Cedar Point 140.6 Race Report

...I am still calm. It's 3am on Sunday, September 8th and it is time to get up, get ready and get going.
It's race day.
And I am still calm.

I had prepped everything I needed the day before and gone over each bag 10 times to make sure I did not forget anything. My bike was already checked. All I had to do was suit up, load the car and head on over to the park.

The winds were picking up and Lake Erie was pretty wild. Rip current warnings were issued and Rev3 put into action their swim back up plan--we would be swimming in the cove/marina which was on the other side of the peninsula that Cedar Point is situated on...this meant an added bit of distance from the swim to the bike but whatever. Only worry about what you CAN control on race day, right!?



I got to see and wish my awesome teammate, Laura (Frayed Laces) good luck! She would end up having a stellar day out there, check out her race report.

We walked on over to the new swim start, about a half a mile from the finish/transition area. I was still calm for the most part but I was starting to get into my race head-thinking about the plan for the day, reviewing my options for the "what if XX happens" and planning for a day against the wind.

I said goodbye to my family, got suited up and tried to get into the water for a bit of a swim

With the swim change, we would be starting off a boat ramp, we would be doing a time trial start and two swimmers going every 3 seconds. I found several of my teammates, Brittany-Susan-Kelly (who was doing the half later on but was there cheering!). We were asked to self seed based on our swim times. I tried to line up around 1:15-1:20 and found Brittany. We lined up together and help hands while we waited.

Then the song FIREWORK by Katy Perry came on...Now, if you were at Rev3 Maine you know that my daughter, Lola, sang this song up on the awards stage like a total rockstar.
She sings this song all the time.
I have always LOVED the message in this song.
My teammates went NUTS yelling, cheering and screaming for me! The dance party in line was ON and all of a sudden, every nerve calmed and I was just filled with JOY and CALM.
This song reminded me that I am strong. I had done all the training, today was a day to put all the training into motion. I said a little prayer asking that my body be strong, my mind focused and to be safe. 

It was into the water. 
I started steady and focused on my form and effort, taking it easier than I thought I should. I got out of the marina and out towards the island, which we would lap twice. I got away from a scrum of people hugging the island. It was still somewhat dark and the water visiblity was 0. I did not want to swim onto any rocks or kick anything to risk injury this early. On the first 1000 yards or so, there were several spots where swimmers would get clumped up but I would just add a bit of effort and move away from them. I tried to find some feet to hang onto...once we got around the island, the winds were hitting the water for a bit of chop and spray. This did not bother me because I am used to swimming in the ocean. I kept effort in check and kept it steady. Before I knew it, it was time to make the second loop around the island-swim swim swim. Just after making the left turn around the orange buoy to swim the length of the outside of the island, I felt a big kick right to the mouth! It stunned me, I could taste a bit of blood--checked, teeth still there and my lip was in one piece so it was time to keep swimming back into the wind which seemed to be picking up. I got smacked in the face several times with chop and spray but kept moving. I felt like I was moving very slowly, even when I tried to pick up the pace. I opted to save my energy for the last bit of calm water on the way to the swim exit. And there it was-

The SWIM EXIT arch, the screams from the crowd were now audible and I was feeling fantastic. I had no idea what my swim time was and I did not care. I felt like I swam smart, steady and strong. I ran up the boat launch, hit STOP on the Garmin and flopped down on the carpet. The WETSUIT STRIPPER yanked my blueseventy Axis off like lightening, I was up and running over to throw on my Pearl iZUMi N1's for the run to transition.

SO excited to see Lola on my run to T1

As I was running, I glanced at my Garmin and smiled.
SWIM TIME 1:14
a 2 minute PR at that distance.
Boom!

Now, it was time to have a little fun!

I grabbed my bike gear bag and ran into the change tent, threw on my Rev3 jersey (pockets pre-filled with all my Powerbar snacks and some beef jerky!) and onto the bike. I was prepared for the winds ahead and had my bike race plan ready to be executed. As I got out of the park, the mighty winds were coming off Lake Erie on my left and I was very much reminded of home. The waves of the lake were very much like the ocean during a storm, rough and loud. Beautiful "beach" homes lined the lake to my right. I smiled and pedaled easy, letting my heart rate settled, got on some fluids and my first bar of the ride. Once I got away from the Lake Erie shoreline, it was off into farm country. I put my head down and got to work-keeping my HR right where it needed to and enjoying my favorite part of triathlon. I was holding a pretty solid 20mph pace and the wind was knocking me around a bit, but I was stready and strong. Right on top of my nutrition and being smart. I passed quite a few guys and had not seen any females at all...it would be a theme of the day. I played cat n mouse with a dude on a QR for the first 50 miles or so; I took in corn field after corn field and wondered if the corn was giving any protection to the winds. The sky got dark and it started to rain. It would be wet, dreary and dark for a while..

