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!
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