I raced this past weekend and had a blast. I didn’t really have big expectations going into it. I always want to beat my time from last year, but I also knew I was going into it very under-trained. Plus, I didn’t have the challenge that I did of last year of holding off Sami Winter - who started with me last year and threatened to catch me at the halfway point of the bike (she did). She missed this year’s race so I didn’t have anyone chasing me. My swim prep was solid - but not fast. And this would be my first open water swim for the year. My bike training was mostly on the trainer (not outside) and definitely not on the hills. I had done the half marathon in March - but my mileage and effort has been way down since then. I had done Azalea sprint also - but still felt a little rusty. So rusty, in fact, that I left my bike computer in Wilmington!
This race is kind of a big deal. I joke that the Wrightsville Beach race in September is the Sprint World Championships, but Pinehurst is the International World Championships. The course is challenging and everyone from the southeast shows up. I was excited to race, but seriously didn’t have any expectations. My mantras for the day were: LET IT BE EASY and 4G MASTERS. Coach Michelle had given me LET IT BE EASY the week before - a mantra for business that I now used in the bike and the run. For Masters weekend, I wanted to be the master of gusto, gumption, gruel and grace.
Overall, I had a great day. I showed up fairly early, parked, walked to transition, racked my bike, got my chip, warmed up on my bike, set up my transition and headed to the swim start. I hung out for a bit with Jennifer Barker and chatted a bit with Erin Byrge. I did my normal swim warm-up and then got out of the water to wait for my wave on the beach.
My swim went well. The swim in Lake Pinehurst can be a challenge. The first buoy is straight into the sun and it was super crowded. The water temp was 66 degrees - so a little chilly. And, as usual, I think the swim was long. Of course, I can’t verify because I either pressed a button in the swim or someone kicked my hand and stopped my watch about two minutes in and I didn’t record the whole distance or correct time. Needless to say, my swim was solid and the lake was pretty calm. My time was 32:23 (last year it was 30:19). And guess what, I tried something new on race day! I used the SWIM STRAIGHT feature on my new FORM goggles. This was literally the first time I’ve used the FORM goggles in open water. More to come on this.
My bike was……..fine. It was SO WINDY. I mean seriously, how was there headwind for 24 of the 26.2 mile loop? As I mentioned, I didn’t have Sami chasing me down so I used my mantra: LET IT BE EASY on the hills and in the wind. The day was bright and sunny and everything looked so green. I checked out everyone’s bikes, looked around at the golf courses and horse farms and generally had a good time. I was one minute faster this year than last!
The run this year felt different. For starters, it was about 10 degrees cooler. But, I’ve been practicing my hill running at a UNCW parking deck. I knew that I could run up three levels and so in the first few miles I made myself run up and down three hills and then take a walk break. On the back side of the lake, there is a fairly flat section so I used my metronome as a pace setter and tried to keep running. On the way back in, there are a few steeper hills and I would just walk them.
The best part about the run was that I made a golfer laugh. I was running past a tee box and an older-than-me gentleman was teeing up while his buddies watched us crazy triathletes run by. He smacked it and it sounded perfect. I said loudly - get in the hole! And he turned around with the biggest smile. I’ve always wanted to hear that from the gallery, he called out to me. I’ve always wanted to say it! He and his buddy started laughing and he called out: have a great race!
My run was almost 6 minutes faster than last year! And, my finish time (3:25:28) was three minutes faster. I was pretty excited and got my expectations up. Last year, I was only a few minutes off the podium. I was stoked and suddenly, I had hope! Maybe I’d make the podium. When I got to transition, I visited with Sara and Ren and Kiera and Brooke. I changed clothes and turned on my phone. I checked my results: 9th place. Of NINE! I was last in my age group!
I pouted for about 10 minutes. I started packing my gear and prepping my bike to leave. It’s a long way home. I can head on out. No reason to stay. I know that podiums are icing on the cake. It all depends on who shows up on race day. And the best women in NC showed up on race day. They crushed it. The winner in my age group finished in 2:42 for crying out Mike! The woman across from me on the bike rack was pouting, too. The winner in her age group finished in 2:24. I think I’m going to leave. Let’s go sit in the sun for a bit before I head back. Wanna come?
I headed back over to the lakefront area and chatted with my friends from Wilmington. They all had great days and it was fun to hear about their race. I headed over to look for Kathy and passed this amazing group of women from Pinehurst who called themselves SLAM: Sweat Like a Mother. They had a YETI cooler on wheels full of champagne and orange juice. Do you want one, they asked. Um. Yes, please. I chatted with them for a few minutes and finally found Kathy. Come meet my new friends, I said. They have mimosas. We poured one for Kathy and topped mine off and went over to sit in the Aiderondack chairs in the sun. We watched as the podium finishers got their awards and the athletes cleared out.
THE SLAM women of Pinehurst. Sweat Like a Mother.
Eventually we headed to the parking lot (which seemed closer and yet……farther after mimosas). When we got to the parking area, there were probably only 10 cars left. But, the closest cars to ours were having cake and coffee. Wow! I exclaimed, you Pinehurst folks know how to have an amazing time. Someone was having a birthday and they had a huge carrot cake and a giant thermos of coffee. Kathy was like: I’m having cake and I agreed to coffee.
with Kathy at the Pinehurst Tri Lakefront
Kathy and the Carrot Cake
TATAFORNOW