2011 Blue Lake Race Report



I don't recall when I first thought I would do a triathlon...it may have been right after the 2nd run at the 2010 event. That sounds about right.

Setting up my transition area

THE SWIM
Up until race day I had not been able to get out into open water - let's face it, we live in the Pacific Northwest and it's just too cold and no wetsuit equals no swimming in open water. So, I had to do some research and figure out what to do when I finally get to race day. A note, NOTHING prepares you for open water swimming, but actually getting out into a lake or river (or ocean).

Since I was doing the Tri-It my group of ladies started last. We were having a pretty good time standing in the water waiting for our start. I KNEW that someone was praying, because I felt no nervousness. I may have thought "What was I thinking?!", but that was about the extent of that not so positive thinking.

So we got going at 8:32 and the first thing I decided is that I would not panic or freak out. Which thankfully, I did not. The other thought I had was to just keep moving. All the freestyle swimming that I did in training did not even come into play during the swim. I may have done a little freestyle, but the breathing part was not happening very well. The best part about the swim....ANYTHING goes! Seriuosly, I did just about ever stroke that I could muster up and even made up some swim strokes, because I had the time. The comforting part - I wasn't the only one doing that. Hey, so I did a few strokes of freestyle, then a little propelling myself in my back. Then a little backstroke...doggy paddle? You bet! That was mainly during the times that I was sighting the buoys to make sure I was still heading in the right direction! All I needed to do is get myself the buoys.  I could also hang onto the buoy if I needed a rest or the boat if needed. I was determined to NOT do that.

Finally finished the swim and got myself out and to transition. 20 minutes...not exactly an earth shattering time, but this was my first tri and I wanted a challenge and there it was, the swim and I finished it. The rest would be a breeze!

THE BIKE

My transition to the bike was sooooo long just over six minutes! Just coming up from the water to the transition area took a long time! Anyway, once I made it back to the transition I peeled off the wetsuit...got out of it as quickly as I could and took off with my wet shirt to pull on a dry shirt and get my shoes and helmet on and then grab my bike and head out. The chute going from the transition to the bike mount was so long and mostly on grass. I am not that comfortable running on grass (time to start training on grass!) so I did a fair amount of walking, mostly because I knew I could make up some time on the bike. The bike portion was fairly uneventful except when I got out on the road and saw Tom heading back to the park...that was like within a 1/4 mile of me starting the bike. This was my first time out riding my Trek Road Bike all decked out with my aerobars and new seat post. The most time I got on it was when I went over to the church next door to ride around and practice getting into and out of my pedals, which I was using yet a different pair of shoes than I have in the past years.

So, the bike portion is all on Marine Drive and goes from the Blue Lake Park entrance west and past the 205 bridge. Six miles seems like a long ways, but it was fun! Loved it! I passed several people, so I knew that there would be plenty of people behind me on the run. A comforting thought.

THE RUN

After completing the bike portion and upon my arrival back to the transition, there was Tom! He was finished! So he came over and we visited as I was taking off my bike shoes and getting on my run shoes...and off to run.

The run was actually pretty uneventful. What was different was that the course needed to be altered due to the flooding in what has been the transition area in the past years. So the turn around was a little further down the path and at the bottom of a hill. Oh yeah, I want to run uphill when I'm feeling a little tired! I always love the run portion, this is when you can see the other racers of all shapes, sizes and ages - Love it! Saw a lot of my Tri-it friends and felt not so horrible running even though all of my training runs have been very brief.

THE FINISH

As I came up and around toward the finish I saw Tom off to the side...cheering me on! Made it past the timing mat and to the volunteers who were taking off the chips, got a water and then a finish medal...VERY COOL! Final time 2:00:44. I could have hustled through all of my transitions and I know that my swim can be better...but I'm happy with my time. My goal for my first tri - to FINISH.

This is a fresh out of the lake look...I felt grimy!

So While I was off swimming, riding and running, Tom was running, riding and running and getting 2nd in his age division in the Duathlon! Next year will be his year!



So Proud