For The Love

I spent this past weekend living in an RV at White Lake and it was pretty awesome!  I got there on Friday afternoon and the weather was amazing!  The lake looked so serene and it beckoned to me to get in.  I convinced Jeff we should do an open water swim and he was game even though he didn't have a wetsuit.  The water temp was a balmy 67 degrees, which actually felt like bath water compared to last year!  We swam a little bit and I didn't feel as terrible as I was expecting considering the last time I swam (other than a few laps when my hammie was injured & I did some water running) was about 8 months ago.  Being back in the water, I can actually say that I felt pure joy :) The thought of racing the sprint on Sunday entered my mind...

Saturday we set up for a full day of full-on promotion for TOPS Athletics, SyneryONE, and Whole Impact Nutrition.  I got to catch up with a lot of old friends and meet some new people too.  I also got satisfaction from getting people to enter the Bosu Ball Push-Up Contest right after they finished the half :)  How many push-ups can you do in a minute?  Top competitor did 50!  

He really wanted to do a VO2 max test!

Saturday afternoon, I met up w/ TOPS Athlete Ashley Pierce for a pre-race spin.  Riding around the lake on my brother's Felt road bike, I felt a rush of excitement.  Again I thought about signing up for the sprint, but thought it might not be the best idea since I was drafting off of Ashley and pretty much going at race effort!  Amazing what happens when you don't bike for 8 months!

TOPS Athlete, Ashley Pierce

So then Sunday morning rolled around and the weather was awesome and the lake looked like a mirror.  Literally perfect conditions.  The energy from Ashley & other races was contagious and so literally 1 hour before race start I walked into registration and signed up!  And I'm so glad that I did!  It was a super enjoyable experience to race on a whim with no expectations.  I was doing it simply for the love of the sport and I had a great time!  Here's a mini race recap:

750m Swim - 14:06 (1:43/100 yds)

The swim went pretty smoothly.  I knew I would not be able to push it so just went at a comfortable pace that I thought I'd be able to maintain.  Just getting through 750 meters would be a victory!  The water felt good, there weren't any waves like last year, and there wasn't even much congestion at the turn buoys.  I just enjoyed being in the moment and feeling the burn in my lats :)  Actually, I think some of the strength training I've been doing lately helped prevent muscular fatigue/burn out!

T1 - 2:56

Transition was a slow process.  I hadn't brought a tri suit, so I had to put on bike shorts over top of my swimsuit, which isn't easy when you aren't dry.  

14 mi Bike - 42:35 (19.6 mph)

I enjoyed the bike and as to be expected at White Lake, there was a good amount of head wind.  Or at least, it felt that way to me.  I rode mostly in the drops and tried to be as aero as possible.  Got passed by 1 woman on the bike and made a few passes myself.  It really felt great & I was excited to be out on the course!  I also got reacquainted with my old friend, Saddle Pain.  

T2 - 1:32

Again, slow.  Tying my shoe laces felt like it took 20 min.  

5k Run - 20:47 (6:41/mi)

I was wondering how I would feel heading out on the run.  I've started running again since the marathon and have been doing 35-40 miles a week on average.  I felt alright and was pretty enthused to be out on course w/ everyone.  I dropped a 7:00 first mile and figured I'd aim for negative splits from there.  Second mile was about 6:45 and third was about 6:30.  I picked off a few people in my age group on the run and loved running down the finish chute w/ my TOPS family cheering me on!  

Total Time - 1:22:12 (2nd AG; 13 OA)

Overall I couldn't be happier about how this race went.  It reminded me that I really do love multi-sport events.  I enjoyed the process & being in the moment during each of the 3 legs, and I really appreciated the spectators and other competitors.  It was a great race and a great day and fun to spend time w/ great people!  Congrats to all finishers, especially Ashley!!  You rocked it lady & I'm so proud of you!

TOPS Athletics!!!