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).
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!)
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 :)
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