The ROC tri 2024:I don't know about you.....but I'm feelin 22

Two tris in a week? Maybe I need to re-assess this whole "2024 is not the tri year" stance!

Nah, I don't.  I've played this game the last three years - back to back P man and the Roc tri.  Its for a few reasons - both races are so much fun and basically a party to attend, I've been fortunate enough to secure a comp entry, and add in a dash of "why the hell not" and you get your easy answer :)

Last weekend was the Roc tri, a great event put on by the RATS (Rochester Area triathletes) and one I've raced in at least half a dozen times.  I've won it twice (last year a CRAZY 2 second dead on sprint to the finish) and while i knew that wasn't in the cards this year, I love these events so much and any excuse to go play with my friends on the beach (Thanks Jordan!) is a good one to me.

Six days out from P man and with um, another race on my calendar upcoming (spoiler alert), the goal for the Roc was just to spin out my wheels (pun intended) and have fun!

Race morning was perfect - a glass calm lake, easy transition pick up, and just a minor bike mechanical that was easily fixed by the Towpath guys (Thanks Rob!) I headed into transition, set my shit up, then hung out with the best sherpa and all the best friends a girl could ask for. Bear, my boo, marked my calf as a joke, which took me far too long to catch on to #not22 #feelin22 #morelike42  We danced, laughed, caught up, and had so much fun I almost missed the call to the race start.  Whoops.  #soseriousrae

Swim: 14:43 (1:54yd)

The swim for the sprint was an easy out and back with a short turn around - basically you could touch sand the whole time.  I set no records (duh) and expended zero energy on the swim, save for a few minutes in the beginning just getting used to the water because I didn't warm up (totally on me).  I exited the water with a smile on my face (I KNOW) and ran up the hill and toward my bike!

Bike: 36:02 (20.0 mph)

I really do love this bike course - I helped craft it in 2022.  Its totally closed to cars, a 6 mile loop that has enough rollers and one hill to keep you honest, but enough downhill to be fun and carry you through.  The course is super spectator friendly, so my support got to see me four times (and during the mount line for way the fuck too luong because apparently, I'm even cooler when people are watching me #mountlinefail).  Aside from taking way too long to clip in (the mount line was really short and narrow with gravel sides, and I even saw some "pros" look a little wobbly) the bike was pretty awesome.  I never felt like I had any serious speed, but I was able to push it in spots and enjoy the free speed downhill. 

 It was awesome to see my course support all over the damned place, and aside from some bar tape that managed to unravel like an 8 year olds streamer on a bike, the ride was awesome (that has to count for at least 1 mph right??  LOL)

Run: 23:06 (7:28/mi)

Zooming into T2, I wasn't sure how far back I was from the leaders, but I knew at least one woman was in front of me - again, a swimmer I always run out of road for (do we sense a theme, Rae? LOL).  I just grabbed my shit and RAN!  

This run course is probably hands down my favorite local tri run, and it has zero to do with the layout and everything to do with the fact that is SUCH a damned party.  On my way out, I saw the super fast guys, including Jordan, Scott, Marcus and Ryan, who were hauling ass and making it look good!!  I didn't see another woman until I saw Sue about 2 minutes ahead, which I expected - she swims way faster than me and also is a stronger cyclist this year and as always, my run legs cant catch that - at least not this year! :-P

I high fived, danced, and had a great time while hitting a nice tempo speed, which is about all my legs gave me, considering I had run 16 miles just two days before (why, Rae?  That's a great question and we can talk about that shortly LOL).  Heading into the last quarter mile I saw the sherpa and got a "hey, try running why don't ya " and for the second time in two years, flipped the bird as I laughed into the finish line.

Post race, we hung around and caught up, and waited for awards - I snagged 3rd overall female (the womans winner started a few minutes back, which is the one bummer of a rolling start). I was pleased with the race - tall 3 disciplines were executed well given the fitness I had, and I honestly got what I deserved.  My overall time of 1:17 is 3 minutes off my PR, and for a year of little tri training, I will take it.

2025.  Ill be back.

So wjhats next?  A 5k on September 1 at my alma mater, SUNY Geneseo, which is purely for kicks and to help out Road Kill, and then....well...

A marathon.  Next weekend.  In Seattle.  Because why would I do smart things??  Stay tuned!!

Peasantman 2024: I get by (with a little help from my friends)

And, welcome back to the official tri blog.  Oh shit, that was actually the point of this once upon a time, wasn't it??  Oops.  Well, suffice to say, its been pretty obvious that 2024 was not the year for tris.  And I made peace with that awhile ago.  It's really twofold - I hit the gas so hard from 2021-2023 to qualify for all the things that 2024....needed a step back.  And with the way life has turned out this year, its so much easier to throw on running shoes and go for pavement therapy than line up a long ride or swim to give a shit.  And thats okay. Balance?

