BFAS Race Report

Usually the normal recovery for me for a 70.3 is 1-2 weeks. After the swim was cancelled last weekend at Gulf Coast, I felt shorted! I checked the weather forecast, made sure my recovery was going well, and decided last minute to sign up for the 1st of 3 for the BFAS sprint series in Mayport, Florida. What's a sprint triathlon compared to the normal weekend hours logged for a 70.3? Walk in the park right? Racing 1 week post 70.3 was not the smartest idea I've ever had but in the end things worked out quite alright! With my long season coming to a close, what did I have to lose?

Without going into too many boring race report details, I went out hard and went to have fun! The day started with one of prettiest sunrises I've seen in awhile:

Despite the swim being washing machine-esque with chop/difficult sighting and some intense winds on the bike, the race was perfect! I exited the water with one pink cap or other woman in front of me who I later passed in T1. After that I was passing the boys! I wasn't sure how the legs would respond but there was definitely some gas left in the tank after 6 months of heavy 70.3 training. I felt some residual fatigue toward the end of the whopping 16 miles but otherwise was good to go. Going onto the run, I caught a glimpse of my friend Betsy who I figured was about a minute behind.

Just drop a quick 5k and you are done I told myself! Again-- I wasn't sure how the legs would respond. With logging lots of high mileage-slower stuff, I had no idea if the fast gear would work. Thankfully the legs responded nicely with 6:45s-7s. I caught of a glimpse of Betsy and another girl near the turn around who looked really strong. With less than a mile to go, I prayed I could hold on. Thankfully I did with a minute to spare.

Wattie Ink (Drew) and Betty Designs brought home the "W" and looks like Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute PTs representing!

Sigh.... Oh does it feel good to be back to the short stuff :)

BFAST #1 and #2 Combo RR

Yes...still slacking on the blog thing. Consequently, I have 2 race reports to write. On May 18th I did my first Tri of the year: the BFAST sprint in Mayport. Not being in the best of shape, expectations were set low. Either way I was happy to be out there at the beach AND racing. Who wouldn't be happy to race in this paradise?

 

Race #1: Minus a 30 minute late start, the race overall went pretty well. I went out hard knowing that red-lining would be key to being successful. The swim was uneventful and a little chilly. After exiting the water, I learned I was in 4th place OA. I picked off a girl and transition and was off on the bike. The bike was a 2 loop course around the Mayport Naval Base with lots of tight turns. I picked off another girl on the bike and quickly moved into 2nd. My heart rate was a little higher than I would have wanted but they call it a sprint for a reason! Towards the end of the bike another girl flew passed me. I wasn't about to even try to hang given my current state or lack of bike fitness.

 As I entered transition, I could see the 2 girls in front of me starting the run. I went out hard but not hard enough to catch them. I ended up 3rd overall which later turned into 2nd after some penalties were added. Still 3rd to me.... Despite my lack of confidence, I was happy with a 3rd OA finish to start 2013 tri racing:)

  

Race #2: (this past weekend) This race was the same exact course as race #1 and part dos of the series. 2nd Round I told myself I'm in much better shape than round 1! Although I'm usually super excited to race, I found myself in a huge mental funk the night before and just feeling very "over" doing this race.  Very strange for me.... To make matters worse, I was having technical difficulties fixing a rear flat tire. With a combination of starting-a-new job stress and inability to fix my tire, I started to convince myself that I wasn't going to go. I think part of it was not having my husband here to help me with my technical difficulties... Hello damsel in distress.

I woke up the next day, put my girl pants on, and showed up to race. Round 2 went very similar to round 1 with the same 2 other girls. This time we duked it out and all finished within a minute of each other. Minus the swim which was double the distance advertised, I dropped over 3 minutes from Round 1. Now if I could just drop my transition times, I might have a chance to make up that minute.... Either way it was fun hanging out with and meeting these fast ladies :)

And ultimately, I'm happy I snapped out of my mental funk. That was a first for me. Has this happened to you before? Did you still race?