the picture is of me doing an instant replay of the jaw drop for Jen Oldright
I wish I were older...
just one year older. Then I would have placed 5th out of 13 in my age group at the Federal Escape Olympic Triathlon (July 26, 2008). Or better yet I wish I were 5 years younger. Then I would have placed 2nd out of 11; and I would have fewer wrinkles too. Instead I'm 34, and I placed 7th out of 8 in my age group. Ouch! Next to last! The top three female finishers just happened to be in MY age group, along with some other really fast people. If only, if only...
Wait, let me start my race report over again.
The Federal Escape Olympic Tri was my "A" race this season. I started training for it 6 mo. ago; and then all of a sudden I realized that it was here and I was actually going to be pushing myself as hard as I could for almost 3 hours straight. All throughout my training I really enjoyed the process, and I was confident I could complete the race because I had put in my training time. I knew that if I could go for a three hour training ride, I could finish the race. As the race got closer though, I started realizing just how hard it would be, and that just finishing wasn't enough for me. I started doubting my ability to keep myself at my limits for that long, but I knew that if I didn't I would be disappointed with myself. Training for triathlon is strange, because you never practice the whole thing at once. I think the most my plan ever had me ride in zones 4-5a consecutively was 35 minutes. I started wondering "How can I keep that effort up for another hour, and swim and run too?" In the end I just had to trust that the professionals know what they are talking about and trust that my plan would work.
The week leading up to the race was great (gotta love the taper). Friday night I dropped my kids off with friends, and Erik (my husband) and I enjoyed a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. I really didn't feel that nervous (not nearly as nervous as I did before my first race this season). I was amazed actually at how calm I felt and how ready I was to do the race. Unfortunately my brain wouldn't shut off, and I didn't sleep a wink that night! At least I knew from experience (yes it's happened to me before) that I can still race well when I'm low on sleep.
Got to Five Mile Lake at 6am and was able to snag an end rack. Had plenty of time to set up, warm up and probably drive Michelle F. crazy with my many questions (I tend to over-think everything). We finally lined up for the beach start at around 7:45am and I was looking forward to starting the race so that I could start taking it moment by moment, instead of trying to resist the urge to run through the entire race mentally over and over and over again. I made some comment to Michelle about not knowing how to pace myself for the swim as I'd never raced this distance before, and the girl next to me overheard me and said "You know, Triathlon is one of those sports that you can only truly learn by race experience."
The swim went well. I tried to stay relaxed and push to the point where I was "comfortably uncomfortable". The second lap of the .9 mile swim actually felt better than the first. My official time was 27:28.9, but I've been told by fellow athletes who timed their swim that the official times are shy by two minutes; so technically it took me 29:28.9. Still, I was under my 30 minute goal; so that's great.
My transition went very smoothly, but as I was hastily positioning my bike at the mount line I tipped it over and almost fell on top of it. That was kind of embarrassing! A volunteer asked if I was ok and I said "Yes, I just hope my bike's ok!" (It's fine by the way.) As I headed out on the bike I had no idea how I had done on the swim (didn't want to drown my Garmin--maybe I should invest in a cheap waterproof watch) and I really didn't know how I would do on the bike either. The first five minutes of the bike seemed really hard after swimming for thirty minutes. I made myself choke down a gu and some water because I knew I'd need it; then I got into aero and got to work.
I was afraid to look at my time, but finally decided to check it after the first of four 5.83 mile laps. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had completed it in less than 20 minutes! Checked again after my second lap:less than 40 minutes. The third lap would be the test, as I had never raced more that 14 miles before. I actually felt stronger on the third lap, and as I passed the park I checked my time again: 55 minutes and change! If I kept this pace up I could finish in under 1:20 (something I hadn't thought possible before the race)! As I passed Erik I yelled "One more lap!!!" I was ecstatic! I knew by how I felt that I could keep going strong and I knew I would be able to meet my time goal. I had a big ol' smile pasted on my face! As I hit one of the slight uphill portions on the course I started chanting "Last lap, last lap, last lap" audibly (luckily no one was nearby at the moment) and then decided I'd better stop chanting and conserve my energy. I checked my time when I was about a mile from the park and I was still eight minutes under 1:20. I doubled my efforts and told myself happily "Eight minutes!" almost in disbelief. As I neared the entrance to the park I couldn't help but exclaim "Yes!" with a HUGE grin on my face as I noticed a time of 1:15 something. Official bike time: 1:16:38.1
T2 went just as smoothly as T1 (both took about 1:08) and as I started out on the run I told Erik, "As far as I'm concerned my race is over; I'm so excited about my bike time, now all I have to do is go run 6 miles!" I don't know if he understood what I said but I think he knew I was happy and he cheered me on. Running after biking feels so hard at first, but within 5 minutes I was feeling like I had settled in. I had a gu and water and decided to take the first lap a little conservatively. Checked my time after the first lap and knew that I would surpass my goal for the race. Started my second lap with a big smile and a light heart, and told myself it was time to take it up a notch. Soon after I heard someone yell "Alissa Anderson, you are a superstar!!" It was Jen Oldright passing me on her bike in the sprint distance race. What an encouraging thing to hear from a great friend!
As I entered the park I gave it all I had. I couldn't stop smiling! I crossed the finish line and the announcer called out my time "2:37:42". My jaw dropped, "2:37?" I yelled to her! "Yep, 2:37" she said. I was stunned. I had done better than I had even dared to hope! My "reasonable" goal had been 2:50, but I had started to doubt that it was reasonable as the race approached. My secret goal that I had only shared with Erik was 2:44. I had blown both my goals away and I was on cloud 9!
I've been on cloud nine since; until I looked at the posted results tonight. 7th out of 8 in my age group; second to last place? You've got to be kidding me! 6 months of training and far surpassed goals and I land in the bottom of my age group? I knew that Olympic distance races brought out more competitive athletes, but I had hoped to land more in the middle of my age group.
Luckily I just wrote this race report which helped to remind me how awesome I felt after the race, how well everything went, and how proud of my hard work and the results thereof I should be (due in no small part to the grace of God and the support of my family). How blessed I am; and how blessed we all are to be a part of Raise the Bar. It was awesome to race and visit with other RTB members. And congratulations are in order to all who raced, but especially those who placed: Michelle Fjetland, 1st in her age group; Phil Spencer, 1st age group, third overall; Kelly Richards, 3rd age group; Svetlana Vasiliev, 1st age group, 2nd overall (sprint distance). Sorry if I missed anyone--these are the teammates I know of.
Oh, and I did place 26th out of 60 women, and 79th out of 126 combined, so that's not half bad!
It is so true that you really have to race to learn the sport of triathlon, so get out there and race; and have fun doing it!
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