Sharon Triathlon Race Report

Look at me, two blogs within a week! I am on a roll....

So, very last minute I signed up for the Sharon Sprint Triathlon (like 3 days before).  This race was appealing for a few reasons: 1. Max Performance does a great event, check them out if you want to try some races. 2. I ride in Sharon a lot and it's not terribly far away (like 30 min)...this means no 4am wake up! 3.  I really need to get used to my TT bike and transitioning.

I woke up after 5:30am (not bad for a tri right?) and got there pretty quick!  It POURED rain on the way there, but seemed to let up once I arrived to the venue.  Check in, set up was pretty uneventful.  They announced the water temp was 77, so you could still wear a wetsuit and be eligible for awards.  That's warm, FYI. Everyone was asking are you wearing a wet suit.  NO. I don't like wetsuits, but then again I am more comfortable in the water than I am driving in Boston.

Swim: 1/2 mile 12:43 2nd in age group (12th overall men and women!)

The race was separated into different waves (no mass start) and we were in wave 2!  We went into the water and started there (rather than a run into the water start).  Everything went pretty smoothly I think, it was a little foggy so sighting was a little harder than usual.  There was a girl with Swedish goggles (swimmers know this) so i kind of figured she might be  quick.  No newbies wear those goggles.  Turns out we swam next to each other the whole time!  I drafted her coming into the swim finish then got kicked in the face by some guy who I didn't realize had stopped.  That's why she technically was the fastest out of the water. My once a week sometimes...skip a week here and there swimming is working! kinda.

Bike: 12.3 miles 34:53 1st in age group (woohoo!)

I think my transition was a little better, but I still awkwardly put that aero helmet on (it's just weird).  I didn't feel that fast really, but I felt a lot more comfortable since I got a new saddle.  I don't think I get enough time on this bike...so I am still getting used to it.  I had a dude pass me then he stopped pedaling...multiple times.  It was annoying because you get penalized for drafting in triathlon.  I finally just passed him and said seeyah later. The course was pretty flat and other than one of 5000 numbers attached to me/my bike flapping on my leg...it was fine.

Run: 4.4 miles 33:35 3rd in age group (hard to believe)

This went better than expected.  I got off the bike and people were yelling at me first female! I was like oh, really? crap. I felt like I couldn't breath for the first mile (I haven't done many bike-run workouts...) but I got over it. I settled into a faster than I thought pace, but my back felt good so I went with it.  A chick passed me easily during the first mile....I didn't try to pick up the pace because honestly I didn't think I could hold anything much faster.  I could just see her the entire time in front of me.  My number again kept flapping everywhere (seriously why do we have to wear so many numbers?).  It's been hard this year to consistently train for the running stuff....but between the cycling and strength work I have done I was able to pull off 7:30 min/mile without dying!

Finish: 1:23:33 2nd overall female 1st in age group. First to eat all the watermelon...seriously.

Combined with the men, I am still a better swimmer than cyclist. Sigh.  I guess you can't take the swimmer out of me...or whatever.

I am very sore right now, but all in good ways.  Back feels good, which really boosts my confidence leading into the Lake Placid 70.3.  I am doing this half on a bit of behind schedule training, but I think the yoga, strength work, and the fact that I have done a few of these before should carry me through! To be honest, there's never been "scheduled" training...I just kind of do whatever. Listen to your body and it will react appropriately.  I just assumed I would have done more distance by now.

Hopefully this rain stops at some point so Camille and I can do another bike ride! This is really what the #letmebeyourlungs from team phenomenal hope is all about! she's probably not going to need me to race for her soon enough :)

Talk to you soon!

                                                    This is me and Carlos.

#Worsttriathlete

Hello there!

Apparently it's been a year since I have posted in my blog so I guess that also makes me the #worstblogger too.  Anyways, it's a new year and I am continuing to raise funds and awareness for Team Phenomenal Hope.  This year I wanted to do something different, challenging, and not a bike race (that's what Sunapee racing is for!).

Long story short, I started bike racing because I was training for a triathlon.  Yup, I was terrible at the bike part so I bucked up and joined a cycling team.  Through that I realized how awesome bike racing was and that I didn't have to fight as many injuries, so eventually I stopped doing triathlons!  This year, and many seasons of bike racing under my belt, I thought I would try my hand at triathlon again.  I signed up for Lake Placid 70.3 in September.  I can wing sprint triathlons, but this would probably require a bit more than that. Ok, cool....let's do this.

                                                 12 mile ride with Camille post transplant!

Many months later here I am. Let's just say that triathlon is incredibly humbling.  My year so far has basically been triathlon yelling at me like your "hamstrings are tight, your hamstrings are weak, your hips are out of line, your goggles fog up, you aren't running fast enough, your back really hurts doing anything, you really aren't flexible, you should get to the pool, you should get more massages, you should get a new mattress".  Triathlon seems to bring out....the worst in me.  HOWEVER! It's really made me realize how important working on your weaknesses is.  The bad part, I think Kyle had to hear me say I am cancelling the trip, i don't want to run, I don't want to do the half ironman, I can't do this anymore...several times. Sorry Kyle. 

The hashtag #worsttriathlete came about this year because I really am a bad triathlete.  I tend to sleep in instead of a morning workout.  I skip 3 weeks of swimming randomly.  I bought a new TT bike but suffered through the saddle for months before buying a new one (a month before the race).  The list continues...but yeah I am really the #worsttriathlete.

I do applaud triathletes because it's like a juggling act.  Swim, run, yoga, massage, bike, stretch, yoga, fuel, buy a new saddle because oh. my god it hurts.  I struggled all year and it was affecting my bike racing even.

So, I finally bought a new mattress and poof.  A lot of my back issues have improved. A lot! Not to mention I've been doing yoga as well to work on my inflexibility.  Perhaps, I am a little off schedule...but there's still some time to get some quality training in before September 9th.  I am planning on taking these lessons learned into 2019 for whatever the next adventure I go on (perhaps another 5 year retirement from triathlon?).

All through this, I remembered the reason I am training.  This is to raise money and awareness for people with pulmonary hypertension, a disease without a cure.  I certainly can get through this if everyday they struggle to breath.

Please check out my fundraising page and thanks for checking in!!!

https://www.teamphenomenalhope.org/team-ph/julie-tracy/

                                                  After Purgatory Road Race, I was...um tired.