I got to meet Duane and his family! What a swell guy! I even got to see him quite a bit on the course, which was a nice boostie on what was a really challenging day.
Time for some more math:
Moving - 3 weeks of training + the Hill of Death + more hills + wind = Ugh Fest '07
...and a finish time of 2:12 -- on a SPRINT!
All right, I get it. I have to train.
Not Just a River in Egypt
In the days leading up to this thing, I was in a lot of denial. even as I packed my stuff (the night BEFORE!!) I still didn't believe I was actually going to go through with it. And the next morning, as I was loading the car and driving away...even as I set up my transition area, I still could not believe that I was going to participate in this race. It wasn't until I was in the water getting pummelled (for the first time ever) that I accepted my fate. "I guess I'm doing this," I told myself, finally.
Swim ~12 minutes
Ugh Fest begins. This is the first time I've done an open water swim that was actually crowded. Even at IMAZ I had plenty of space to just SWIM. I spent a good portion of the first 100m doing a breast-stroke/sculling/treading water because I got myself stuck in a clump that moved just slightly slower than me.
Bike ~1:17 (times are approximate because my HRM does not have a lap function -- WTF?!)
I passed Duane just before the Hill of Death. Lots of people walked their bikes up this thing. I'm proud to say that I stayed on my bike and pedaled the whole thing. Apparently even that is an accomplishment becuase I saw a woman about 10 yards ahead of me just completely fall off of her bike and into the tall reeds (you know, when you're clipped in and going _really_ slow and you just lose it?).
Between the hills and the wind (which I won't complain about because it was the only thing keeping the heat at bay) I went slow enough to reacquaint myself with the color green (lots of it, as far as the eye can see) after a decade in the desert's hazel beauty. I also got acquainted with Iowa's aroma: earthy, rich...with a splash of swampy and a hint of pig farm. In wine terms: not a great finish.
Run ~43 minutes
Then I went on a leisurely, 5K stroll. I don't think I can really call this a run, because I only ran about a third of it. But here's something amazing: even walking, I managed to pass someone. Short and stumpy with stubby legs PASSED a guy!
Not Easy Being Green
There should be a sign at the Iowa border saying you are about to enter the world's largest corn maze, and that you had better have a map. The highways here often overlap in some sections...I got lost coming home! SONUVA!
6 comments:
We were climbing the Hill of Death at exactly the same moment I think - my friend Melissa biffed it right behind me and fell over (who you must have seen in all her grace - she had fun making fun of herself about that afterwards, especially since she fell over at the dismount line as well)and I passed Duane right before I started climbing as well. There were a lot of people walking their bikes up that hill though! Perhaps you were the lucky soul that I said "I hate this f%$&(# hill" to :-)
This was my first open water swim, so I am glad to know that all of them aren't that crowded - I could not get a groove on!
Well, welcome to Iowa! With the faint smell of pigs everywhere! And as long as you know which direction you are facing and are okay with driving on gravel, you can't really get that lost here :-)
Glad to hear you got through your sufferfest...and sorry to hear about the pig smell. Hopefully the greeness makes up for it! I took an Animal Science course when I was at A&M for undergrad--the pig farm tour was so smelly I had to throw away my clothes from that day. Seriously nasty. :(
Yeah, training helps. You did it though!
It's reports like this that really motivate me to work harder and get the courage to do a Tri. Thank you.
Dan
Great to meet you Krissy! Glad you did the race! Let us know how your place goes!
Hey, you got out there and you finished - that is a very good thing! I think Iowa looks a fair bit like Connecticut (only more space between the mountains, perhaps) - we have a lot of cornfields around here too and I know what you mean about the smells! Takes getting used to for an ex-city girl like me!
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