Door County Sprint Tri

Waiting for the triathlon on Saturday to start, I had made the comment that having a good race was wonderful, but the best stories always come from the bad races. The silver lining of race mishaps and tragedies is that you can rehash the gory details for a very long time. What is there to say about a good race other than it was good? Really, it’s a win/win situation as long as no injuries are involved. As it played out, I had a good race and therefore don’t have a funny story to tell. Good for me. Bummer for you.

The Door County Sprint is a great event in every possible way. I think it would be hard for any sprint race to top this one. It’s in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin where the landscape and views are beautiful. The bike and run courses are perfectly straight and flat. The volunteers were amazing and were everywhere on the course, offering help and cheers. The transition area was close to the water and the bike in and out which made for quick transitions that weren’t draining. The parking was easy and plentiful, and the park where the race was held was lovely. There was a great band, tons of picnic tables and places to watch and sit down. Best of all, all finishers got a pulled pork sandwich, roasted corn on the cob, and two beers. Nice!

The only negative of the day was the water conditions for the swim. While the water was the warmest they had ever had, the waves were rough. We swam straight out and a lot of people were having problems. I made the mistake of starting in the back of my wave, meaning I had to swim around many people who weren’t really swimming. They had volunteers everywhere in the water helping people with noodles and encouragment. Once I made the turn and started back to the beach, the tide carried me in. Wetsuit strippers helped me with my wetsuit, and I was off to transition.

So my goals for the swim were to stay calm and spot well. Mission accomplished. It was a tough swim but I put my head down and stroked through it. My time of 9:12 for a quarter mile wasn’t my fastest, but for the conditions I am very happy with it.

After a good transition it was time to bike. While my legs were surprisingly tired after the swim, I got down on my aero bars and got in an easy rhythm. With the flat, turn-free terrain, I was able to stay down for the whole bike. I was able to pass quite a few men and didn’t get passed by more than a dozen women. I had started with the first wave of women, so I was thinking I might get passed quite a bit. The winds were light and the road was smooth, making this bike nothing but fun.

I can check off my goals of keeping a high cadence and staying down on the aerobars. This was a smart approach and I’m glad I made the decision to work on both of these things. Hydrating for the run was also on my list, and I still have some work to do in this area. I took a GU before the transition and that worked out great. I didn’t drink enough, though, since I’m not really comfortable reaching for my bottle while I’m down on the bars. I have a bike bottle that goes up front with a straw, but if I use it I can’t use my bike computer because they both go in the same spot. I’ll have to work on this issue before my next race. My bike time of 59:28 for 18 miles was good for me and I got off the bike feeling great.

By the time the run rolled around, it was sunny, warm and pretty humid. I was relieved that it was only 3.1 miles and totally flat. My goal of not walking during the run was the most important goal for the whole race to me. The first mile, I watched my heart rate and my pace hoping to conserve for the whole distance. Somehow, even though I kept trying to slow down, the first mile clicked by in 8:50. Uh-oh. My heart rate was high but not out of control, so I wasn’t too worried, but again I tried to slow it down. Mile 2 went by in 8:44 and I had a cramp and wanted to walk. I think about my goal and about how many times I’ve run a mile in pain. I was in no pain at all, just breathing hard and wanting to stop. I put all ideas of walking out of my mind and just tried to turn off my brain and get it done. Mile 3- 8:56. The last little bit is around a corner, down a tiny hill and into the chute. You couldn’t design a better finish area. Here I am coming in for the finish:

My 3.1 mile run time was 27:40 and there was no walking involved. The 8:55 pace was better than I could have hoped for and made me very happy. Mission accomplished.

Boring, boring stuff. Of course, analysing the results is a post-race must for me. I can’t help myself. I finished 137 out of 432 women, and I finished 23 out of 70 women aged 40-44. Finishing well into the top half is good for me and I’ve felt great ever since the race.

Now it’s on to marathon training while I play around with another triathlon, my first duathlon, and a road race or two along the way. While driving to Door County, I found out that I was selected for the TC 10 Mile. It was one of my favorite races last year and I feel really lucky that I got in two years in a row. I’m looking forward to a jam packed late summer and fall!