I had been joking with Coach all summer that if it was raining and cold at Cedar Point, I was going to win it. All summer, the weather was either 95* and hot as hades or 50* and raining. My training days were excellent in the cold rain...not so excellent in the hot. 

I flew past special needs without so much of a thought and kept on top of fluids at the aid stations and finally met up with one of the very few females I would see all day-Kate from Team Fight. We had chatted at the swim start so we cheered each other on and played the cat/mouse game for a few miles before I pulled ahead.

I thanked as many officers and volunteers as I could and battled on. The wind was getting stronger and the last 30 miles felt like a battering ram of wind--my upper body was getting a bit tired and I had pulled back on the effort a bit to keep within the HR parameters. Coach and I had discussed the wind and her words echoed in my head "a smart bike will set you up for the marathon" and "the energy used to gain 10 seconds won't be worth it in the wind". I finished the bike smart and feeling soooo good.

Add caption

The ride was over before I knew it. 110 miles in and I was passing the beach homes I admired on my way out. This time, the wind was pushing fiercely against me or pushing me sideways. I still had lots in the tank but I was ready to be off the bike and get to running.

I entered the bike path to T2 and saw Lola and Casey cheering and taking pictures!  I got off my bike and ran to rack my bike. There were not many bikes back...into the change tent. I got a high five from Trevor on my way. It was time to run!

BIKE TIME: 5:53

I knew the bike would be the highlight of my race but my projected time was going to depend on the weather and the winds. I was projecting a time of 5:45 to 6:15 so I was pretty close.


The Run

Ahhh, the run. The wildcard for the whole day. I pretty much was right on with my predictions for the swim and the bike--even with the winds but I really had no idea how this run was going to play out. In training, the weather strongly impacted my run and since it was not 85*+ degrees, I was hoping for a good day.
The legs felt good exciting T2 and I reviewed the race plan once again in my head-miles 0-5 were steady and setting myself up for the rest of the marathon.  I got in some sips of liquid and a gel, I was feeling good. Things were going great until mile 3.5 when I started to feel the oh-too-familiar right sided diaphragmatic cramping--SALT needed. I have experienced this many times over the years and during several bricks this summer so luckily, I knew I just needed MORE salt... I did not take in as much salt on the bike due to cool temps, rain and wind but in hindsight (it's 20/20 right!?) I probably should have popped one last salt tab at the end of my ride...I walked/jogged to the next aid station and took in some salt. Soon enough, the cramping was done. Running resumed-steady and I felt good. I made a loop through the park and remembered being there with my family for an early morning walk on Friday and this made me smile. I took in the scenery and just kept moving.
Thoughts were positive, my body felt good and the skies had cleared! The sun was out and depending on where you were on the course, you were either completely protected from the wind, or hit was right in your face! Running into the headwind was a blessing at times (ahhh! how cool it felt against my sweaty skin!) even if it did slow me down just a teeny bit.

 Mother Nature loves to mess with me anytime I tackle a new distance in a race (remember Timerman??) and she did not leave me alone for Cedar Point either...I guess two weeks prior to race day wasn't enough for me to suffer with the "monthly curse" and apparently I did not have enough stress with Lola being sick and delaying our departure to Ohio. On Friday, two days before race day, "Aunt Flo" decided to make another visit. THANKS. Awesome. 

Oh well. Luckily for me, it was just a minor inconvenience and required an actual potty stop on the run (vs. just peeing myself and running). I'd walk the aid stations to take in hydration and/or calories and just keep moving. Things were progressing along nicely and I was headed back to the park and ready to tackle Loop 2.

One of the highlights of the entire day was getting to run with Lola!!

I tend to get blisters-especially if I am hot, sweaty, and wet (rain, sweat, dumping fluids on my head) and I had planned ahead for this with a spare set of running shoes, dry socks and some special blister band-aids for my special needs bag. I hit mile 13 and ducked out to only change one sock, the right, as I had felt a nagging pain on my pinky toe the last several miles. Sure enough, that sucker was totally one giant blister! Clean sock, Band-Aid blister on and OFF WE WENT> Seriously, those things are like magic! I had a message from Coach waiting for me at Special Needs and that made my day!! GO JEN GO!
.

