Goal #1: Win the darn thing.
Goal accomplished! I was able to live up to my bib number and win this race for the third time in a row. Even after throwing caution into the wind on the last two miles of yesterday's half marathon... Usually I love me some good competition that kicks my butt. But today I was hoping to have a big enough lead after the bike that I could just run my own pace and not worry about other girls breathing down my neck.
Goal #2: Finish under 5 hours.
Barely made it. My time was 4:58:14. A minute or so slower than in 2011 and 3 minutes faster than last year. Definitely not a breakthrough of any sort but nothing wrong with consistency. (If you ask me, that is. If you ask my Coach she would tell you otherwise.) I wasn't wearing a watch that showed total time so I had no idea. Having the boys leap frog me in the car, cheer for me, and spray me with their water guns over the last (incredibly long and lonely) 5 miles certainly helped! Thanks, guys!
Goal #3: No panic attack in the water.
Wetsuit + open water + race + high altitude + not acclimatized = a pretty big chance of a panic attack.
So I played it safe. A little too safe. But I never felt like I was going to suffocate and I count that as a success. I saw a girl in front of me the whole time but couldn't catch up to her. I remember thinking toward the end: Wow. I am feeling pretty good. I wonder if that's because I am going pretty slow. The answer is: Yes.
Goal #4: Bike faster than previous years.
Well. That didn't happen. 2011 - 2:38, 2012 - 2:39, 2013 - 2:40. No. I hope that is not a trend or an indication of my current (apparently non-existing) bike fitness.
I have two (lame) excuses:
1. I couldn't use 3 of my gears in the back and thus had to coast a lot more than I ever have.
2. They chip sealed about 3/4 of the bike course this summer. That means they dump a whole lot of gravel onto the road and ... leave it there. It is awesome. Not!
Goal #5: Chick as many guys as possible.
Ok. That wasn't really my goal. I don't race the guys. I just use them as motivation. And since I made it into the Top 5 overall, there were only 4 of them that didn't get chicked. I'll be honest: It's kinda fun. But, clearly, the field in this race was not very large or deep. In case you hadn't noticed...
Goal #6: Have fun!
I had a blast. I love hometown races and want to thank all of the many friends and fellow athletes cheering for me! It means a lot and never goes unnoticed! Thank you!
Congrats to Josh Terwoord, who won the race by an incredible margin and set a new course record. He is the man and we will miss him now that he moved to Texas! Wishing you the best in Austin and Kona!
Thank you to all of you, my awesome coaches Heath and Mahogani, my family, and TriSports!
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