"It was a good day." - Lisa Frey
But not on June 9, 2013.
It was a day I put the voices to rest. It was a day where the water temperature was perfect. It was a day where the air temperature was perfect. It was partly cloudy and no wind- perfect.
It was my day and I kicked some arse.
The SIS Try occurs in my hometown of Vincennes, IN, but not this year. The community pool is not open because they are building a new one. The race was moved to the neighboring city of Bicknell.
When I was little, I went to Bicknell once a year for the Knox County Fair. It was awesome. I equate Bicknell with Pronto Pups, demolition derby, carnival rides and 4H. I love Bicknell, IN.
Bicknell means something different to me today. It is a wonderful city, who stepped up and hosted a well-organized triathlon. The residents welcomed us triathletes and cheered us on. Thank you!
Now to the nitty, gritty race details.
The swim portion of the race took place at Swimland, the local pool. Some modifications had to be made to put in lane lines and some mesh at the end of the pool to see the end. Balloons were placed on the lane lines to also assist swimmers where the end of the pool was. They didn't work out too well, but it was a good idea. The swim start was allowing one swimmer jump in, swim to the end of the pool then the next swimmer jumped in. This was perfect for beginner swimmers to have some room to freak out, composed themselves and continue the swim. It was a 'snake swim' through the pool. Once out of the pool it was a short distance to the transition area. I did the swim in 5:16- not my best, but not my worst. The bonus was that I kept my composure and passed 3 people. Sweet!
My transition was 1:51. This is a world record for me. I was a woman possessed to get on the bike.
The bike route was nice rolling hills on a county road. It was an out and back route, so you could see other cyclists and encourage them. The road was so smooth! We biked to Freelandville and turned around at the fire station to ride back. I finished the ride in 45:44, which was a 16.8 mile pace AND I passed people (this never happens to me on the bike)! This is where I saw my biggest improvement. I give credit to my Sufferfest videos in the offseason, Team TNT, Golden Legs Cycling Club and my cycling buddy, Rebecca Atkinson. Thank you!
My transition time was 1:37. Another world record.
The run was hilly and it was challenging. It was a great course which toured the city of Bicknell. Since I have only been to the fairgrounds, I enjoyed discovering Bicknell. I finished the run in 32:05, which was a 10:21 pace. What?! I shaved over a minute off of my mile since my injury.
I ended up being 34th out of 117 participants and 5th in my age group. It was a good day indeed.
The finish was wonderful. There were massages for the participants and PLENTY of food- chocolate milk, grapes, oranges, cookies, apples, pizza. Yes, pizza.
There were medals for finishers and special medals for those who have competed in this triathlon for 5 or more years. That is motivation to do it again.
I would like to thank all of the organizers and sponsors who put on a wonderful triathlon. More importantly, I would like to thank all of the volunteers. You were out in force and easy to see with your orange shirts.
I did this triathlon with my sister, Laura. It was her first triathlon. She did great! I am so proud of her. For her first triathlon, she finished 5th in her age group too! Next year we will be in the same age group. This could get interesting...
Perhaps I can convince her to do this one again next year?!
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