Race Recap: SheROX!!!

   I don't care if you are a beginner runner/triathlete or a Olympian, when you get to race day in your head you have an idea of how you want to perform.  Maybe you have a specific time goal in mind, maybe you want to beat a previous record for the course, maybe you just want to finish and finish well.  And if the race doesn't go like you thought it would, it can lead to some disappointment.  As a Warning... That's kind of how I feel about my performance yesterday... So bare with me as I describe what happened!

   Last year, this was my first triathlon EVER!  I was BEYOND nervous and truly was just out to finish the race and see what happens.  This year, I went into the race thinking of it as a piece of cake since I am currently training for the Muncie, IN 1/2 Ironman race on July 9th! EEK!  I was feeling very confident, and actually wasn't that nervous (which is impressive since I get nervous before EVERY race).  I've been training hard for Muncie and Jose has been pushing me to do things I NEVER thought I'd be able to do - pull-ups for example! Dang those things are hard!  But in the back of my head I am very nervous about Muncie and wonder if I can do it.  I can do each of the three parts, but together... who knows!  Anyways, I was looking at yesterday's race as a decent way to gage how I am feeling about Muncie... if I was SUPER sore after this race then I have a problem, if I couldn't complete it, then I am SO NOT ready for Muncie.  I was also hoping that it would be a confidence booster for me, that it would calm my fears a little bit and I'd feel more confident about Muncie... that didn't happen!
 
    It's race morning and I am up bright and early, getting pumped up to go! Everything was laid out the night before, just had to get dressed, eat something, load my bike and away I go!  Mistake #1... I spent the night at my parent's because my Mom wanted to come with me to cheer me on.  I am VERY allergic to our dogs, and as a result they aren't even allowed in the room I sleep in... EVER!  So I took an allergy pill before I went to bed and when I woke up I could tell that I was wheezy! Ohhh great...  So we drove to the race and I went to set-up my transition.  I took my inhaler at this point because I knew I wasn't allowed back into transition until after I had done my swim.  Which means I took my inhaler 2 hours before I started exercising and it is ideal to take it 30 minutes before exercising... Mistake #2... My wave finally was allowed in the water and we are all getting pumped up like crazy!  And I had put my swim cap on and my goggles on top of my head... We were waiting for a while so when they finally blew the air horn, I just dove right in! Immediately realizing that I left my goggles on top of my head! CRAP!  So I had to stop and put them on!  And of course then I had water in them! Sheesh!

Can you see my waving and my goggles on my head?

       So I finished my Swim but felt very off,  very phlegmy (sorry to be graphic) but I booked it to my bike and threw on my shoes and took off!  My bike felt incredibly SLOW! I put my heart rate monitor on after the swim and my heartrate was 173!  I couldn't get it to drop below that the entire bike ride!  It felt so labored and like the longest ride of my life.  I thought maybe I should stop and take my inhaler because I was having issues breathing but chose to keep treking on... that was Mistake #3!  I finally finished the bike and saw my Mom right at the bike dismount and she asked how I was doing... I lied and said, "GREAT!"  I dropped my bike off and took off running... within a few minutes I had to walk, I could not catch my breath!  My heartrate was over 175 now! So I was hoping walking would make it drop down... Not a chance!  The first mile was brutal, a crappy combination of walking and running trying to regulate my breathing... I know, Stuipd that I didn't stop and take my inhaler for 2 seconds.  But the thought of a "rescue inhaler" makes me think I should only use it if I am having an asthma attack... and I wasn't... atleast not yet...  So I didn't take it, I just kept trekking along!  But now I was pissed! The race hadn't gone anything like I thought it would and I was frustrated!  So I sucked it up and started really running!  My last mile was by far my fastest!  About a 1/2 mile out I came up behind two of my Suburban Multisport teammates and shouted, "Let's go Suburban Multisport!" and then zipped past! I suppose I should have stayed back and finished with them, but I was on a mission! I had to redeem what I could of the race! So I finished:

I'm pretty pumped!

      I then waited at the finish line for my teammates to run in and cheer them across the finish line!  I'm pretty sure my Mom was very confused why I didn't come over to her right away!  So they crossed and there were hugs all around!  It was very fun!


Susan and I after finishing!

    So, once I walked over to my Mom, just from talking to her she could tell that I was having issues breathing and made me take my inhaler immediately!  My heartrate finally started to drop and I could breathe better! So Memo to Self: The second you think you should/might need to take your inhaler, Do it! DO NOT WAIT!  I am disappointed for a few reasons:  My race didn't go as planned, my bike and run sucked, I wanted to beat last year's time and I didn't.
   But I am going to think of the positive things, such as:

•  I placed 16th in my Age Group
•  I took 235 overall out of 1468 (which I think is pretty good, considering!)
• The run course was different this year (I'm convinced it was longer) and the first place finisher finished in 1:10, I was only about 20 minutes behind that, where as last year I was 30mins behind 1st place.
• My mom was there to support me and now wants to try it herself!
• I had a great time visiting and celebrating with my teammates!