Hurt. Pain. Agony. Love It.
You had me at "hills." Yeah, that's right. Two months of spinning class pretty much meant nothing today - I got to the race site, and realized that there would be hills. Rolling hills, but hills, nonetheless. (How many times do you think I can put the word "hills" in this post?)
Seriously, though. It was a good race day, and I am glad that I did it. My first Du of the season, and I can only improve from here. We got to the race site with plenty of time to get our bikes ready, and our area set up. We got to walk around and check out the race site. It was a really nice part of the Cleveland Metropark system, with some nice falls, and a small lake.
It was pretty chilly, but it was sunny and there was no wind. I wore black tights under my bike shorts, a coolmax tee, arc'teryx pullover, and another pullover on top, because I knew that the bike portion was going to be CHILLY, especially going down the hills. I also had a thin hat under my helmet, and a thicker set of gloves.
While waiting in line to use the facilities, I was able to meet up with TriEric, and his wife, Aimee. What a great couple! It was so nice to meet you both. Great athletes, too, as Eric demonstrated on the bike, and as Aimee demonstrated at her half marathon in Athens Ohio a few weeks back - 1:49 - NICE!
As far as the race went, the first leg of the run was good. I felt pretty loose, passed a few people on the hills, and made it into the transition area at 26:13. I didn't take much time in the transition area, grabbed a quick drink, threw on the helmet, and walked the bike out of transition...and started up a hill. WTH! They couldn't start us off with an easy flat, huh? Needless to say, I just powered through it. 5 laps over rolling hills. Nose running, thighs burning, low back aching...but on the positive side, my hands were not cold, at all, and I didn't get a flat. And, hey, I was ON THE BIKE...OUTSIDE!! I know that alot of you gear-heads have been out and about for a while now...please remember that I am BuckeyeRUNNER for a reason. And as a former swimmer, I am definitely a fish on a bike. So I felt glad to just be on the bike, and not fall off! I finished the bike leg in 1:06.
Dumped the bike, had some words of encouragement from TriEric and Aimee, and was off. The first mile, my legs felt tight, but the knees felt okay, and my toes started warming up. I forgot to ditch my outer layer jacket, so I was pretty much roasting, but I guess you'll have that. I powered up the IPod to some Rage Against the Machine, and finally started to find my legs. I finished the run in 28:45. Although I have taken better pictures, here is me at the finish (finish time:2:01, third in my age group. Out of three.)
At the finish, I was able to meet Al, another speed demon, who I saw blow by me on his bike! Here is a group shot, post-race:
All in all, it was a pretty good race. Lessons learned: I will look to improve my biking skills (esp. my gear-shifting, and hydrating while biking), and also work on my bike to run transition. My husband, Eric, deserves an honorable mention, as well, as he cleaned up pretty nicely, with a finish time of 1:35. Double kudos to him for getting stuck with bike duty (being the slower half of a couple does have its benefits!)
The best part of the day was being able to meet some really great bloggers - here's to seeing each other at more races, and meeting other NEO bloggers as the season progresses!
Seriously, though. It was a good race day, and I am glad that I did it. My first Du of the season, and I can only improve from here. We got to the race site with plenty of time to get our bikes ready, and our area set up. We got to walk around and check out the race site. It was a really nice part of the Cleveland Metropark system, with some nice falls, and a small lake.
It was pretty chilly, but it was sunny and there was no wind. I wore black tights under my bike shorts, a coolmax tee, arc'teryx pullover, and another pullover on top, because I knew that the bike portion was going to be CHILLY, especially going down the hills. I also had a thin hat under my helmet, and a thicker set of gloves.
While waiting in line to use the facilities, I was able to meet up with TriEric, and his wife, Aimee. What a great couple! It was so nice to meet you both. Great athletes, too, as Eric demonstrated on the bike, and as Aimee demonstrated at her half marathon in Athens Ohio a few weeks back - 1:49 - NICE!
As far as the race went, the first leg of the run was good. I felt pretty loose, passed a few people on the hills, and made it into the transition area at 26:13. I didn't take much time in the transition area, grabbed a quick drink, threw on the helmet, and walked the bike out of transition...and started up a hill. WTH! They couldn't start us off with an easy flat, huh? Needless to say, I just powered through it. 5 laps over rolling hills. Nose running, thighs burning, low back aching...but on the positive side, my hands were not cold, at all, and I didn't get a flat. And, hey, I was ON THE BIKE...OUTSIDE!! I know that alot of you gear-heads have been out and about for a while now...please remember that I am BuckeyeRUNNER for a reason. And as a former swimmer, I am definitely a fish on a bike. So I felt glad to just be on the bike, and not fall off! I finished the bike leg in 1:06.
Dumped the bike, had some words of encouragement from TriEric and Aimee, and was off. The first mile, my legs felt tight, but the knees felt okay, and my toes started warming up. I forgot to ditch my outer layer jacket, so I was pretty much roasting, but I guess you'll have that. I powered up the IPod to some Rage Against the Machine, and finally started to find my legs. I finished the run in 28:45. Although I have taken better pictures, here is me at the finish (finish time:2:01, third in my age group. Out of three.)
At the finish, I was able to meet Al, another speed demon, who I saw blow by me on his bike! Here is a group shot, post-race:
All in all, it was a pretty good race. Lessons learned: I will look to improve my biking skills (esp. my gear-shifting, and hydrating while biking), and also work on my bike to run transition. My husband, Eric, deserves an honorable mention, as well, as he cleaned up pretty nicely, with a finish time of 1:35. Double kudos to him for getting stuck with bike duty (being the slower half of a couple does have its benefits!)
The best part of the day was being able to meet some really great bloggers - here's to seeing each other at more races, and meeting other NEO bloggers as the season progresses!
13 Comments:
Great job!!!! Man it was chilly out there!! And I know from experience that the Hinckley course is a HILLY one! Way to finish tough!! :)
Nice job on the DU! That finish photo is great! Gotta love the photos that stick out!
Woohoo! Great race - did you get any bling for your age group placing?
Nice job Buckeye. Sounds like a fun time and it must be nice to meet some fellow bloggers.
Congrats on a great race! Love those hills. It would have been nice to meet you at the race. Next time.
Was it cold today? I thought it was shorts weather! You did great out there!!! Nice to finally meet up with you too. Drop me an email sometime.
Nice race report - it's great that you had some "fans" cheering you along. I love that finish shot!:-)
Congratulations on finishing a great race! I guess I was not the only one out there dealing with the awful nose running! Love the finishing photo...perhaps I will see ya out at some other event.
Good job on your race! Racing seems so far away. Nice race photos.
Congrats Buckeye. Great pics.
Congratulations! You're all smiles in the pictures too, nice!
So did u got a medal for being 3rd place :D..good job. Reminds me of Canada..outside is sunny but is freezing.
Awesome job on your race! It looks CHILLY!!
Post a Comment
<< Home