With my next
event all of two days away I suppose it’s time for an overdue race report from
the last one! The last weekend in June I
had the opportunity to add an event to my calendar at the San Diego
International triathlon. With this being
two weeks before one of my “A” races, within driving distance, a place to stay,
and a ride (thanks Lindsey and Kempy!) it was impossible to say no.
Hands down,
the best part of my race weekend was having the opportunity to spend a few days
with a dear family friend, Kara, and her husband Dan. Having crewed for an endurance runner friend
of ours just a few weeks prior, they were ready to handle any pre-race idiosyncrasies
I threw at them, right down to my 9:00 bed time, 4:00 wake time, and mass
consumption of sweet potatoes. San Diego
was lovely as ever and I had the opportunity to do my race-eve workout at/in
Mission Beach.
Ocean Swim!
Lovely venue for an expo
Race morning
itself was a bit hectic. Transition
opened only 50 minutes before the race start so my usually pokey self had to
pick up the pace a bit. Fortunately,
setup was smooth and well run so I didn’t run into any troubles (outside of the
bathroom that apparently didn’t believe in stall doors: only a little awkward
in the one piece tri suit – good thing triathletes are used to the pool locker
room). There was a great deal of banter
for the in-water start and I was pleased to see a few familiar faces in the
mix.
After the
gun, I swam my little heart out (decked out in my Blueseventy gear). While I was far from the first out of the
water, I was pleased to find myself in the second pack (as opposed to missing
the pack as I had in Texas) and not superbly far back from the first. The ride was a bit hillier than I expected
but I pedaled my little heart out onto the run.
Hopping off of my ride, I was rather displeased to notice the nagging
little pain in my right groin had exploded to a bit more than nagging. I had all but decided to throw in the towel
when it started to loosen up about a half mile in. While the pain never went away, I was able to
run my little heart out towards the finish.
While I posted one of the fastest run splits of the day (second by a few
seconds) it wasn’t enough to catch the incredible swim-bikers ahead of me. I crossed the finish line in a close 6th,
placing me solidly in the middle of the pack.
This was a definite improvement over my race in Texas. More importantly, my attitude and confidence
was much higher. While I still feel as
though I don’t really belong in the pro ranks, I was at least not terrified to
talk to the other girls at the start/finish line.
Heading out of T1
Finish Line in Sight!
Following
the race, I enjoyed a gorgeous cool-down along the San Diego harbor and
recovered with the awesome setup provided by Game Ready (much more pleasant
than my ice bath an hour later). Another
dear friend (Kara’s brother Tyler and his girlfriend Julianna) took me out for
a delicious celebratory lunch before heading back towards the desert. With a bit more training in the glorious 110
degree heat and some recovery, I’m feeling ready to rock this next one. Keep your eyes peeled for news from Boulder
Peak!
One of these things is more fun than the other ...
My Amazing Hosts!
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