Peer pressure=impromtu race report

So, i wasn't planning on racing this race. But my TNT peeps were going to do it. And some of my Thur night cycling folks were doing it. And it was the last one of the season. And I had been getting bored of running.

WHAT THE HECK...Let's doooo it!
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Race Report: Kirkland Triathlon at Carillon Point

September 21, 2008

Total: 1:36:15 S: 0:15:47 T1: 2:42 Bike: 0:49:52 T2:1:09 Run: 0:26:44

Age Group place: 21/74

Overall: 417/899

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Sign up/packet pickup: I was volunteering in the Campaign for Change Bellevue office during the day and ran over to packet pick up with the intention of registering and possibly racking my bike but it was POURING and COLD. I was having some serious second thoughts about the whole thing and honsetly considered not registering. (Un)Fortunately my cycling buddies saw me at the registration spot and further coerced me. So, 80 bucks and a cotton T-shirt later I was committed.

I couldn't access the handy dandy "tri-checklist" that my TNT coach had given us and I had to pack my gear on my own and pray I had everything I needed. I slept better last night than I ever have before a race. Start time was 7am, T closed at 6:30. I had set my alarm for 5am and managed to go to bed at 8:30pm(!) and woke up naturally at 4:30am. This was actually great since I hadn't decided what I was going to eat for breakfast and needed to stop and get something.

This being the least planned out race I have ever done (well there was a 10K that I wandered into once but...) I ran into the gas station and bought the breakfast of champions: Poptarts and a diet pepsi.

It was pitch black setting up transition and since this was my first rainy weather race i had to figure out the wardrobe of the day. I finally got settled and wandered around to find old TNT buddies. When I got back to my bike I had been DQ'd! I got busted for a missing handlebar plug and (with ~15min before start) had to remedy it.

With that all taken care of it was time to get going...

Swim:
The wave starts were VERY spread out so we stood out in our wetsuits for a very long time. Finally my wave went out. I positioned myself towards the front and outside of the group. This worked out fairly well. My goal was to just stay consistent on the swim and not push overly hard. i wound up in one small tussle. In the past I would fall back and let the other overtake me but I felt like I was in the best position to do the overtaking. I had a soft goal of finishing under 15minutes (which I missed) but I haven't had a swim durinng a race where I felt as in control so that was good.
S:0:15:47

T1:
Since I was only wearing a jog bra and tri shorts under my wetsuit I was too shy to start stripping the wetsuit which was LAME since transition was pretty far from the swim out.
T1: 2:42

Bike:
Didn't start off great because I had to stop to fix my bike computer sensor which was hitting my spokes (see lake Padden post). This ride was pretty hilly the first half and then it leveled out. But yikes if I didn't very nearly fall off of my bike on the big climb.
Bike: 0:49:52

T2: Uneventful
T2:1:09

Run: I was VERY optimistic about the run. I mean, sheesh, I just did a 15miler. I have been running like crazy. But the run felt somewhat hard. I wanted it to feel great and, while I did recover slightly in the 1st mile, I didn't feel like I could really pick up my pace like I would have wanted. My run time however was AWESOME. I almost don't believe it was an actual 5K. Becaus eif it was, then that was sub 9min miles. Who, me?!?!
Run: 0:26:44

Now for the very imoprtant, the post race food/swag. The food was really yummy. They did fruit parfaits with nilla wafers, YUM! Swag was minimal but oh well.

Take home Lessons:
1. I need to sign up for races beforehand so that mentally/equiptmentally I prepare.
2. I need to hydrate on the bike, even during a sprint tri
3. Get my prerace breakfast figured out well before 4am race day.