Despite my reluctance to actually train for multisport, I still LOVE racing it - mostly because the people are just amazing and what could be better than playing with friends?  There are two races that are always on my August calendar - Peasantman and the ROC tri.  Last year I was fortunate enough to sweep a win for both, which gave me free entry for 2024.  And while I wasn't expecting a three-peat win, I was game to go see what kind of fast I could pull off with my bullshit swimming and less rides for the year than I could count on two hands.  What could possibly go wrong? (Uh Rae - you say that way too much to be considered healthy). 

Peasantman was up first!  Since my ultra, I really hadn't been doing much - bullshit runs and a few rides and some swims.  I honestly had a hard time recovering from Candlelight - I think the mix of the miles, stress, heat and lack of food was an issue.  I got sick for a week or two post race, and really haven't felt the best since, so I accepted it and just did what my body let me do.  So I had zero expectation for P man but FUN.

I've raced the Olympic tri for this event for the past two years - this year I dropped down to the sprint for a few reasons - kiddo logistics and quite frankly, I wasn't really trained enough on the bike to drop a 30 mile ride that I felt good about.  I'd never done the sprint, but heard great things about it.  I'm lucky enough to race for First Knight, and Peasantman is really the best this sport has to offer - four distances, a day of fun, low key but organized well, and an RD that just gets it.  You cant go wrong (spoiler alert - 2025 is gonna be BIG for this race - stay tuned!!)

Race morning brought rain and iffy conditions, much like Keuka.  Ryan and I travelled together in the a.m. - he was doing the Oly and looking for some redemption and me, I was just along to dance.  I felt a lack of race nerves and that was fine - again, its about acceptance of where you're at.  The rain let up shortly after we got into transition and I did what I always do - I hung out, joked, laughed, caught up with my athletes and in general just enjoyed the atmosphere.  I love running but tris just have this awesome family vibe that keeps it enjoyable.  Before I knew it, we were off to the swim start!

Swim - 12:58 (1:54/100)

The water was absolutely fantastic!  Just before we started, I met a fellow RAT (Rochester Area Triathlete) named Rachael I had heard a lot about - which was funny, because she said the same thing to me (not true, I swear, whatever it was!) I knew she would be my main "competition", whatever that meant, and was a sick swimmer.  Game on.  This race features a "mass start" for each distance, whichw as awesome in terms of knowing where you were in the race!  I swam my consistent, easy swim for the (roughly) 700 yards, exiting the water with a goofy smile on my face (so serious) and off to the bike!)

Bike - 44:02 (19.7 mph)

The bike course on the sprint is a simple out and back, with rollers each way and a nice descent before the turnaround where you can assess where you stand in the race.  The way out was pretty head-windy,  but not too bad - I have little basis for where my bike power is this year, so I went off feel and tucked into aero as best I could. As de rigeur since the ultra, my legs felt fine but I had little cardio stamina and oushed to my best.  Really, it was obvious again that I have not been training speed or the bike, and I got what I deserved here.  I saw Rachael, the speedy swimmer, about 4 minutes ahead as I hit the turnaround and knew I had been ridiculously outswam (not a shocker).  Happily, I saw no other women so we were gunning for second place, which was good for me!  The way back into T2 was full of some nice tailwind and speed! And I zoomed back, waving at the friends on their way out and smiling the whole way. 

Run - 23:09 (7:28)

As always, this is my fave.  As I hit T2, I saw Greg heading out for the run - he also did the sprint, and had a great swim and bike.  As we have always done, one of us is the rabbit, and we still playfully see if there is enough road for me to catch him.  I saw my awesome support cheering me on as I hit the run and smiled so big  - I am so lucky :) and it set the tone for my run.  A few weeks back, I had set my watch to KM splits as a joke in Canada, and never bothered to switch it back, so I hit KM 1 in 4:34 whatever the hell that means, and did some mental math as I ticked off the distance (I know - I'm a moron).  I caught Greg right before the turn around, and high fived him - he looked great and put together a strong race.  I knew Rachael was still about 3 minutes up and 3rd place was about 5 minutes back, so I focused on my cadence and just enjoyed the second half, high fiving everyone and dancing like I always do!  I hit the last hot corner and blew my buddy Joe, the RD, a smooch, and then hit the gas and ran it in for a time of 1:22:07, good enough for 2nd female and 4th overall including dudes!

Post race I was able to hang for a bit and cheer in my athletes - Greg finished strong about two minutes back, Laura ZOOMED into the finish in an epic battle with a woman from PA, Lani added some extra bike miles (that over acheiver) and Nina set a 4 minute PR!  I love these people so damned much and they are amazing!!!  I got knighted, celebrated with the First Knight crew, and just enjoyed, as always, every second.

While I'm bummed I lost my winning streak (I'll admit it!) I honestly am happy with the race.  I got seriously outswam and it cost me - something I need to work on if I want to compete at short distance.  But with the work I put in, and the way I've felt the last month, I'm pleased with the result.  The times will come and go, but the races are SO MUCH FUN and that's really what I'm after!

Six days later - the Roc tri was on!!.  Same distance, six days.....what happened? With a mischief (a group of RATs) anything could happen.....  Stay tuned :)