RR: Dextro Energy Triathlon

Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon


750M swim - 20K bike - 5K run
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Time: 40:55
Overall Age Group Place: 3/33
Overall Female Place: 38/171

Comment: I usually race in the Athena category; I'm clearly over 150 pounds and I like to demonstrate that big doesn't necessarily mean slow. Since there was no Athena division, I had to race in my age group. Turns out I got my first triathlon age group Top 3 podium! Woo-hoo! Plus, I qualified for Age Group Nationals by placing in the Top 10% of my age group (thanks newbies). Not bad considering I was pregnant!

The Race

Goal was to race strong, but with restraint. I needed to keep my heart rate low and in a safe range for the ball of cells growing inside of me. I did not use a heart rate monitor to watch my heart rate, but rather perceived exertion and perceived heat. There were no issues on the swim/bike, but the run was hot, so I had to slow way down.

Pre-race:
Packet pick-up was in a hotel far, far away from the start (at least when considering the logistical nightmare of finishing a race far away from the bikes). It was pouring, so my dear husband dropped me off at the lobby so he could find a parking spot and let me stay dry. Fortunately, by the time Paul and I left the rain had cleared. We were forced to sit through a lame presentation that didn't tell me anything I didn't read from the website. I had mis-entered my name, so the nice registration ladies cleared that up for me quickly. The expo was small and uninteresting, so I hurried to find the car Paul parked on the street, only knowing the intersection is was near. I was really nervous about our bikes getting stolen, and after taking a few wrong turns in search of the car, the car and bike were safe and sound.

We then had to drive to the Transition area and swim start to rack our bikes. There was no available parking (the joy of a big city race!), so Paul double parked and waiting with blinking lights while I grabbed my nice spot on the end of the row. Then we switched. While waiting, I admired the very professional looking water start/exit raft they had and dreamed of being able to dive off the platform and race like the pros. Despite the logistical headaches, the start was really cool.



Swim: 11:43
Division Place: 1/33; Female Place: 5/171


[Photo from the Dextro ITU Website]

While I had some trepidation about swimming in the Potomac right smack dab in Washington, DC, I had already done a 8 mile swim downstream last year. That didn't kill me, so I knew to not think about water quality since they were supposed to test it prior to the race. Recent rains made the current stronger than usual and brought lots of debris like twigs directly into my path.

The water temp felt great when I jumped in, maybe 72 degrees. I was a little surprised how I moved back several feet just treading, so I treaded with a slight forward breaststroke kick to stay first on the start line. The gun blasted and we were off.

Some b*tch grabbed my foot. Not a - whoops, sorry to touch your foot - or a - whoops, sorry to swim onto your leg - but a full on ankle grabbing pull. I kicked HARD and left her in my wake. hahaha. Seriously, it's so rude to do sh*t like that (I'm sounding like a guy now). There were a few girls to my right and one to my left who had a terrible line. She kept running directly into me, so I had to lift up and move to her left so I could swim what I perceived as straight (which was probably crooked to her). About halfway to the first buoy there was two girls in front and one to my right. If I wasn't on restraint mode, my competitive juices would have been pumping to try to beat them. But I just kept swimming strong, but not hard.

There was a little traffic going around the buoys, but nothing too unusual. Watching the women professionals on TV later in the afternoon, the current immediately pulled them left and downstream after the first buoy, so the same must have happened to us. I couldn't tell while swimming, though.

The final stretch was lovely. I had some concerns about mixing and running over the Olympic distance racers, but that didn't happen until the last two buoys, which really wasn't a problem. Turning to see the ramp structure was a new triathlon experience for me and I while I approached it I pondered how it would feel on my feet - the surface texture, slope (or stairs?), and how slippery it might be.

It was a gentle sloping ramp covered in some non-stick material complete with hand rails on both sides. So luxurious.

If only I could run, dive, and start another lap like the pros. Oh, that would be so much fun.

T1: 2:04
Division Place: 3/33; Female Place: 24/171

Had some issues getting my wetsuit off. Probably because I'm a few pounds heavier than my IM race weight. But no complaints here. I loved my perfect end position!

Bike: 38:23 (19.4 mph)
Division Place: 5/33; Female Place: 37/171; Overall Female Place: 17/171
This course was mostly flat to my delight. I don't know why I didn't think it would be flat prior to the race, but when I finally figured out that most of the course would be on the flat parkway, I was delighted. Flat means I don't have to haul my athena body up any hills!

It was truly a delight to be able to ride my bike through DC without any car traffic. Thank you Mr Mayor and race director for letting this happen. Btw, I did see and say hello to the Mayor in the morning. Gotta love a triathlete quasi-celebrity who is actually talented!


I don't look very fast...

I was cruising on the bike, although I did sit up and slow down every time there was traffic or I was getting too close to someone (drafting rules). If I do think race again, I would power around these people/groups and push through them. For most of the bike I played tag with two other female riders. It was fun to catch them then get passed when I was hesitating. To check my perceived exertion, I asked one of the girls while passing her one time where she got her blue rims. She had no idea since she bought the bike used and was a new triathlete.

Near the end, though, I decided that sitting up to slow down was just silly, so I past them once and for all. I barely avoided some nasty holes in one of the tunnels, and I later heard that several people crashed there. I hope Mr Mayor can get that fixed for next year.

I believe this was my fastest bike race pace ever. Sweet - I love flat courses!

T2: 0:56
Division Place: 3/33; Female Place: 18/171; Overall Female Place: 16/171

In and out.

Run: 30:57
Division Place: 26/33; Female Place: slooooow

I started running and knew this would be much slower than normal. It was getting a little hot, although it was much, much cooler than it could have been. The cloud coverage was providing some relief and I was thankful for that. Basically, I tried to not walk, except up some slight slopes and the water stops.

Running past the Washington Monument and Capital building is always a treat, but more so without traffic on the streets!




I sure wish they got a photo of me with the Capitol in the background. I would have bought that photo.



Finish: 1:24:04

I crossed the finish line, and took a very deep breathe. OK, I was fully recovered. That was easy enough.

I achieved my goal of racing conservatively, yet strong enough to be satisfied with my race.

My hubby's parents were in town, so I looked for them, then followed the crowd to get my stuff. The food didn't look that appealing, but I grabbed some water and my phone. Shortly afterwards I connected with my In-laws and waited for Paul to finish his Olympic. It started sprinkling, a pleasant weather relief for the racers. Paul finished strong, we met, checked results (I was surprise and psyched about placing), then left the In-Laws to walk the ~2 miles to our car. Had I been tired, I would have been more annoyed with the logistics, but we dealt with it.

Paul had to sag for a Team Z ride in Nokesville, so we had to leave right away. They did mail me my award, which I regret not being able to pick-up in person. Simple pleasures.

The only negative thing about my experience was the shooting back pain I got right at our car. In the transition area, I had to cram my stuff into my bag in order to ride back to my car to save some time for yet another long walk. The awkward position of the bag and weight on my back caused a freaking painful back contraction. Yikes! I was paralyzed for a few moments while I breathed deeply through the pain. It was over as quickly as I started. I think birth will be hours of that - ouch.

(Note: This RR was written in August, two months after the race. Some details might be fuzzy.)

Paul