The Lifetime Triathlon Series is one of the largest triathlon events in the nation. Their homepage feed reads "The Greatest Races for the Greatest Athletes". Professionals and age groupers from all over the country travel to the Lifetime events to race for prize money and elite status, respectively. The top three amateur males and females gain eligibility for an elite license- THE GOAL! The Lifetime Dallas Tri was established in 2007 as the U.S. Open Tri, and is a championship event.
As I mentioned in my last report, Kyle and I decided last minute to hit the road and try our luck at the U.S. Open after learning that our scheduled race, Santa Rosa Island, had been canceled. My feelings about the race were mixed. On the one hand, I was not feeling confident since the whole reason why Dallas wasn't planned was because we didn't think I was ready. On the other, I WAS READY TO RACE. Perfectly trained, tapered, and mentally in race mode. After weighing the options, I knew that if we didn't go to Dallas I would regret it- it just seemed like the stars were lining up and pointing me in that direction; Dallas was the obvious choice.
Of course, the goals for this event needed to be adjusted. No pressure to place in the top three; that was probably not realistic. If it happened, GREAT; if not, no loss. This race was all about beating myself. I'm looking ahead to next year, so I just needed to set myself up for a positive winter. Get the bad taste of Rocketman out, end with a strong Olympic Distance going into the winter, show up in April with confidence.
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| K-Jop and I with 3x Olympian Hunter Kemper (NO BIG DEAL!) JK JK yes, it IS a big deal! |
Sunday morning was chilly. We arrived at the transition area early to set up, warm-up, and get settled in. I stayed bundled up as long as possible before having to get into my wet-suit and get ready to race. I was feeling pretty good- a little jitters, but no panic. Even when we were lined up for our wave start (Which included both male and female elite amateurs combined!) I was in a happy place. No expectations, no disappointments... Just race!
Swim 25:25:08
Amateurs were not allowed a swim warm-up, so I tried to keep everything pretty loose while waiting and did a few out-and-backs while in the water waiting for the wave to start. After I lined up along the start line, I realized I was in the direct path to the turn buoy (score!). I also looked around at the group around me- all men. The guy behind me looked timid- like he was about to cry- so I decided to stay where I was. After all, I'm a decent swimmer by amateur triathlon standards, so there's no reason why I can't get in with a group of men and try to hold on.
I'M A DUMMY...
The horn blew and things got out of hand. Everyone took off sprinting, which was expected. I've done enough wave starts by now to realize that it gets a little chaotic, especially if you are trying to break away or stick with the break-away, but this was not just chaotic, it was violent. Obviously there is going to be lots of contact with a wave start, and that's fine. BUT, I'm not a fan of kicking violently if someone touches your legs, throwing bows at your neighbor, or punching. Seriously, I got PUNCHED in the face... who swims with fists?!? I can only attribute it to the fact that the women where drastically outnumbered, and I'm concluding that men are crazy and outwardly aggressive. Seriously, when women race the focus is on getting away from the group, catch a draft, & swim fast. Men- "Swim hard & take out as many opponents as you can, we are at war!". FYI guys- There's a difference between hard & fast. In triathlon, fast is better.
After about 200m of this nonsense I realized that if I tried to continue to fight this crowd I would red-line from the chaos alone. I decided to back off to let the jokers go, then settled in and let them pull me. The course is a rectangular shape with 2 turns. After the first turn, the current became more noticeable (possibly because I fell off the back off the group). Although the wind wasn't nearly as bad as Saturday, the water was still choppy, and I could feel my body getting tossed around with the water. There was also a Coast Guard boat right off the course that may have been causing some of the wake... the water was rough. The last stretch is where I struggled the most. I had difficulty sighting with all the rough water ahead, and it was difficult to see where we were supposed to swim in. I ended up using people around & ahead of me to sight, which I felt uneasy about. I also felt current pushing us to the outside... No doubt that on THIS day, the swim conditions were challenging. Finish time 25:25:08. A little slow for me at this point, but under the conditions, not terrible. Goal for the winter- FIX MY STROKE so I'll be better equipped to deal with such conditions!
