The day before Halloween was the day of our race. As we all dropped of our gear at T2 and made the slow walk to the buses to get to the swim start and T1, The procession of shadows in the fog in the dark, with only an occasional light trailer to light the path, began, It looked like a scene out of a zombie movie. We talked to two young boys on the bus, one had never evened any swim practice before this event, and this was his first! Really? Who does that? As we arrived at T1 and checked on our bikes and donned our wetsuits, bats were flying over head. This is not the most appealing way to want to go swim in a fog covered lake. I discovered that overnight my tire went flat and I didn't want to assume it was not popped as a few had done that over night so there I was just before the start of my race, changing my tube. Better safe than sorry. My morning nutrition was set. I had taken my Hammer Nutrition. Fully Charged was consumed while I ate my bagel, took my Endurolytes, and Anti Fatigue and had my Gels ready for the day. My age group was set to start around 7am. The fog on the lake was not lifting. Then we waited...and waited...and waiting, until finally the Race Director decided that it was not safe for us to swim due to the amount of fog and lack of visibility on the lake. The swim was cancelled. All the swim training I had done for this day, not needed. As much as I had a little swim anxiety relief, I was bummed. I really wanted to see how I would do on that swim. I wanted my coach to be proud. I wanted to be proud. I knew it was going to be my best swim. I bet that boy on the bus was sure happy that the swim didn't happen. Oh well...time to take off the wetsuit. We all had to make our way back to T1, stand near our bikes. and wait to be let out on the road TT style, two at a time. As we waited we chatted with one another and got to know those in our age group a bit better. I sure wish I had a way to connect with them. I met some interesting ladies. It was nearly 10am before our age group was to go out. Nutrition was a concern at this point as many of us have now been waiting 3-4 hours since our initial nutrition intake. I didn't want to do anything different so I waited until just before the bike start to take a Gel and then have the rest of my nutrition for the race. Jack Sparrow was there to send us off on our bikes. Who ever he was, he was spectacular and stayed in character the entire time. He sure made a bit of a frustrating morning laughable. Thanks Jack! The ride was interesting. I found it easy, tough, frustrating, fast. This was the first event I had aero bars on my bike. I borrowed a pair from a coworker/friend and put them on my road bike. What I learned in this event was that I am made for the aero position. Riding aero not only made me faster, it was much more comfortable for me. There were so many cyclist on the road at the same time that it was a challenge to not draft, a rule that we must adhere or receive penalties. I found myself passing a lot of folks. I was playing cat and mouse with one lady, ironically, who was from Tucson (I believe) she had on a Tri Sports kit and was super friendly. I don't know who finished first. I never checked. There always seems to be that one or two people in your race that you keep tempo with or that you trade off who is leading. My friend Sharon, who did the event with me caught up with me on the bike around 30 miles in and then eventually kicked my butt to finish several minutes before more on the bike. I gave her some Fully Charged that morning. I think it worked for her! She was riding fast! I was sure to smile at the cameras, pound up the hills, pedal quickly through the straights and take it all in. The road conditions were less than ideal as the asphalt was cracked and lifted in a lot of places, there were many technical turns but it was scenic. I remember the farms. the large Texas stars on the side of homes and the dog that chased us in his yard along the gate. I need to go back and drive that area and take some pictures. I had HEED and Gel and Perpetuem with me on the bike and used up all my nutrition as I had planned. I grabbed a Gatorade to put in my back pocket in case I ran out and needed something but quickly discovered how sweet it was and decided that I was not going to use it during the rest of my ride. At T2 the transition went fast. I saw Tanner at this point and that gave me a bit of a spark. It was so good to see him there. I think I ran out of T2 with a smile plastered on my face that when I passed the spectator row with a big ole' smile, everyone was cheering,.. "Yeah, Victoria..go!" At first I couldn't figure out how they new my name and like a ding-a-ling, I remembered it was on my race bib! :) By now the heat of the day was on us. It was warm! It was a record high day for them, I think it was around 90 degrees. By all accounts we should have been done with the even 2-3 hours earlier. The run was 3 loops. We ran near the lake where were didn't swim and it was beautiful and calm. Darn it!! That would have been a nice swim morning. There was also like only one tree....holy cow it was getting hot. I had taken a small travel tube of sunscreen and put it in my race kit and made sure to lather my face and arms in it around every 4 miles. This was probably one of my most intelligent decisions and one I will always do every run. Everyone was walking! I couldn't believe it. I actually forced my self to run as much as possible but it was rather hot at times. I ran the uphills and as much through flats, the road was crowded. I talked to those around me as I was walking and even those who run 7 min miles were walking and frustrated. Somehow that made me feel better about not running. The aide stations had ice and sponges and I grabbed them each and every time, shoving ice down the front of my kit and the back of my kit and putting sponges on my head. The run takes you through the spectator row each time and each time they spectators were enthusiastic and friendly, always making you feel like a rock start when you passed. As I rounded the corner to go in the arena for my final 1/5 mile the only thing on my mind was getting a nice cold bottle of water. How nice it was to finish in the arena where the temperature was cooler. Sharon was there before me. She runs like the wind so I knew she was going to finish strong and fast. Tanner was there too! Oh my goodness to get a hug from your son at the finish line was the best way to finish! After that day I said I would never do that venue again but here I am one year later, finally posting about it and thinking to myself, I have some unfinished business there. I will go back and get a full 70.3 in there, one day.
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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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