Tri the Kenai Race Report

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!

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. 

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.

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!

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!

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 :)

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.

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.

Tri Couple

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!

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!