Sahaurita Lake. It looks so beautiful and peaceful in the evening. This was the few of our swim location the night of packet pick-up. Which I must say was very underwhelming. I enjoy the packet pick-ups, race venue expos and the post race celebrations. This was lacking in all three but it was still a race I wanted to do. I had such fears about doing this event for one reason only. Blue dyed water! I have heard stories of men coming out of the swim with their facial hair blue in color. The rumor is they dye the lake blue. I have yet to find out why. I couldn't imagine what we were going to look like . Something sparked my interest to do this event. I don't know if it was from the great Sprint time I had previously or if its was the fact that I was going to be able to race with a friend that I knew in Saudi Arabia that also lives in Tucson, down in that area. Prior to the even Tracy and I went down to do a pre-ride with Jeneane to check out the bike course. It was a great ride out near the mines and had a lot of rolling hills. I knew once we did that test ride that I was good to do the event, so I signed up for it. The day of the event came, we had stayed down with Jeneane to allow us to do packet pick up the night before and get to the start at a decent time with out so much travel. We found out they changed the bike route from what we had done and put it in reverse. I remember seeing old Real Estate clients out there that are often participating in IM events and the main reason I even became interested in doing triathlons. As we got ready to start the swim, I donned my wetsuit. This was going to be the first time I got to wear it since I had gotten it since the swim was cancelled at Austin. Come to find out that it is now getting too big on me as I have lost a lot of inches over the last year. I was so proud at how fast I was able to put it on only to discover that it was probably easy because i had it on backwards!!! I discovered this just minutes before we were to get in th water. Oh, to be able to laugh at your self is such a good feeling. Quickly, I put it on properly and got in the water to wait for our start. This was ladies group start. As we began, for some reason I had such an overwhelming since of panic. I had a hard time getting my crap together to the point that I had to get to the side of the lake and catch my breath. Eventually, I made it around the turn around and headed into the exit. Man, I was never so glad to be out of the water, but I did it and it was on to T1. T1 went well. As always I had my Hammer Nutrition on board and my Rudy Project Helmet and Sunglasses on. The ride was tougher than I had remember because now it was the other direction. We passed my client on the side of the road where he had a bike issue and had to pull out of the event. I felt so bad because he is a fast triathlete and lost a chance to podium because of it. I remember meeting a guy on the bike and all we could both think was when are we getting off this bike. The head winds were ridiculous. We certainly put some effort into that cycling. T2 went well. I had put on socks at this point as didn't want to run with out them. The path was nice and windy and through the neighborhood. We had to do two loops of the run and the second one came much easier for me than the first. I did more walking then I wanted to do but in the end I had good race and was happy to be finished. My old team mate Mike was also there watching other friends and he managed to snap a few photos.. Thanks Mike! I don't know if I will do this race again, I would consider it to be able to conquer some of the technical areas and the never ending headwind but if I did, it wouldn't be anytime soon. I was glad to not be blue and think I lucked out this time. This marked my second Olympic/International distance and for me another PR. I think I can get use to the PRs! They are my personal podium!
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Victoria "Torie" GrammarJust your average Mom and Friend who found a love for the swim, bike, and run. Archives
January 2023
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