2020 Races
Planned races for the upcoming season
2019 Races
Results and Lessons Learned
Westport Sprint Triathlon
We finished our season with what I call a "super sprint". It was a beautiful day to be out early and watch the sun rise.
The 1/2 mile swim was in the Sound. There was a current pushing us towards shore, thankfully we were in wetsuits and my arm strength has improved after two consecutive months of training. Aside from the current making me feel slow, I felt good coming out of the water and into T1.
The bike ride is a short 5.5 miles and basically flat. I felt better on the bike than I had the prior to races (it had been my training priority). I wasn't passed by as many people as I was in prior races, which I credit to helping me be in a good mind set when I started the run.
The run is only 2.2 miles. So this entire race is really about giving it 100% from start to finish. I noticed someone in my age group just in front of me when I started the run. I put my mind to passing her, then just let my legs do what they felt like doing. Aside from a cramp near the end - I finished strong.
It was only after we were back home, that we realized that I had won my age group. What a great way to end my 2019 season!
I need to continue to work on my bike strength. I can perform well in the shorter races where the bike is a smaller part of the overall race (as swimming and running are clearly my strengths). But when I am in the longer races, the bike portion really slows me down.
Cranberryfest Olympic
Day 2 in our weekend of racing. Doing sprint and olympic distance races back-to-back your body can really feel the difference. Given the race from the prior day, I didn't really feel the need to warm up generally as I still felt the race from the prior day throughout my body.
It was cooler the prior day and night, so this race was wetsuit legal (barely). I found that the swim was easier than the prior day, showing how much a wetsuit can help. Once again, I posted one of the faster times for my age group. But when I got out, it was starting to sprinkle.
The bike felt long - despite the relatively flat course. With the sprinkle turning into rain at one point and we were getting a nice breeze, it wasn't a fun ride.
By the time I was out of T2 and onto the run, the sun was starting to peek out a little bit. Despite not enjoying the bike ride, it was a good run for me. I got a PB for the 10k distance. Given the re-injury of my knee earlier in August, I was very happy with that time.
Amazing the difference a hilly vs flat course makes in how you feel after a race. While tired, it was a good tired. It feels like quite an accomplishment to complete two races in back-to-back days.
I need to continue to work on my bike strength. I set myself up well coming out of the water, but just give back all that time out on the bike.
Cranberryfest Sprint
This kicked off our weekend of racing sprint and olympic distance triathlons back to back - a fun (and tiring) weekend get away for me a hubby.
The warm spell we'd been having warmed up the water just enough that it was a non-wetsuit legal swim. I didn't think the wetsuit did much but keep me warmer, but this did show me that it does more than that. It was also my first rolling start for the swim.
Overall it was a fun race (and relatively flat). I had a good swim - freestyle the entire way - and came out of the water having passed a lot of people. Onto the bike, which was longer than the other sprints I had completed, but didn't feel too bad. Still was passed by a lot of people (down side to being one of the earlier ones out of the water), and this continues to be my weakest discipline.The run felt great - I got a PB for 5k distance.
Overall we were both happy with the race. It was really well organized, the course was in good condition and the people were great. I ended up getting 6 out of 12 in my division.
I finally figured out the difference a wetsuit vs non-wetsuit swim means for me (well, after the race the next day) and see the value in wearing a wetsuit when it's legal. Overall, the first race of the weekend really felt like a warm-up for the longer race the following day.
Litchfield Olympic Triathlon
The mountain of Olympic distance triathlons in our area. Overall, this was a smallest event that I have done so far. So it was a fast start for me (only 3 min after the men), so that meant a lot more bodies in the water at once and my first swim that was a looped course where we had to get out on the beach and run back to where we started to do another loop. Overall the swim went well aside from a slight detour when I was sighting the wrong buoy.
The bike is easily the toughest part of this course. It starts off with mostly downhill sections, many parts freshly paved. But about 1/2 way through it turns into long climbs (1-2 miles at a time) at a fairly steep grade - the worst of which is right at the end of the bike section. Thankfully we had practiced up there a few weeks before. While I had one of the worst bikes of the day relative to the field, I did not get off the bike to walk at any point.
