We once again woke up to a beautiful morning. Seriously, what is up with July? Yes, we've had some hot days, but all in all, it's been great for summer racing. We left our home at 5:40am and headed into Lincoln with all of our gear. We always pack for triathlons the day before because you need so much gear...swim cap, goggles, helmet, sunglasses, gatorade, gu, race belt, visor... Philip and I pack everything in a large bucket. That way, after we unload everything in transition, we can flip it over and sit on it while we are switching events during the race. By the time we had gotten our chips, swim caps, and body markings at the race site, we took our bikes to transition. Maybe we should have left earlier, because all that was left (in Philip's words) were the "cheap seats"...we were as far as you could be from the bike mounting area.
Our main goal for the race was to have a positive experience in the water. My plan was to start off to the side, breast stroke for a bit, and then move into freestyle for the 500 meter swim. When I started with the other females in the second heat, this is what I did. And you know what?! The swim went great! I felt good the whole time and never felt "panicky"! This was a great confidence booster for Ironman Steelhead. (I had two nightmares last week about the open water swim in Michigan.) I must had done alright, because the majority of the bikes were still in transition when I exited the water. Philip had beat me out of the lake so we talked briefly before he headed out on his bike.
Once I began the bike course, which was approximately three four mile loops (12.5 miles total), I shifted my head for my new task. This was a tricky bike course with all the turns...I have to slow down substantially as I turn (I am not a very daring biker at this point), so was constantly losing and gaining momentum. The bike portion went smoothly and was over before I knew it.
When I got back to transition, Philip was no where in sight...he must have had a fabulous ride! I pulled off my helmet and sunglasses, drank some gatorade and ate a GU, grabbed my number, and was on my way. I always bank on a strong run since it's my best event of the three, but it can be tough to gut it out after already swimming and biking. It seems to me that the majority of triathletes are bikers who swim and run on the side...those who can do all three well are definitely in the minority. I am a runner who swims and bikes on the side, so I even if I am tired, I need to use the run as my strength. I felt pretty good and was able to pass lots of people. The course is an out and back 5k...this was really nice as I was able to watch lots of guys (and some ladies) on their way to the finish. I saw Philip when he had about a mile left to go...he looked great!
I ended up finishing my race in a time of 1:17 flat...the last time I competed in this race, I did it in 1:19 (granted, this was about two months after Quinn was born). My swim was in 9:48, the bike was 42:46, and I finished out my 5k in 20:56. My first transition was a very slow 2:29 (partially attributed to rinsing off my very muddy feet), but T2 was in 1:05 which is better. I won my age group and placed 6th overall. After doing five races in July, I am exhausted. I am so excited to have a weekend off...and then it's time for our 70.3...Ironman Steelhead! This event (1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13.1 mile run) will be the culmination of our summer's work. I am very nervous and very excited to be taking on such an endeavor...and couldn't be more excited for a couple days in Michigan with my husband.
I remain very thankful for the ability to compete in events such as this...and having Philip by my side while doing so. While life has definitely thrown us some challenges, we have much to be thankful for! Happy swimming, biking, and running!
Complete results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=41560&re_FN=e.g.+Joe&re_LN=e.g.+Desch&re_NO=e.g.+1946&re_CITY=&re_STATE=&re_DIVISION=F&submit_action=select_result&race_id=41560#racetop
Good job Addie and Philip!
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