I had just passed special needs and decided to make the loop around the 13 mile marker first! I saw Lola waiting for her HIGH FIVE! I have to laugh at this picture because I just look so dang confused. Just run around it Jen...that's all you have to do!!

Around mile 16.5 it hit me--WE NEED A POTTY STOP! Not to pee and no GI distress at all, I just needed to go. I tried running through it but NOPE. That's wasn't happening or things would escape. Around this time, Lola and Casey caught up to me and I walked with Lola a bit. Casey yelled at me to start running and I explained why I was taking a break. He offered up the van and Lola's puke bucket but I did not want to risk a penalty or DQ for "outside assistance".

That's when Casey told me-- "Jen, you are in second place in your AG right now. You cannot slow down, you cannot walk. GO GO GO". I made it to the next aid station and hit up the potty! Awesome.

And I went. I was looking at my watch and counting. Doing math. I could possibly go sub-12!! Coach had said that my race would start at mile 15 and it was time to go! I saw my teammate, Laura pass by with the lead cyclist and I was just thrilled for her!! I cheered her on and it got ME fired up!

There was finally a potty around THIS corner!! 

I gotta hand it to Casey and Lola--they were ALL OVER that run course cheering! Lola became an honorary Sandusky Police Officer and she even got to direct traffic for a bit!

I don't recall much detail about the couple of miles from 16-19 but I saw friends out cheering loudly, I cheered on other runners. I thanked the police officers. I thanked the volunteers. When I got to the 20 mile marker, I felt new.  I felt alive and it was go time. Only 10K left. Once final gulp of fluids and one final gel. I passed MattyO and Heather out cheering loudly and it gave me new vigor!
Then two miles were left. I kept looking behind to see if I would get run down. That last mile just flew by...

I was crossing the bridge over the inlet and the sun was getting lower in the sky. It was beautiful. I was almost done. I felt amazing. Alive. PROUD. I smiled and got choked up a bit. Casey and Lola drove by me in the van and were honking the horn!  Then I could hear the crowds...

I was there. Just a loop around the transition area, down the finishers chute and there it was! The finish line. Lola and Casey met me on the way to the chute--I saw a ton of Rev3 Staff lining the chute! I saw the clock 12:14 and I was just pumped!!
RUN TIME: 4:43

I did my best MattyO impersonation and airplaned a bit down the chute. I was done.



I crossed the timing mat and Lola wasn't next to me--I turned around and there she was with a huge smile! I picked her up and swung her around.

I got my medal and sat down.
And then it hit me. I did it. I had my girl. I had my husband. I had my finish line.

All the emotion and months of hard work bubbled up into tears of joy.

The fat girl who wasted half of her life doing nothing was now an athlete who just pushed her body across 140.6 miles of awesome. 

She believed she could...so she DID

TOTAL TIME 12:04
Due to the time trial start, I was actually 10 mins faster than the clock! That's right!!

13th Overall Female
2nd in my Age Group

I hung out with Lola in the Normatec boots and then hung out with team mates

I cannot say enough about how great this race was from a racers point of view. 

The volunteers were AMAZING. So nice, happy, upbeat, CHEERING and helpful.

The course was so well marked, police everywhere and well supported with aid stations and staff.

I could not have asked for a better race for my first full, Rev3 you are amazing and I am so proud to be a part of the Rev3 Team and Family. 

Thank you for making my day so special.

Thank you to my family for the months (and years) of being patient with me as I find my way. As I grow as a person, athlete and Mother. Thank you for your support, your help and for standing strong with me so I can chase these dreams with wild abandon. 

To Casey & Lola, there are not enough thank you's in the world for you two. I know that the time away is hard on you guys and I thank you so much for being understanding. 

WE ARE A TEAM. 

I LOVE YOU.

Thank you to my sponsors who make it possible for me to chase this crazy triathlon dream on a daily basis. Withoutyour support, half of this would not be possible. I am blessed to be able to work with such amazing brands that I truly love. THANK YOU 

To Coach Sharpie, thank you for your time, your love, your firm hand (when needed) and for your understanding. I have learned from you more than you. You are amazing awesome and I adore you. You made me physically and mentally strong for this day. I adore you! xo 

She's a Mainiac!!

