Skip to main content

70.3 World Championship - Swim



the swim course at dawn

Sunday morning it was finally time for The Little Dance*. I did not even mind the 3 am wake-up call. I was ready to go, race hard, and be done! It was great to get to Vegas on Thursday afternoon already and I loved having so much time getting ready but by the time Saturday rolled around, we were all getting a little antsy.

*Since Kona is referred to as The Big Dance, I am going to call this race The Little Dance. Just for fun.

swim start (close) and swim finish (other side of lake)

Karl and I headed over to Lake Las Vegas/the race start/T1 (while the boys and Grandparents were still asleep at the hotel) and, to my surprise, there was hardly anyone there yet. With pretty much all our gear, including the bikes, checked-in on Saturday already, there really was not much left to do. You are not allowed to have anything by your bike that is not attached to it, so I put my nutrition on there and pumped up the tires. Done.

You get 3 bags. A morning clothes bag, a bike gear bag, and a run gear bag. Everything needs to be in these bags. It makes for very clean but not very fast transitions. The tricky part is finding your bag in the sea of 1700 bags.


There was plenty of time to talk with old and new friends, have a little chat with Karl, and check out some of the Pros. Was I nervous? Honestly, the only thing making me nervous were my borrowed race wheels. They have tubular tires which means that if you get a flat, you are screwed! They don't have tubes inside, so all you can do is blow some sealant and CO2 in the tire and pray it will patch the hole. Yikes! But it was time to gamble a little, right?


Transition closed at 6 am sharp and it was time to line up for our 7 am start. Not a fan of standing in line for an hour with no room or shoes to warm up. But I appreciate WTC being on top of (even the little) things and doing what it takes to have the show run smoothly.


After popping into the water with all the other ladies in my age group and a little warm-up swim, we still had 10 minutes. How fun! Not! I decided it would be easier to swim some more than to tread water, so I did. Mistake! By the time I got back, the wave in front of us had left and everyone moved up to the starting line. All the good spots were taken but no big deal. We look like a pretty calm, easy-going little group, don't we?


Well, let me tell you, it was a mayhem. I got so annoyed at everyone around me kicking my guts that I moved even further back and over to the side. I may not be American but I still need a nice big bubble around myself. Please nobody touch me! It was not a good spot but I was next to my dear friend, Jeanette Schellenberg, who is always so peaceful. I love that girl!


The gun went off and so did 94 feisty ladies! This is what went on in my head during the swim:

At 100m: Just hang on. This won't last long. Soon we'll spread out.
At 200m: You've got to be kidding me! Can we just all be nice to each other?
At 300m: Is this ever going to stop? I need to get out of here.
At 400m: Get off my feet! If you drown me one more time I am going to kick you in the face!
At 500m: Race the swim? How am I supposed to even move with 3 girls on top of me?
At 600m: You really want a fist fight? Fine.
At 700m: Speed it up and get out of here!
At 800m: Crap! Maybe I should slow down instead. I can't handle this any longer.
At 900m: Just put your head down and swim away from them. Race the swim!
At 1,000m: I will never compete in a World Championship ever again!

* I don't think any of these girls had any intentions to be mean. It just seemed that way.

Luckily, after the turn-around buoy things got better. Much better. While the first half of the swim was the worst I've ever had, the second half might have been the best! Suddenly, everybody was gone except a couple of girls who were holding a great pace and I just hung onto their feet* while we were swimming through others that had started ahead of us.

* without actually touching their feet!

I was hoping to swim under 30 minutes but considering my issues during the first 1,000 meters and the fact that wetsuits were not allowed, I will take my time of 32:14. I am not happy with it but I know it can be improved.

As I exited the water, I realized that I was right behind Beth Walsh, a super fast gal who everyone had picked to be one of the top amateurs. She is a super star! Needless to say I was a little excited to be running behind her into T1, which was on the other side of the lake. Hence the slow transition time.


T1 went pretty smooth. Grab the bag; into the changing tent; helmet, shoes, and sunglasses on; off to get my bike; up the little switchback; mount!


The Guru looks ready to roll!


Well. That's about all I am going to tell you today! Are you tired of reading yet? I am sure tired of typing. It's time to get back in the pool tomorrow morning and work on my stroke and speed! I clearly need it!








Comments

WARNERS said…
Wow - I was all excited to read about the rest of the race and you left me hanging! Sounds very exciting - Can't wait to read the rest! Don't make us wait too long! Miss you!
elena J said…
Sarah!: Did was get your stats right? 5th in your age group, 11th out of amateurs? In the WORLD? We caught just a glimpse of your back as you came out of the swim. We're pretty sure. Not really. At all. Let's just say Carrie was almost sure. It was crazy! At least in the run we knew it was you--we loved watching you race and playing with Noah and Max. Don't think Eric even saw you. He was too busy having fun with cousins. Fun to see you guys. The bbq was great.

Popular posts from this blog

I am so lucky

I feel the need to write. My thoughts are all jumbled. Can I make sense of them on paper? Writin g gives me perspective and makes it easier to let go. Last weekend I was very frustrated, mad, self-centered, unhappy , wallowing in self-pity. This weekend I was more balanced, a little more patient, trying to be less selfish, happy . How did it happen? I have had to deal with myself for almost 30 years now and, luckily, have figured out a few things on the way. Like how to feel at peace with myself , my family , my life . It shouldn't be complicated to be happy in my circumstances. I realize that. But sometimes it still is. Sometimes being a mom and wife doesn't come easy to me. Sometimes I think everyone would be better off if I wasn't a mom and wife. Sometimes I wish it was easier to just take off and do nothing but swimbikeruneatsleep for a week or two. It's not helping that my German teammates are doing just that. Right now. On a beautiful island. In the warm...

Camping Trip - Big Sur - CA

Andrew Molera State Park - our paradise for a week After it became clear that we would most likely be in Utah all summer, I got a bit antsy and really wanted to go on a family vacation. We went camping in Moab in March and it was great fun. Since I am not training or racing, we might as well go on a road trip to California and camp by the beach for a while! Easier said than done because, of course, we were way too late to get any decent spot anywhere along the coast. Everything bookable was booked. We did a bunch of research and found a little campground in Andrew Molera State Park  that fit our (very small) budget and was first-come first-served. Perfect! So we mapped out a plan, loaded up the car, and took off for 10 days!  Not exactly traveling lightly. That road bike (mine) was solely for commuting purposes.  Traveling from Provo up to Salt Lake City and then west on I-80, our first stop was Donner Lake up by Lake Tahoe/Truckee. I love Lake Tah...

Swimming in Germany - Lakes Galore

Baggersee Weingarten Let's see.... I've been in Germany now for 4 weeks and have had the privilege to swim in 5 different lakes. Let me count how many times I have swum in a lake in Arizona since moving there 2 years ago... That would be 1 time in Lake Mary during the MountainMan. And I am not planning on swimming in it again until this year's MountainMan. As you might have already guessed:  I am in heaven !  Baggersee Weingarten So are the kids. Appropriately dressed in German swim wear.  That's my mom next to me in the picture above. You see where I get it... Growing up we would either go on a hike or bike ride every weekend and take a dip in various lakes along the way. Good memories!  My niece Lynn at Bad Waldsee This lake was especially fun. It was basically at the center of a beautiful old little town. I saw people walk out their front door and go for a little swim. No motorized anything allowed as on most lakes here. Pl...