Women of Steel Race Report

There comes a time in every athlete's game when you take a good long look at the things you COULD have done better and the thing that you COULD NOT have controlled. Today was that day for me. While confident in my fitness and having a belief in myself I know there are things that are completely out of my control. BUT. The things a CAN control make a much longer list and are the main contributors to today's sobering race results. But instead of dwelling on it lets get right down to what I had control over today.

The SWIM:

Ok, I admit it! With a record of high swim finishes I went into today's swim with an, ahem, an over developed sense of confidence. Aaaand...it wasn't bad, BUT, it could have been better! I jumped into the pool running and swam hard, my arms burned and my legs were whining like little babies. It felt hard but in reality, I came out of the pool and to the transition mat in a nearly identical finish time as Ice Breaker. Sooo, no excuses, it was good for me, but only yielded a 14th age group finish. My one regret is not trying out my Tri suit in the pool without a wetsuit covering it. It provided the extra drag I believe my arms and legs were complaining about...but hey, we looked gooood! :) 6:21 Swim

T1

Okay, my T1 was an EMBARRASSMENT to the establishment! I could have pulled up a chair and knitted a sweater! Okay, that is a stretch but it reflects how silly my goofed attempt at T1 was. Not only would my shoes not go on my feet but I LAID MY BIKE OVER when I lost my grip on it. Wet hands, shiny carbon paint job, botched handling, bike goes down, I fumble the mount and get a sloooow start on the bike. At least I laid it over on the grass, I would HATE a reminder on my pretty frame for the rest of our collective Tri lives. 1:57 T1

The BIKE:

Taking off on the bike was almost as bad as Ice Breaker. No webble-wobbling drunkard action, but slooooow. Could have parked my tucas on a beach cruiser and sipped a limeade and it would have been less un-comfortable to watch.
But I got it together and had a pretty good first loop.
The second loop was a frustrating mix of dodging the tired, the inexperienced and the unaware. I did a lot of shouting, a lot of braking and a lot of coasting. I get it, big event, crowded course and newbie's that didn't hear the 'ride single file' bit. Even still, I biked it as fast as I thought I would so really I was my own Mrs. Poppy Pants.
Coming off the bike was probably a mix of tightly drawn breaths threw clinched teeth or a half giggle snuffed out by a hand over mouth! Yeah, it was THAT bad. Turns out, a flying dismount does noooot work so well up hill. And we'll leave it at THAT. 41:19 Bike

T2

Oh boy. T2, it was okay, bikes dont rack themselves,frozen toes need a little more concentration going into running shoes, and sunglasses that fly off your face with your helmet all make for a slow T2. 1:42

The RUN:

Now the run was much better than expected. Excluding my watch freezing on the first mile, I felt good. I was keeping pace with gals that "looked fast" and did NOT fall on my face. :) My back felt good, legs felt good and I enjoyed most of the run. The only part that was not so enjoyable were the aid stations. At the last moment a biker rider cut me off and STOPPED right in front of the aid station. I missed the water and ended up grabbing what tasted like watered down lemon-lime Gatorade or was it water with a touch of Gatorade? Whatever it was my stomach did NOT want it. (I left out the barfing on my bike part, you're welcome.)
The next aid station I stayed clear of but a guy did jump over with some water which also did not go down and I tossed it. Should have skipped it altogether it was just a little 5k after all!
I must admit, when I hit that stretch of sidewalk from Ice Breaker I was thinking about this report, 'fell on my face AGAIN', did cross my mind and I did not want to have to write that AGAIN! It worked though, I kept my head down and feet up and had a great finish. That is up until I got punked in the shoot! Man I HATE it when that happens! 26:18 Run

I finished 22nd in my age group and 70th out of 701 starters, failing to qualify for nationals by 1:32. When it's all said and done, none of those little details caused my failure to reach my goal today. I failed myself. I failed to take seriously my coaching, to ditch the junk and feed myself like an athlete. I failed everyday I chose to ignore my nutrition and carelessly treat my body like a trash can leading up to race day. Despite the things that were out of my control going into the race, I am completely responsible for this failure. I kick myself for letting me down! I kick myself for letting my coach down and one more for letting my cheering squad down. They all sacrifice a lot for me and I squandered it.

And guess with that there's just one thing left to do...

My name is Kelly Jones and I... am a sugarholic.

It's been 3, no wait, 2, no... At least ONE hour since my last taste. *Sigh*



P.S. TriUtah put on a really fantastic race! I could skip the bracelet and necklace though. I'd much rather have real race bling, but my daughter loves it! The food was great too! Served up on a plate with a chocolate chip cookie (which my kids ate) and plenty of massage therapists! Fantastic!