The Mainiac Sprint Triathlon: The long winded race report about my first triathlon!

First and foremost I need to say that this was an amazing experience and I cannot recall the last time I had SO MUCH FUN!





I spent most of Friday evening obsessing about transition and packing. I made lists, I put everything out and ran through what I would need to do at transition in my head. I checked the Triathlon Mom's posts in Running Moms for tips and ideas. I tried on several pairs of tri-shorts and tops looking for the best combo comfort wise- I also wanted my family to be able to find me in a sea of people.


Sleep did not come easy that night for me, I could not shut my brain off. When I woke in the morning I had a bit of a headache and puffy eyes from the lack of sleep. I had a cup of coffee, jumped in the shower and attempted to choke down my favorite breakfast of oatmeal & raisins but I did not have much of an appetite. I drank water and just tried to remain calm.


I had read a tip about tying a balloon to your transition spot so you can find your stuff easily~the previous nights birthday celebration for Emma provided me with two balloons-one pink and one white. Lola decided that I needed to have the white one so I gave her a big green Sharpie and let her color away on my balloon. I would have a little reminder of my girl with me and that made me happy.

My mother eased my nerves with some words of wisdom from her days showing horses and reminded me to just enjoy the experience. Dad arrived (on time!) and we loaded my bike and gear~We were off!


I arrived to the race venue and people were starting to stream in. My first stop on my way in was to get marked. Funny as it seems this was something that I was looking forward to! I have always thought it was pretty cool looking. Some young guy marked my arms and legs with my race number (183) and my USAT age (37). With a big ole silly grin I was off to rack my bike.


I found my way to my rack and looked around me, I was feeling a bit intimidated. I wasn't sure of "rack etiquette" etc. As Im looking around at all these bikes-really really nice triathlon bikes-I just started to laugh a bit. I'm just taking in the scene before me~ I see these amazing athletes with the coolest triathlon gear, expensive bikes and dressed to the nines (as far as tri clothing goes!). It was at this point I just kind of relaxed and laughed at myself. I let go of any expectations I had and remembered that today was all about having fun and just doing the very best that I could.

Behind me, a couple ladies were setting up their transition areas (remember those really really nice bikes I mentioned-yeah, the whole rack behind me was loaded with uberchic bikes! Specialized, a couple Cervelo's) and since I was somewhat unsure of things, I just asked. This one gal (we will call her DP for now-more on her later) was really nice and gave me several tips and hints. I noticed that she was wearing a Tri for a Cure jacket so we chatted about that for a bit.

Just then I noticed that the chain on my bike came off- oh snap!! I know NOTHING about maintaining or repairing bikes-I knew that there would be bike support there but I did not see anyone yet. With a bold stroke of luck I was able to fix it and check it to be sure it was working just fine. whew! crisis averted. I thanked God that I noticed this NOW and not as I was heading out later! I think this is where I should mention that the bike I have been using all summer is my Dad's hand-me-down road bike-a red Le Tour! A tune up, new tires, seat and handlebar wraps and she is good as new to me!!

More and more people were starting to arrive and I met up with my friend, Michelle. Then Christina, whom I met on the Run for the Fallen. Then my cousin, Krissy and her entourage. I was starting to relax and enjoy the day! I was surrounded by some really cool people and I could feel the stress of the last several days starting to melt away.

I gobbled up some GU and drank some water, I took pics of the scene. It was about 1/2 hour before the swim waves were starting up so Christina and I went for a quick jog to burn off a little energy, hit the Porta-Johns and then we started to suit up for the swim.


The ocean was churning and the waves were rockin'~we hit the beach, I jumped into the water to get wet and then headed up towards the crowds. The Race Director and USAT Official talked to the crowd about the events we were ready to go! I saw my family and had to run over to get my good luck high five from Lola (or high pie as she calls it!). I was in the third wave and ready to SWIM!!




I started at the back of the pack for the swim and once we hit the first buoy, I was passing alot of people. I got kicked a couple times but nothing major. I just tried to stay calm and breath and not push too hard. Before I knew it I was at the last buoy and swimming back towards the beach. I know I was smiling big! I was having fun and I felt like I did pretty well for the swim (considering this is what I had the most anxiety about). I finally could feel the bottom and ran out of the water, pulling off my wetsuit while heading into Transition One. As I ran by my family, my Mom was giving me a big thumbs up and telling me Five Five. (I would later learn from her that I was the fifth woman out of the water!!)

