I got my heart rate down a smidge from the swim, but I probably hammered it a bit much. It was a sprint, though, and I was still feeling fine. The most memorable moment had to be biking under some high-powered wires at one point because the things were literally sizzling and crackling in the rain. I was glad we were zipping along at a good clip.
There was one spot where the volunteer didn’t have a flag to motion us to turn, and I almost missed that last turn, but otherwise the intersections were well staffed with police and volunteers, all of whom I made sure to thank as I rolled through.
Somewhere around three quarters of the way through my pace setter slowed down some and I passed her. Kept up the good pace all the way to transition, and popped into that well. As usual I unclipped and shook out my legs while gliding to the dismount, and then it was into T2. It was a little slow, because I had to get stuff out of the bag I had my shoes and race belt in, but it was worth it to have dry shoes, at least for a few minutes.
About half way down the transition area I realized I’d left my biking gloves on. Not the first time I’ve done that, and I’m capable of running with ‘em on, but it’s a tad annoying. As I approached the turn to head out, though, I spotted Mom and Dad at the end, so peeled off the gloves as Dad snapped photos and tossed them toward Mom and asked her to hold them for me.
The run course might have been relatively flat for the Richmond area, but it was not flat. Long, shallow inclines, both up and down both ways, dominated the run. I maintained a pretty good turnover on my legs, and ran the full 5k. The water stop was just perfect, and the volunteers were great. As I approached the turn into the finish I caught up to another age-grouper, who, as I went to pass him, suddenly picked up the pace and zipped on ahead. No biggie. Ran into the finish in an hour and twenty minutes, about ten minutes ahead of what I expected to do it in. The run and swim were right on pace, so the bike pace I followed must’ve shaved off most of the time, plus some savings in transition. Even with the rain it wasn’t too bad, and I’m getting used to racing this way.
Overall, the race itself was a lot of fun and I’d do it again. It was a fast sprint with just enough hills on the bike and run to present a challenge but not to kill yourself on.