T1
I wanted to feel sorry for myself after looking at my watch, but saw another woman in my wave in T1, which made me feel better. Get out of the wetsuit and GO!
Bike 1:09:01 21.9mph
THIS IS NOT AN EASY COURSE! And there's a reason why they call this place "Rockwall". As you exit the transition area you have to climb up this monster hill to exit the Hilton parking lot. Let me be clear in saying that this hill would be a challenge in itself, however you are taking it on from ZERO momentum at the bottom RIGHT after you mount. For the first time in years I put my cleats on in transition area and chose to clip in over my flying mount.
Once you get past the transition hill, there's still a bit of climbing. For the most part the course is rolling, which is not TERRIBLE, but there are a few spots of longer, gradual inclines which caused most people to slow down considerably. The roads are not terrible. There are a few places towards the beginning and end that you have to watch out for roughage on the road, but the middle 12 miles or so are smooth and fast. This day wasn't terribly windy, so I chose to ride my race wheels (disc in the back), which I believe helped.
I obviously needed to have a good bike, but I also knew I didn't need to go out too hard for the first half because I would struggle on the way back in (there's a small decline out). I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course was more intimidating in the car than on the bike. I felt really strong until the last 2.5 miles- at this point there are a lot of turns and gradual inclines, so I just had a difficult time gaining momentum. The last half mile or so is downhill back into the resort area, so there was a lot of caution to avoid coming back in with too much speed.
T2
I didn't really notice that I was chilly on the bike until I prepared to dismount and realized I couldn't feel my feet! Ever seen the episode of The Office when Kevin shows up to Jim and Pam's wedding with tissue boxes on his feet because he lost his shoes? That's what I felt like trying to dismount my bike and run down the rest of that hill- fat Kevin trying to run with tissue boxes on.
Run 46:14 7:27min/mile
THIS REALLY IS NOT AN EASY COURSE!
You know that wall of a hill you have to bike up coming out of transition? Well you have to run up the other side of it with your Jell-O legs. I think this is one of the more challenging 10K runs I've ever done. The entire course is rolling- you are constantly going up or down, but oddly enough I don't remember the downs! The 10K is 2x 3 mile loops (plus some so it's REALLY a 10K), which I like. I was feeling fine until around mile 2.5 where there is a long steep hill immediately following a gradual incline. Both times around my legs wanted to give out, but the second time my right quad started to cramp and I took a few steps to walk it out. Run completed in 46:19- A PR ON A VERY CHALLENGING COURSE AT THE END OF A TRI! VERY excited!
Finish 2:24:53
What this race perfect? HECK NO! Are any of them? haha that's funny! BUT overall I am ecstatic about how things turned out. No doubt this course was the hardest I've faced this year, so I'm happy with how everything came together, especially the run.
The most valuable aspect of this race is what I learned: We don't train FOR ONE event. Our training may gear towards a good performance AT ONE, but everything builds on itself and the outcome of the ONE doesn't determine the outcome of our overall SUCCESS. I have a tendency of building things up in my head- like, "THIS IS IT, THIS IS ALL THAT MATTERS". I didn't have that outlook for Dallas, but had I been training FOR Dallas, I would have, and I would have been a nervous wreck. The buildup is not necessary; the focus IS. All that matters is the training and your preparation, and unless there is a freak accident (like the rare mechanical issue), things will come together. Will everything be perfect? Probably not, but the imperfections and the ways we overcome obstacles are what make this sport so dang fun!
You know what else is fun?
- Winning the Elite Amateur Division at a 'Championship-Caliber' race! Especially when you don't expect it.
- Racing on the same course as the pros we follow and read about.
- Cycling to your heads' version of "Ceiling Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore, then seeing that same song performed at the awards ceremony.
- Meeting professional athlete & 2x winner of the Dallas Tri & Lifetime Series, CAMERON DYE.
- Indulging on Chipotle.
Up next: Mighty Magnolia Triathlon
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