I did it! I completed my 5th Triathlon and 13th race of the season.
I was really excited going into Tri the Kenai because I did this race
last year and it was my absolute favorite. Spoiler, it didn't
disappoint this year either! Tri the Kenai is my favorite race because
it is so well organized and set up, the community really comes out and
supports the race, and the course is super fun. It also doesn't hurt
that both years I have done this race it has been sunny and gorgeous
outside!
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| Getting ready! |
This sprint triathlon was originally
slated to occur in June but due to some serious forest fires it got
moved to September. I for one was not hurt by this in the slightest, I
don't understand why all of our local triathlons occur within 2 weeks of
each other! However the large no-show rate probably shows that other
people didn't like the timing as much as I did. Can't please everyone I
suppose.
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| My bike sans tire |
So Kris and I drove down to our friend's cabin in
Moose Pass that has become our jumping off point for a few races this
year. It is nice to do the bulk of the drive the day before and only
have to drive an hour or so on the morning of. We had nice quiet drive
down through some higher elevations that are already looking like Fall
(yay!) We got up the next morning and headed to Soldotna to get our
bibs and set up or transition areas, but it was not without excitement.
First thing when we got there while pumping up my tire we broke the
valve. Crap! Thankfully we weren't slotted to race until 1:30pm so I
set up my transition area with my crippled bike and then set off to find
a bike shop to help me fix the tire. Before I even got out of the
parking lot I saw a tent from a local bike shop set up and was super
happy to hear he had a tube for my bike. I sent Kris off to get cash
(who carries that anymore?!?) and we had a few more back and forths
before my bike was all set up and the good people from Beemans Bike Shop
had their payment. Phew! Nothing like a little morning of bike repair
to get your heart going.
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| Look at me run! |
To calm our nerves we went up into the gallery to
watch the elite athletes start their races. Man they are awesome, it is
so cool to watch them! Due to the large number of no-shows we were
able to start our race much earlier than expected which was really
nice. So off we went into the pool, its fun to start with my husband,
even though we aren't together for long!
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| The final push |
I was feeling deceptively good when I jumped into the
pool, my plan was to do a freestyle/face in the water stroke and just
stop at the walls when I got tired. I knew it may lower my time but now
that I am learning to swim properly I wanted to practice that rather
than revert to my other strokes. Well I made a mistake and didn't take a
warm up lap so the minute I went underwater the cold and nerves got to
me and restricted my breathing significantly. The first five laps I
struggled to freestyle stroke, choking, having to breast stroke at times
and taking a lot of water up my nose. It was not pleasant. Finally by
lap 5 I was able to breath better but by that time I was so tired that I
had to rest for a few seconds every darn lap. My overall time was my
worst ever but I figure that I am still learning and boy do I learn more
at every race. This race = take a warm up lap! That and keep
practicing how to swim properly! I am currently swimming 2-3 times per
week and have gone from no face in the water to actually being able to
swim, its been really fun to see those gains. My next tri is in
December so maybe by then I will have it down pat!
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| Almost there! |
After the swim I headed out to the bike
and got on for my first clipped in race. I was a bit nervous about the
mega hills on this course but knew that the bike is my favorite leg and
this course wouldn't disappoint. The first mile of this course goes
down such a huge hill that you can hit over 30mph while traffic zooms by
at 60mph, its a definite rush if your into that sort of thing, and
since biking seems to be the only place I have a need for speed, I love
it! Mile 2-3 brings a hill that surprises you, it just keeps going and
it gets you breathing pretty darn hard. After that it is rolling hills,
amazing mountain views and just awesome biking. That is until mile
number 9, this is where the road goes straight up with only a small
shoulder and a guardrail. This is always the hill I am nervous for but
when I do it, it ends up being hard but not a huge deal. I heard my
husbands excited voice in my head "kill the hill!" this is what he
shouts when we bike together :)
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| Tri the Kenai |
After the bike I headed out into the trails for the
5k run. I knew this was a tough run from last year but apparently I
forgot how many hills are back in those woods, oh man! I didn't get
into much of a groove on the run, I was by myself and kept slipping back
into my tired easy run then having to remind myself that I am in a race
and I should hurry my rear up! Finally I came to the finish which
bless them, is on a lovely down hill, I heard my husband cheering and I
found some speed and pumped it in.
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| My awesome husband |
Overall my time was a few minutes better than last
year so it was probably my fastest triathlon yet, hard to believe with
my slow swim and run times, but my bike times seem to carry me a bit. I
was happy to have been in the top third of all participants for the
bike and about 50% for my age group which is pretty good for me.
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| Tri Couple |
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| 2nd in his age group!!! |
My husband on the other hand is absolutely amazing
and got 2nd in his age group, 12th man, and 20th person overall! He is
way too humble to say it, but he could have started with the elite 12
that start in the morning because in the end he was actually faster than
one of them! We stayed for the awards because I had to get some photos
of him accepting his second place ribbon, so cool!!! He is an
incredible athlete and humbles me by how dedicated he is to his
training. I think now that he races I will probably get better as well
because I cant be a slacker in training!
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| Getting his award |
We drove home after the race, high on
endorphins and happy with life. I love this race and while we are years
out from kiddos we talk about how we can't wait until we get to do this
race as a whole family. I have realized thatmy
picture of family bliss is a car full of zonked out kiddos with medals
around their neck from the latest family race event. Those of you with
kids with minds of their own can go ahead and laugh at me, but Ill hold
onto my dream for now!
Happy Racing!
