This just wasn’t my race. I went in confident, had goals to crush and it just didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. But I did finish my 7th annual JCC Triathlon by the Sea which is most important.
I was very organized and prepared, and actually referenced my Sprint Triathlon Essentials post to make sure I had everything I needed! I ate a solid pre-race dinner on Saturday (crispy pork chops, white rice and salad) and went to bed early.
My 7th Annual JCC Triathlon by the Sea {Race Recap}
Pre-Race
I woke up around 5:45am and got up to make sure I ate a piece of breakfast strata and had coffee before I had to leave the house at 6:30. My suit was laid out and a threw on a old pair of comfy pants and a sweatshirt and was out the door with half a cup of coffee still in hand.
I arrived at the venue, set myself up, chatted with a few other triathlons and made my way inside for the start of the race.
Swim
As always, I was a little nervous before the swim. Not because I was nervous about the swim itself but more just overall race nerves. The two guys behind me looked fast so I told them both if they had to pass me that they could.
I usually feel strong in the swim and this race was no different.
Swim Time – 5:36 (this included half of T1)
This was actually 5 seconds faster than last year!
Bike
I made sure my phone was mounted to my bike before the swim and that my RunKeeper app was set to go. I really wanted to track my milage and speed as I went. It really helps me to push myself.
Mile 1 – 16.99 mph
Mile 2 – 19.74 mph
Look at that blazing speed! I felt pretty good on the bike but knew the flat part of the course was about to end and the speed wouldn’t stick around for all of the hills.
Mile 3 – 14.12 mph
This is where the course starts to get hilly but I still felt pretty good and pushed along.
Mile 4 – 14.94 mph
Mile 5 – 13.36 mph
Halfway!
Mile 6 – 15.81 mph
Mile 7 – 13.41 mph
Mile 8 – 14.65 mph
Mile 9 – 11.86 mph
Woof! This stretch of course was the same flat stretch that I had my fasted mile but this time, I was pedaling against the wind. I felt like I was trying to go through sand and water at the same time. The wind was SO strong. My poor legs were burning badly but I knew I was close to the end and just had to keep my poor legs moving.
Mile 10 – 13.06 mph
Time on bike – 41:22 // 14.51 average mph
Bike Time (including half of T1 and T2) – 47:33
This was only 20 slower than last year and I will blame all of those 20 seconds on the extreme winds blowing directly in my face for the last two miles of the bike. There was absolutely no head-on wind last year.
Run
Mile 1 – 9:56 min/mile
Mile 2 – 11:12 min/mile
Mile 3 – 9:50 min/mile
This is where I changed my attitude. Who cares if I run the slowest mile ever and my legs felt like they were going to fall off. I was out on a beautiful course on a beautiful day.
Last 0.5 mile – 9:26 min/mile
This is the part of the course that turns back to the venue and the finish line. There are still plenty of racers just heading out for their runs that I like to cheer on and there are spectators out cheering everyone on. Although my legs still felt awful, they didn’t hurt quite as much so I turned on the jets and cruised UPHILL to the finish line.
Run time – RunKeeper 36:15 (10:12 pace), Official Race Results 36:28 (10:25 pace)
Total Time, including T1 and T2 – 1:29:35
I finished a full 5 minutes slower than last year. As much as a bummer as this is, I am still proud of myself for getting out of bed at 5:45 on a Sunday morning and doing it.
The rest of the day on Sunday was pretty normal (grocery shopping, meal prepping, cooking dinner) but I was exhausted. My shirt says it all…Everything hurts and I’m dying.
This picture was actually taken as I was laying on the floor with my legs up the wall. Thank god for the #prettyfilter because I certainly didn’t have any make up on!
