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| Walking to the swim start. |
Since it’s not wise to just jump right into an Ironman, we’ve competed in a few races throughout this spring season to build up to it.
The races really test the fitness we’ve built over the past few months, let us practice hydration and nutrition techniques (fancy speak for water and food intake), and settle our nerves and stomachs.
A few months ago we competed in the Tarpley 20-miler, then the No Excuses 80-mile sportive in March, then the Paris marathon in April.
On May 26
th we competed in probably the most important of these ‘training’ events: the Beaver Middle Distance Triathlon.
The race consisted of a 1900-meter swim, 46-mile bike, and 13-mile run, making it just 10 miles shy of a half-Ironman.
The race was held on the grounds of the gorgeous Belvoir Castle about an hour from our house and nearby Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame.
I can’t imagine a more spectator-friendly event: the weather was just shockingly perfect (70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky!), the views were stunning, the bike course was three loops, and the run was a 4-time out-and-back.
My mom and Benson were the best spectators there – they cheered and shouted constant encouragements and didn’t leave their posts even to get lunch!
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| So much to organize before a race. |
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| Belvoir Castle and Carolina blue skies. What a gorgeous setting for a race. |
The swim portion of the race was two laps in a four foot deep pond (plus a
foot of silt at the bottom).
The amount
of muck the hundreds of us swimmers churned up was disgusting; visibility was
so low you couldn’t see your hand enter the water.
Thinking about what exactly was being stirred
up makes me shudder.
I think it’s so
sweet that mom was yelling the whole time despite having no idea where we
actually were (everyone looks alike in a black wetsuit and the same orange cap.)
I did see her as I got out of the water and out of my wet suit, though, and it
was AMAZING to have her there!
From the
water I ran up a 450 meter grassy slope to the transition area to ditch the
wetsuit and jump into bike shoes and helmet.
I had been warned of the hills on the bike course and was prepared for
the long, grinding climb at the back side.
I had NOT been warned that said hill would
get taller and steeper every loop, though.
Ouch!
Every fifteen miles I’d
look out for mom and Benson.
They’d jump
out of their folding chairs and start snapping pictures and shouting
encouragement.
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| The swim. |
The gorgeous weather made me want to stay on the bike forever. It’s hard to
make my non-England friends understand how rare a 70°, sunny day is here.
We haven’t had one of those in what, six
months?
But alas, the ride had to come
to an end after the third loop so I dropped off the bike, changed shoes, and suddenly
realized just how badly I needed to pee.
Apparently my hydration techniques were working.
I asked the nearest course marshal where the
port-o-potties were and was met with a blank stare.
Wait, this is a five-hour event.
Surely there are toilets? Okay, well, maybe
the need to pee will pass.
I am,
remember, in a one-piece bit of spandex that is next to impossible to
remove.
Unfortunately, all its powers of
compression were focusing directly over my bladder.
After two miles I was starting to panic.
There were zero toilets, hundreds of spectators
milling about (and taking photos!), and no real wooded areas to clamber into
for privacy.
I’d say 75% of the
participants were male, and they had no qualms about doing their business
behind a two-inch thick tree.
Um, I can
still see you, but thanks for trying. Ha!
Anyhooooo, I figured something out and the next ten miles went pretty
quickly. I kept an 8:50 pace which was great (for me) considering how hard I worked
on the bike.
Each of the four run loops
was entirely uphill on the way out (boo) and downhill on the way back (yay).
One part of me HATED doing four laps on an
out-and-back course but the other part found great joy in seeing competitor
friends (Chris, Ryan, Gareth, Phil, John) and spectators on each lap.
Mom and B never stopped shouting
encouragement which was good because my brain was so fried I couldn’t think of
a single lyric to a single song other than “All the Single Ladies” by
Beyonce.
That was worse than the 13-mile
run!
The gorgeous day turned a bit hot
by the last few miles of the run and I had the sudden realization that we were
going to burned to a crisp (we were) and the tri suits were going to leave ridiculous
tan lines (they did).
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| Love my Trek Madone! If only it had a little motor for the hills... |
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| Chris on the only flat part of the run course. |
Overall both Chris and I were really pleased with our times – he finished in
4:50 and me in 5:10.
I know that means
nothing to most people, so here’s more numbers that will probably mean even
less: I averaged 1:50/100 on the swim, 18.4 mph on the bike, and 8:50/mile for
the run.
Chris was faster than me on
everything, of course.
To temper my
pride, though, the girl who won my age category finished almost an HOUR ahead
of me and 40 minutes in front of Chris.
Amazing.
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| Chris crossing the finish line. |
Thank you to EVERYONE who came out and cheered and all of the race marshals
and volunteers who made the race go quite smoothly!
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| Mom and B were tired from all that cheering! |
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