This past weekend I have completed my second stepping stone race to Barb’s race. This was a mid sprint Tri course... involving a 1000 meter swim, 16.4 mile bike ride, and a 5 mile run to finish off.
This was a slightly different experience then the last one. After the last race, I decided to go out a purchase a SwimIt. (Its a small pack with an inflatable life jacket that you can wear on your leg. If I start to panic, I can pull the cord and inflate the jacket. Of course that means I would be disqualified from the race. But I’m okay with that if it means I don’t drown). I got several questions and comments on it. It seems there are a lot of other triathletes who are nervous and panic in the water as well. Overall, in the swim I felt slow, but good. When I reached the shore, I was happy to be back on dry land, but felt I could have done another lap if needed. Still haven’t seen the SwimIt in action, but thats a good thing :)
As for the bike... There was a good amount of elevation gain. Per my GPS it looks like it was over 2000 ft of elevation gain in just 16 miles. The best part of being a circle course, is what goes up, must go down. WHEEEE!!! I love the downhills!!! Overall, my legs felt pretty good. However, I missed an important step during the ride, which is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate for the run. Finished the bike ride with no major issues.
Then the run came... Sun was starting to shine brightly and it was starting to get super hot. (Note: I don’t enjoy running in weather hotter than about 72, and this was close to 80 by the time I started my run. I’m definitely a beach city runner and not an inland empire runner.) I was happy to find that the first mile of the run course was in the shade. Only to realize miles 1-4 were in directly in the sun and uphill. Lets just say, I hit a mental block and bonked on my run, which has became more of a walk/run. I like to think if I had stayed hydrated better on the ride, I would have been much better prepared for the run.
Anyways, thats another race in the books. I will learn from it, and continue on with my training.
Cyclo Femme Woman Global Cycling Day
The following day, I participated in Cyclo Femme.
From cyclofemme.com:
CycloFemme is a socially-driven grass-roots celebration of women on bikes. We are of a growing community, for a growing community, and 100% volunteer-based. Our annual Mother’s Day ride unites riders, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or bicycle preference to share in the joy of cycling. In our first year, 163 rides were registered in 14 countries with many others joining in to celebrate in their own special way. Ride with us this May 12, 2013 as we Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Empower the Future of Women in Cycling.
I met with a great group of ladies, Beach Cities Women Cyclist and rode a flat 36 mile ride through huntington Beach, Newport Beach and the Back Bay. There were about 11 of us on a mission to get out and ride. It was a beautiful day with wonderful weather. I was a little nervous, because my legs were already exhausted from the day before, and I hadn’t put on more than 30 miles on a bike ride since last summer. The first 20 miles were fast and speedy, the last 10 miles not so much. I was impressed with the ladies who were able to go all out for the entire ride. Maybe next time I will be one of those ladies...however, for a day after a race, I was happy just to survive :)
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| Beach Cities Women Cyclists - Participating in Cyclo-Femme |