After that ride, the run felt long and never ending as the course had constant rolling hills. I was able to catch up to a few people, which was a huge mental boost. I ended up running a little faster than I thought I could, though I was disappointed that I walked up a few of the steeper sections.
Lessons learned: (1) traveling right before race day isn't a good idea (thanks to a LONG flight delay we were doing the race on only 8 hours of sleep over the prior 2 days) and (2) need LOTS more practice reps on hills (both in the bike and run). But the practice brick session at the race location a few weeks before was invaluable as I generally knew what to expect throughout, so that I felt mentally ready to tackle the course throughout.
Ridgefield Sprint Triathlon
I had trouble getting into a regular training routine before this race, but thankfully I was familiar enough with the course to at least feel comfortable with what was going on.
The swim started out horribly. I ended up getting kicked in the head and was short of breath for most of it (doesn't help it was pretty cold water). So sadly I stuck to breast stroke for the entire swim, which really hurt my time.
I felt pretty good on the bike (aside from the fact that I was towards the end of the entire race group). Seeing my girls cheering me on from the driveway was a huge motivator, and given how familiar I was with the ride I was able to pace it well and caught up to a few people.
While I had practiced the run distance, I was not prepared for the hilly run course. The steepness of some sections took me by surprise and resulted in me having to walk those parts. While disappointed, I was only passed by one person and caught up to a few others which really does wonders to help your mind set.
Overall, it was a huge improvement on my first triathlon race, despite being upset that I wasn't better prepared.
Run-Like-A-Mother 5K
My first Mother's Day race was preceded by a 1 mile kids fun run. Despite the cold, rainy conditions both my girls completed their first fun run - I was so proud of them. They then stuck it out with dad while I did my race. While I was happy with my time, it was truly humbling to see the winner finish their 5K in 19 minutes.
Again, I went out too fast in the beginning (in the cold rain it's even harder to know how you are going to feel as the race progresses). But again as my first road race, I as happy with my results and look forward to using the result as motivation to improve in the future.
Cedar Creek Duathlon
We thought starting off the year with a duathlon would be a great way to break in our racing legs. With a substantial downpour the night before (and continuing drizzle during beginning of the race), the bike course was shortened for safety. It was also my first "sighting" of what appeared to be pro racers (very humbling).
Despite starting out too fast on the run and feeling like I was going glacierly slow on the bike (it was a looped course - so above mentioned pros kept passing everyone), I had a strong second run to close out the race. Much to my surprise I was able to finish second in my age group!
Annadel 10K Trail Race
This was my first pure running race of any type - a trail run with a fair amount of climb involved. During our New England winter, I had been spending a good amount of time on the treadmill and felt comfortable that I could do a 10K in a 55-65 minute time frame (in a road race). The trail aspect added a fun component to the race (and therefore some parts where you had to walk as there is no safe way to run up a steep, rocky passage). The climb at the beginning took a lot out of me - thankfully once we hit the halfway point it was just about all down hill from there. Given the walking/hiking/climbing, that was needed at the beginning of the race I was happy with my time. One lesson learned was that I went out too fast at the beginning when it was flat which added to my fatigue when it came time to climb/hike - I need to learn to pace myself better at the beginning of a race/run.
Hammerfest 2018
This was my first race and was completed on a whim (as well as my husband insisting it was a flat course). In the swim, the Sound was a little choppy and I had trouble with my side breathing, so I ended up swimming backstroke for the majority of the course (thank you to my swim team coach for making me swim IM's!). I felt good coming out of the water and initially on the bike. After about 5 miles on the bike the hills started and that is where I started to fade fast. I hadn't trained in almost a month as we dealt with a series of family emergencies the month before, and the rest of the race was painful. I finished the bike (and bless my husband he stayed with me the whole time despite the fact that I was slowing him down significantly). The run was pretty and along the water, but on my tired legs it felt like I was running a marathon not a 5K and the ever increasing temperature and hills didn't help. But I finished (with my husband pushing me over the finish line in front of him - a story my kids LOVE to retell).
Regardless of not having the best race I thought I was physically capable of, as a competitive person I wanted to prove to myself that I could do better.