Bringing a win back to the ATL

So this past weekend I went back to THEE OH-IO (happy Kevin???).  It was the anniversary of my momma's 29th birthday and I was looking forward to a weekend of family and friend overload time.  Oh.  And a race. :)

It was my first race of the year and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tad nervous.  Training here has been eh to say the least and I wasn't traveling without my trusty mechanic.  But, I really wanted to go back to a course that I new and loved (plus, my sweet friend Nicole suckered me into it and promised me Noodles and Co Mac and Cheese when I was done.  Or was that me that suckered her into it?  Either way... there was yumminess waiting).

So Sunday morning I made my way to a familiar park - the one Tom and I did all of our training on for the last 6 years.  It was weird going back.  Like I was a foreinger to a very familiar place.  I'd done this race a half dozen times.  It was nothing new, but I kind of felt a little lost.

Until I saw Tracy, Jim, Zach and Nicole.  Then it was like I was where I was meant to be.  My mom and dad showed up just as I was finishing getting everything situated in transition.  We walked to the beach and got me all decked out in my wetsuit (which I think might have shrunk... yep, that's definitely what happened to it.)  My mother captured the obligatory horrible wetsuit dance pictures:

My wave was the OLY 34 and under, clydes, athenas and relays.  There were virtually no other red swim caps which kind of worried me (I could see me getting in the wrong wave), but I was right.  Before the swim, some guy said how happy he was that the water was so clear.  We all laughed because you couldn't see a thing in the murky green liquid.  Same guy mentioned that triathlon was stupid because he was up before Taco Bell closed for the night.  Loved it.  Definitely calmed some nerves.  With this being my first OWS of the year, I was prepared for the panic. It didn't happen. 

THE SWIM (1500m) 27:21 - The swim went well.  I was a tad warm in the full wetsuit, but I found some open water, some feet occasionally, and didn't get groped by too many people.  The swim was short (I know this because I'm not swimming that fast these days) and I still got beat by more than half of the participants, which is normal, but I was happy with things.

T1 1:29 - I thought that I would have a hard time getting out of the wetsuit since I told you before the it shrunk, but thankful the tri-slide worked like a charm.  I love that stuff.  Said hi to my mom.  She took another stellar picture of me.

Bike (40k) 1:10:04 (21.2mph average) - I was excited for the bike.  I love me some flat Ohio riding and like I said before, I've ridden this course many many times.  But this time, it felt so great.  I passed a bunch of people.  I played cat and mouse with a big guy who died on lap two, I climbed the "hills" at 16-17mph when I used to struggle up them.  I was a happy camper.  The one thing that was annoying was that the RD added a turn around in the parking lot which we used to pass by for the second lap in previous years.  I didn't mind this, but I minded the people who didn't come into the park for the turn around.  My parents were cheering at the entrance of the park and saw 5 go by and ignored everyone yelling that they had to enter the park before lap two. Cheaters suck.  That's all.

T2 1:16 -  Another stellar photo from my mom and Nicole cheering "Mac and Cheese, Mac and Cheese".  That makes me smile (but obviously not in this picture).

The Run (10k) 53:49 (8:41/mile average) - I left transition and asked my dad where I was at overall time wise (because somehow I was on lap 9 on my watch and had no clue what my total time was).  He yelled 1:40 and I knew that if I ran a 50 minute 10k that I would PR.  But it was getting hot.  And my legs were kind of not responding.  I hit the first mile in 8:20, but it's the toughest section of the 10k so I wasn't worried.  But then I hit the second mile in 8:20.  And the third mile I imploded.  I ate some Powerbar Gel Blast.  I took water.  But my legs were done.  The heat got the best of me.  I just wanted to keep from being passed.  And I did a decent job of it.  You have to run past the finish line around mile 4.4 and that's always hard, but I finished as strong as I could. 

And then cramped.  My calves just balled up.  It was nearing 90 degrees at that point and I felt it.  I got some water.  Rinsed my face.  Grabbed my gear from transition.  Checked the results. 

2:33:55 - 1st in AG

Not a PR, but I was thrilled.  I might have moved 600 miles away, but I was able to defend my title! :)

Mmmmm... and the mac and cheese afterward was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G (as was the company).

Gives me hope that my slow hill training is paying off.  Now if I can just do more of it...

Stay tuned for more pictures from my trip home! :)