Stacy and Elena
I love race day. Everything about it. I always feel giddy, nauseous, super emotional.
I take that back. I don't enjoy getting up at 4:45 a.m. to eat.
As the sun was coming up, we drove to the race site, my nerves and doubts started to get the better of me - I didn't train hard enough on the bike, my shoulder was still bugging me, I didn't know if I could even run a block. I need to figure out how to take those thoughts and shove them out of my mind. While the reality was that I knew each portion of the race would have challenges, I've done this a few times and knew that I could do it, and would be perfectly happy and feel great once it was over.
After I set up my gear, we headed to the water to take a quick dip, get used to the water and see what the conditions would be.....as we got closer, you could see the large swells and the crazy choppiness of the water. This was going to be a doozy of a swim.
My wave went at 7:45 - as we entered the chute to the water, I started looking around to find a good spot. How I ended up toward the front and in the middle, I'll never know but I knew that once that horn blew I needed to G-O! I must have swallowed a gallon of water before the first buoy, but boy did I have great form! I had one slight panic moment after a big gulp....but it quickly subsided and I realized that I was just going to have to keep my head down, breathe carefully and I'd be fine for the rest of the swim. That's until the backstroker kept getting in my way. Who swims backstroke during a triathlon?! I may or may not have kicked and pushed her several times. Beat it backstroker! My swim was strong, beat my training time by over a minute. Yay!
Sidenote: Why, why, why do they take your picture as your coming out of the water? Those pictures are not pretty. I'm disoriented, can't see, am barefoot running through a parking lot, and I look like a drowned rat.
At the transition I took it easy, slowly getting ready for the bike ride. Mostly because I started to feel a bit nauseous, I wanted to take my time before getting on my bike. Socks and shoes on, I ripped open a chocolate power gel, camelback on, helmet in place, I started toward the bike mounting area. With each step I got more queasy, this was going to be a long 12 miles. Once on my bike I felt a little better, started at a good pace and began to ride with confidence. I hit a vertical rut and my bike slipped a little from under me....I may have peed my pants a little...it scared me! As I hit the really narrow, really steep section of road getting up to I-90, the nausea came back with a vengence. It was all I could do to get myself up that hill on my bike (yay! no bailing and walking up the hill). I made it down the first hill on the freeway and had to stop. I knew if I just got it over with, I'd feel better. So there I was, midspan on I-90, barfing. Awesome. True enough, I felt MUCH better and continued the uphill and uphill battle to Mercer Island. At the turn, I had to briefly stop and have the bike mechanic adjust my seat - my right side from my butt down to my foot went numb. I contemplated for a split second having the medics that were standing there just load me up in the ambulance and take me back....I didn't think I wanted to go on....but I forged ahead and started the climb. Midway through the tunnel, my chain popped off. I was not having a good bike ride and I was pissed. I got it back on and FINALLY made it back to the transition area to head out on the run.
My original intent was to try to run and walk. The heat was setting in, I was feeling a little defeated, knowing I wasn't going to beat my overall time from last year. I decided just to dig in and walk the 3.1 miles to the finish. That last 3 miles you really see the wide range of people who are racing. All ages, sizes and abilities are all together in this race, and it's a great feeling knowing anyone who puts their mind to it can do it. As I made the turn, I saw an amazing thing - it was a woman who was blind, running at a good clip, using her cane to guide her along the route. Wow. That was amazing.
I made it up the final hill with plenty of energy and knew I could run the last portion to the finish. As you enter Genessee Park, the path is lined with spectators cheering everyone on to the finish. It's a great feeling, one that I can't truly describe. I only hope that everyone gets to experience that feeling sometime in their life. All of those people cheering you on, celebrating your accomplishment, whether it's the first time or the 20th time. It will always be the best part of the race.....the finish.
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