Hooray for the Woman of Steel! I was really excited to participate in this race and I was on a mission to do MUCH better than last year. I'm so glad Camilla came and did it with me! We left the family for the weekend and stayed in a hotel with Travis, Ryan, and Brendon and had a fun time!
Look at those ominous clouds!! We were freezing as we waited at the poolside! I am in that group of ladies, standing just to the left of the lady with pink calf sock thingies. Most of the girls ahead of me were 15-yr-old swimmers. I knew I had to get up front to avoid any problems in the swim. I tucked in just behind the girls who knew what they were doing and was happy that I seeded myself perfectly! First time that has happened! I didn't have to pass anyone and no one passed me in the pool.
Getting ready for the pool start. I jumped in and swam my guts out. This was a 50-meter pool so it felt like I was swimming much further. I was pleased with my time, though. I swam a 5:48 which bested last year's time of 6:24 by 36 seconds! Placed 23rd overall in the swim.
T1: I was determined to have a blazing fast transition, but I ran down the wrong line of bikes. So I had to run around again and then I struggled getting my shoes on because my feet were wet. Oh, well. I still did fine - 1:39 compared to last year's 3:08. Difference of 1:21 and placed 16th overall.
Bike: Headed out on the bike. I really struggled clipping in, but once I got going, I was fine. This course is interesting in the fact that there is a really steep climb at the beginning and then a steep decline at the end. The steep climb, however, really kicked my trash. I tried to motor up as well as I could and by the time I got to the top, my legs were spent. Coming down the backside, I cruised as fast as I dared go, getting up to 30mph at one point (that's scary fast!). You had to do two loops and on the second loop, the weather started getting nasty. Rain was falling and the wind was blowing. I didn't dare go very fast on the backside for fear of being blown into traffic.
Camilla coming into transition from the swim. She put on her running shoes first and then had to change to her bike shoes when she realized what she'd done! Haha!
Getting the bike down.....
Running out of transition........
And off she goes!! She did a great job on the bike!
Here I am coming in from the bike to T2. My left foot always gets stuck in the pedals and I have a hard time getting it out! That second loop was incredibly cold! My feet, hands, and shoulders were numb. Especially my feet, though. Bike time: 43:51, bested last year's 45:43 by 1:52 placing me 37th overall.
T2: You know when your feet are numb and they feel twice as big as normal? Yeah, well, it's pretty difficult putting numb feet into running shoes! I thought briefly about putting on a shirt and socks due to the cold, but then decided to "Woman Up" and just go for it. Time of 1:45, besting last year's 2:05 by 20 seconds placing me 70th overall (my worst one!).
Run: As difficult as it was to put numb feet into my running shoes, it was even harder to run on them! I felt like I was running on bricks. Fortunately, my legs were warmed up from the bike so I relied on sheer willpower to keep running. I motored up those hills, passing a few people on the way. I even passed a biker! She saw me pass her as she was struggling to bike up the hill and said, "Way to pass me on my bike!" After getting past the hills, it was smooth sailing from there. I picked up the pace and passed a few more ladies and ran hard on the downhill. I loved it and felt great! Here I am near the finish sprinting my heart out! I was NOT going to lose by one second again! Ran a 22:13 beating last year's 23:21 by 1:08 placing me 15th overall.
Look at that smile!! Coming in off the bike ready for Transition 2.
Go girl, go!!
And here she comes for the finish!
So proud of her! She's come a long way since the bike wreck! Way to go, Camilla! You rock!!
Overall, I placed 4th in my age group (missing out on a medal by a minute) and 16th in the overall. WAY better than last year's 63rd finish in age group and 123rd finish overall. I was happy!
And, yes, we are Women of Steel!
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