The day started early. Dirty Spice arrived with a pot of coffee at 5:15 and we headed to Carolina Beach. Because she brought said coffee, I granted her coach status for two hours. She could bark at me to HTFU for free. It also meant that she carried my gear and pumped my tires (best coach ever).





I toed the line surrounded by friends. There were Spice Girls beside me (Jen and Beth). Plus, Renee and Ben and Brian were in the starting chute with me and we joked about how to race: swim fast that way,  run fast that way, bike fast back and forth and come back even faster. We talked about paces and this is where I boldly claimed: if I run like I've been training, then I can hold sevens. I loved the first swim. It was so fast that I barely got cold.  I did it without  a wetsuit and was able to draft off the hip of someone who was wearing a suit. It was crowded and I had to kick a few people off my feet, but I got into a rhythm and even bilaterally breathed - for a few strokes (for my real coach).




Off We Go!

My first run was killer. I barely looked at my watch, but I felt strong and fast. I was first in my age-group on this run and I ran a 7:27/mile average! [Not at 7:00 - but close!] I was careful on this run (and the next) to not look ahead or behind. Sometimes when I do, I get disheartened when I see I have farther to go or that someone is coming up fast behind me.

The bike was sweet and fun. I'm pretty sure I looked like Chrissie Wellington. I'm not as fast as she is - but I can smile brighter. I was passed by a woman in my age-group near the first turn-around. I kept her in my sights and we played leap frog throughout the ride - I knew I was second or third. In the last loop, we were both passed by a woman who screamed by in all pink. I was still in the chase. 

Most of the bike, I focused on riding my own ride. There is a tendancy to want to change the game when you watch women scream by in their biggest gears. In a way, I wanted to CHARGE! But, I had watched SECRETARIAT the night before and knew to run my own race. My song for the ride was OH, HAPPY DAY and I'd written that and OH, GLORY on my arm that morning.

I also had a longer time finding my groove on the bike. My quads were sore and my legs felt a little wonky. It wasn't until the turn-around that I remembered why: I ran 1.5 miles to transition.   

I jumped off Luci and headed into the second run. It was hot - but the sun was hiding. I saw one my leap-frog woman come out of T80 but she was a transformer. She morphed from that frog into a gazelle. But, my second run was amazing. I relaxed for a minute and then started picking it up.  I heard Jen's voice halfway around the lake: keep it up! you get to ice on the next leg of the race!  I hit the quarter mile and started looking for people to pass. I passed a 19-year-old (score!) and two men my age and rounded the corner for the beach. I heard Jen again near the beach. She yelled something like make it hurt for eight more minutes.  I took off my shoes and tossed them at my stake in the beach transition. 


The next eight minutes were brutal. In order to "swim with the current", we had to run 400 yards down the beach to get to the swim start. I started by trotting, but then I spied the girl who had screamed past me on the bike - the one in pink. I picked up my pace and I caught her at the buoy. BUT, when I waded in and started to swim, I couldn't catch my breath. Going from hot to cold, vertical to prone, threshold breathing to threshold not-breathing hurts. I had to tarzan swim and side stroke and doggie paddle. And I stopped. Meanwhile, Pinky was pulling away. I made it to the first turn buoy and some back-stroking dude passed me. Wait! What? I rolled over for two or three back strokes then rolled back around and drafted off Mister BackStroke. 

Did I mention that the surf was rougher by then? And that by "swim with the current" I meant: NOT. I felt like I was being sucked out to sea, especially on the 100 yard swim into the beach. I kept hoping I could touch the bottom and run out of the ocean, but that didn't happen until I was three feet from the shoreline. From there, I stood up and trotted up a dune to the finish! 

I was only forty seconds off the podium! I finished in 1:15:24.  In my age-group, I was first in on Run No. 1 and second on Run No. 2. More importantly, my second run was a faster split than the first.  My transitions rocked and I made it back to town in time to teach my spin class.  Here are some highlights:




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