I got to transition and my wetsuit slid right off thanks to a liberal application of BodyGlide on my calves! I rinsed my feet with water, dried them a bit and got into my running sneakers (this gal isn't in bike shoes yet!) tossed on a bright green UnderArmour tee and I was off. I decided I did not need to waste time with my Garmin today. Besides, I was doing this for fun-not to track pace. I was letting go of my obession with numbers today!

The bike ride was just awesome! I think that this was my strongest leg of the race ~it was certainly the most fun. During the ride, I tried to keep in mind the rules about passing and keeping 3 bike lengths behind etc. Last thing I wanted was to rack up drafting penalties on my first tri! I had been riding this route over the summer so it was familiar ground for me and I was passing more and more cyclists. There was road construction at about the midway point of the ride and one lane of the road was all dirt. Thanks to Mr. EL Camino who would not give enough road to let us pass and his car was kicking up dirt into my face (the roads were not completely closed for the race). This slowed me down (as well as those behind me) considerably for about a min or so. Another race participant and I comisserated on what a jerk Mr. EL Camino was...

As I rode into the final turn to the last 3 mile stretch I felt the cool air coming off the ocean and it was at this time I realized that this tri was almost done! It was going by SO fast and I was having so much fun! It was also at this time that I knew I was in love with triatlon!! I thought about how far I had come.

Coming into Transition 2 I was able to see my family again and that just re-energized me! I dropped of my helmet and headed right out for the run!


My husband managed to get around to the side of the OUT path for the run and snapped a couple pics~giving me more well wishes! I recall yelling "I love you babe!" and that my face hurt from smiling so much!






I felt like I was slow slow slow running. This is quite a hilly route and I had done several bricks on these routes this summer but today was different. I just felt so slow. Plus iPods are not allowed so I had to listen to my own breathing, uuugggghhh. But I started passing people even though I was holding back a bit (I knew some bigger hills were ahead of me!). I had to stop to tie my shoes (yup! lesson learned here!!) and ran on. As I approached mile 2 my OTHER shoe came untied and I had to stop yet again to tie it. I thought that the run would be my strongest leg but it just seemed like I was not doing as well as I had on training runs. I started to pick up the pace a bit and I ran past the nice gal I met from earlier this morning, DP. Up hills and then the final hill to the home stretch! I was feeling great! As I approached the finish line I saw my family cheering and got another thumbs up from my Mom.



I felt amazing! I was not tired at all- I think I was high on adenaline!! I cheered on friends that crossed the line and hung out with the family. I got to meet Alex~a local running mom I had "met" on Dailymile.com.

I met up with DP again and we chatted. She congratulated me on a great performance-especially for my first tri. DP informed me that she thought I probably placed! After a good 45 mins of socializing, the results were posted. My Mom was reading the results and DP helped to translate for her. My Mom and DP gave me a big and were saying I placed third in my age group-edging out DP by 20-something seconds! When I got up to the board to look for myself, I saw a familiar name: Dawn P. a slot under mine. I said aloud, "I need to meet this Dawn P" (my father had been telling about this teacher he subbed for that was a great triathlete and that I needed to meet her!) so when I saw her name I just kind of said it aloud. That is when my new friend DP turned around and said "IM DAWN P!!" I then told her the story of how I had heard of her and how highly my Dad spoke of her. We had a good laugh about this!



Then the awards started and when they got to my age group and announced that Dawn P was THIRD she jumped up and down and I gave her a big hug! Then they announced the I had placed SECOND> I was in SHOCK!! Dawn gave me a big hug and we laughed some more!! I was just a fun day and actually getting placed at my first tri was just the icing on the cake!






On Sunday afternoon I was finally able to access the results of the tri and see how I did:

• Swim: 8:51
• T1: 2:42
• Bike: 40:17
• T2: 0:50
• Run: 24:54

Overall I was 55th and the 14th female. While I have lots of room to improve I am very pleased with my performance.

I don't think I could have picked a better event for my first tri. It took place on my favorite "stomping grounds" to swim, bike and run. The people were just amazing and I can't wait to meet up with several of them again!!

I now know what to expect. I now know what I need to work on. I now know that I am in love with multisport and I cannot wait until next season. Here's to the start of a beautiful relationship!!