Race Recap: Siesta Beach Triathlon

I swam, I cycled, I bonked.

But I got sweet finisher’s medal in the end.

The morning started out like any other race morning – a too early wakeup call & drive to the event site.

After checking in, body marking & setting up transition I made my way down to the beach to check out the water conditions we’d be facing.

I was pleased to see it small waves! It had stormed pretty good on Friday & I was expecting much rougher seas!

The Olympic waves started at 7am but my wave for the Sprint didn’t start til 7:38 – so I got to spend lots of time worrying about how the day would turn out. And then it was time to suit up and head into the water for a quick 440 yard swim.

The water was cloudy – but otherwise was pretty nice! We were swimming against the current but I didn’t struggle too much. We were swimming in only about 4 feet of water, so I felt very comfortable & didn’t panic at all!

BUT, I went out much faster than I was used to (race day will do that to ya!) and got very winded very quickly, which lead to trouble controlling my breathing. But I backed off, let the stronger swimmers pass me & got into a pretty good groove for the rest of the swim. I even managed to pass a few people once I settled into my own pace.  I swam freestyle most of the time & only used sidestroke (my rest stroke of choice) when I was consciously backing off. 

Before I knew it I was rounding the last buoy & heading up to transition.

While I was heading through the swim exit, I actually thought the swim felt a bit short & wished it had been a longer leg. Who am I???? I was definitely tired & super winded but felt pretty good.

Swim Time: 10 min 50  seconds, 4th out of 4.  Outlook: Success. Simply because I didn’t panic in the water.

After the “longest short run” from the beach to transition I went through my usual routine before the bike leg.  (Seriously, the run from the water up to the transition area is the worst part of a triathlon if you ask me…even worse than the RUN itself!)

After throwing on socks, cycling shoes and my helmet I was on my way out for 12 miles.

T1 Time: 4 min 41 seconds, 3rd out of 4. (Includes the trek from the beach & the actual transition itself.)

The temperature was starting to rise already but it was windy – so I wasn’t feeling it too much. But that damn wind was definitely slowing me down a bit.

I was using my new aero bars & felt super comfortable in the saddle.

What didn’t feel so great was all of the traffic out there. The roads were open (as are the bike courses in most triathlons) but the course marshals weren’t doing the best job of directing traffic. At one point one of the marshals even waved a truck into the bike lane to pass another car, right into my path! Some of the Olympic racers were with me at this point & we all had to slam on our brakes so we didn’t get hit. In fact, I saw TWO cyclists that had been hit. Luckily, all of the riders were OK but it definitely made for a tense bike leg!

The course was basically a big circle and despite the wind I felt like I was making pretty good time. I was passing quite a few other cyclists but got passed by equally as many – it was still fun & definitely my best (and most enjoyed) leg of the race.

I ate a Jet Blackberry Gu gel and drank 3/4 of a bottle of water while out on the course.

Bike Time: 42 minutes 11 seconds (17.6mph), 3rd out of 4. Outlook: Success-ish. While  I didn’t meet my original goal of 18.5mph I pushed for the entire 12 miles & did my best. I don’t want to use the wind as an excuse, but I firmly believe I’d have been much closer to my goal had it not been a windy day.

T2 Time: 1 minute 13 seconds, 1st out of 4. (This is always my best transition!)

Now here’s where things start to go downhill…the 5k run.  As soon as I hopped off the bike I could feel the heat. And it was H.O.T. Very hot.

I had my handheld bottle with me (10oz) filled with Gatorade along with a pack of Blueberry Pomegranate Gu Chomps. My legs felt heavy – but no heavier than during any of my brick workouts during training.

But that HEAT – it was sooooo oppressive. By the time I got back down to the water (the course ran along the water) I was completely overheated. So I decided to walk and catch my breath a bit, sipping Gatorade as I went.

It never got easier…so I kept walking…and walking…and walking…I tried running (and I use that term extremely loosely) but my heart would immediately start racing & I’d feel super hot.  I cracked into the Chomps at roughly the 1/2 mile mark. But I think it was too late at that point.

Mile 1 came, along with the water stop, but I (very stuipdly) passed by thinking I had enough Gatorade to get me through. That was a decision that would come back to haunt me.

I finally decided to walk to the turn around point – drink lots of water at the water stop – and jog to the finish. The problem with that plan? There was no water at the turn around point.  I guess I should have looked at the course map better…the only stop along the course was at mile 1…and therefore mile 2 again since it was an out & back course. Lesson learned…the hard way.

At this point I was defeated – mentally and physically. I started a routine of jogging to one cone, then walking to the next. And quite frankly, I think I was walking faster than I was “jogging”!

At mile 2 I took water, drank some & poured the rest on the back of my neck. I also ate more Chomps and drank more Gatorade.  But I never felt any better. I completely stopped at about mile 2.5 because I was feeling really dizzy and my vision was getting blurry. I finished off my Gatorade.

And then I dragged ass to where the course turned up towards the finish line (near transition). I got passed by about 30 more people – many of them Olympic athletes who had just swam, biked and ran double the distance I was struggling with.

I somehow managed to jog the last 100 or so yards.

And then I was done. Sweet Jesus I Was DONE!

Run Time: 43 minutes 50 seconds (14+ pace), 4th out of 4. Outlook: Pathetic. I was pissed at myself for not fueling properly, pissed at myself for not pushing harder & pissed at myself for not training harder leading up to race day.

And I was exhausted – simply exhausted.

Total Time: 01:41:33.22
Category Place (Athena): 4 out of 4 I was the slowest by 5 minutes. 5 whole effing minutes!

I grabbed some fruit & a muffin, you know, to avoid passing out, got my gear out of transition and walked with Diggity back to the car with my head hanging low – I was not happy with my performance. Yes, it was hot, and I’m not the only one that had a bad race, but I honestly wasn’t proud of my finish. 

Never fear though: The event ended on a happy note! After changing I went back to the finish area to see if I could catch Meghann and Courtney finish their Olympic races!

Courtney had already finished (recap here) and Meghann was just coming through the finish!

Seriously, Meghann must be super human because she came through the finish chute with a smile on her face! Check out her recap here. (And thanks for the picture Meghann!)

The biggest lessons I learned during the Siesta Beach Triathlon?

1. Be prepared for anything on race day – whether it’s heat, cold, waves, or rain.
2. Always take water at the water stops on extra hot days.
3. I need to do a better job of pushing myself during training – and on race day. Otherwise I’m going to continue “getting through” races instead of excelling.

And that’s all I have to say about that.