Elkford Sprint Race Report

I was so excited to FINALLY race!!! After last year's DNS in North Carolina, and months of healing my broken foot, I was so ready to let loose! :)

Coach Sara gave me a bit of rest but said she would be training me through the race...I've been logging some pretty crazy hours training, and the week before the race I felt so bagged. SO BAGGED. I was wondering how on earth I would recover and do the race! Hahahaha - and it is only a sprint!

On Wednesday before the race, I had a 5 hour bike ride that I ended up only doing 2:12 of....I got caught out in the middle of the back roads between the Pass and Pincher Creek in the rain storm to end all rain storms. HOLY COW. It was like a monsoon swept through -- all the cars had their lights on and it was effing cold. SO COLD. And windy. By the time I arrived at the Shell gas station in Pincher Creek, I was frozen solid. I had a hard time speaking to the guy behind the counter when I tried to ask to use the phone. He asked, "Are you all right?" And I replied, "N-n-n-n-n-no, can I use your phone? I have money!" and I held up a zip lock bag with assorted dollar bills in it (dripping wet). The guy just waved my baggy away and gave me the phone -- LOL!!

I called my Momma to come rescue me (one of the major perks of living in the same community as your parents!) Then, I stood there, dripping wet and made a big puddle standing in the gas station waiting for my Mom to arrive. A couple of men in work trucks offered to give me a ride home, but they thought I lived in Pincher...They were visibly surprised when I told them I lived in the Pass. HAHAHAHAHAH!! It is so easy to impress people with biking mileage around these parts.

I had big plans to set my bike up on the trainer once I got home to finish off the session....However, after some food, a hot bath, and a thorough bike cleaning, my energy levels fell like a rock and I went to bed instead.

Ok...enough preamble. Here are the race deets!!!

First woman overall and 4th over all. :) :) :) I was tickled to analyze the results and learn that I had the 2nd fastest bike split overall!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

http://elkfordtri.ca/uploads/2011results/2011oa_750.PDF

Here are my splits:
750m swim: 13:36 (YAY!!! I AM getting faster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
20km bike: 36:27 (Windy, hilly course)
5km run: 22:53 (Work in progress!!)
Total: 1:12:57

For the first time, I was in the last heat for the faster swimmers. LMAO!!!! And get this, I was leading my lane!! Hahahahahahahahaha!! I warned everyone in my lane before the race, "I hope my swim time guess-timate matches my ability!" Once we got rolling, or shall I say, swimming, the guy right behind me passed me, but then piddled out, and I re-passed him -- and was first out of our lane. :)

The bike portion was so awesome. I was so present, so fully in the moment, it felt like the ride lasted 2 minutes. Seriously. It was like I was completely immersed in every single moment. Very weird, but very cool. :) :)

The run was good too -- my breathing was hard and loud for the first half, but I chugged, chugged along. Man, there was this one girl who was such a good runner -- she did the 5km in 18 min and change, she looked great!!!

Small race, AMAZING volunteers and a beautiful day all in all. I don't want to slag my competitors BUT...

To the only person in the race that wore his wetsuit: REALLY?

I won a $25 gift card to Canadian Tire and a stainless steel water bottle. :)

Most importantly....I am fit and racing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!