1.5K Swim
Marni: 24:38
Karel: 25:14
With the time trial start and small participant list, the water never felt crowded. I was able to swim through a small group of athletes who started ahead of me and soon after the first buoy, I found myself swimming alone. I was passed by a few speedy swimmers and tried to stay on their feet but wasn't able to swim at their speed. I'd call this more of a half ironman effort as I felt like I was swimming strong but the effort was very familiar to me as it's what I know from endurance racing. Karel passed me in the first few hundred yards but I was able to pass him back as I always build my swims on race day. I felt myself getting stronger as the swim went on but couldn't find another gear to pick up the speed.
The water temp was warm but since it was raining, it never felt hot but instead, just perfect. There were a few buoys on the course but as I was swimming back to the shore, I couldn't sight the finishing arch. I kept looking and looking and couldn't see it. I finally decided to stop and look to see if I could sight exactly where I needed to swim. Well, turned out the arch deflated so I had to do my best to sight where the volunteers were signaling the athletes to get out of the water.
Seeing that Karel and I are only swimming three days a week (primarily because we don't need this time of the year to feel like full-on race prep where we would swim 5-6 times per week), Karel is really happy with his swim and how he felt in the water. Karel still struggles with his swimming - he mostly feels off in the water and sometimes feels great. It's a constant mind game and physical battle for him as an adult-onset swimmer.
T1
Marni: 2:20
Karel: 1:34
Well this wasn't as rusty as I thought it would be. I ran up the walking path and unzipped my swim skin and removed my cap and goggles. I made my way into the transition area and quickly found my bike on the rack. My helmet was filled with water so I first dumped it out before putting it on my head. I had my visor on the helmet as I knew I didn't want it down to start the ride in the rain. I decided to put socks on for the bike (instead of only for the run) so that did take me a few extra seconds. I also put on my shoes in the transition area since the bike exit was right by my rack and there was a hill to climb right after the mount line. I felt like my transition was fast but I guess it wasn't as fast as it felt. Karel made his way quickly out of the transition area and he rolled his bike to the mount line just in front of me.
26 Mile Bike
Marni: 1:09.20 (Garmin had 1:08.45, 26.2 miles, 22.8 mph)
Karel: 1:07.09 (Garmin had 1:06.55, 26.1 miles, 23.4 mph)
This was fun! I really enjoyed this course. Although there were a few cars on the course, I felt like the course was safe and well marked. The course was primarily rolling hills with no major climbs (nothing steep). It had a really nice flow to it with the rollers. It rained on and off throughout the bike but it never felt dangerous or unsafe. I kept my visor on the helmet (instead of over my eyes) as it was cloudy and a little bit rainy and I didn't feel I needed the visor. I had my ventum hydration system filled with 200 calories of fruit punch INFINIT (Trimarni endurance base formula), topped with water. I also had a bottle between the aero bars with only water (just a few ounces if I wanted to sip it - which I didn't). I sipped my drink ~8-10 minutes (2-3 big chugs) and sometimes every 5 minutes depending on the course. The bike course was primarily country roads which is something we are familiar with in Greenville but unlike in Greenville, the pavement was super smooth. This was so nice! There were a few police helping to navigate traffic throughout the course and a few volunteers helping us to stay on course. Since I was near the front of the race after the swim, I passed a handful of athletes in the first few miles of the bike and rode the rest of the bike solo. I had Karel in my eye sight waaaay ahead of me for most of the bike until around 10 miles to go. At this point, my mind started to wander and I found myself easing up. Thankfully, the Spinners time trial events that I did this past summer really helped me understand what a "hard" effort should feel like. I had no power goals or metrics to abide to during this race (I never race according to metrics) so I just focused on going hard and strong. My legs were burning but I was able to recover on the downhills (while taking advantage of the free speed). It turns out the overall female accidentally made a wrong turn out of the transition area so she added 1.5 miles to her bike. When she passed me on the bike, she was flying and although I tried to stay close to her, there was no chance. I was already seeing high power numbers and there was no way that I could push any harder. She was super strong so I just focused on my own effort. The sprint triathletes were merging on our course for the last few miles (we all shared the same course in and out of the transition area) so I was passing carefully and needed to be a bit more alert with more people on the course.
I was really happy with my ride and I felt like this showcased my current bike fitness which has improved a lot over past two years. I think the biggest improvement is just feeling more confident on my bike (I LOVE my Ventum - I have been riding it since 2018) and I am more confident being uncomfortable with my efforts (trusting my fitness that I can still run well after a hard bike).
Karel was really happy with his bike. He has been very frustrated with his bike fitness and back issues over the past few years but he felt like this performance was well executed, he had no back pain and he was happy with his effort. Sure, he wishes he could be faster but any ride without back pain on the bike is a great ride for him.
T2
Marni: 1:36
Karel: 1:18
Well this was rusty! I dismounted my bike with my shoes still on the bike and rolled my bike to the rack. I put on my run shoes (which stayed dry because I put a bag over my shoes before the race) and then slide on my Naked Run belt. I tried to put the bottles in the belt but I couldn't find the pockets. So I put my race belt and grabbed my visor and sunglasses. I put on my visor and sunglasses and then started to jog as I put my bottles into my belt. I missed one of the pockets and bottle dropped to the ground. I stopped to pick it up. I felt like I was a hot mess in T2 and I was happy when I finally exited the transition area with all my gear on.
10K Run
Marni: 46:09 (7:40 min/mile, 6.02 miles)
Karel: 37:31 (6:13 min/mile, 6.02 miles)
As much as I would love to be a faster runner, I am really happy with this run. This is actually a "fast" run for me as I've done no speed work or anything tempo this summer. I've just been running happy and enjoying staying injury free with my running. I loved this run course. Aside from the camber in the road, the course was a lot of fun. It was up and down, twisty and curvy and nothing flat. My type of run! Whereas Karel would prefer a run where he can settle into a rhythm, I love the runs where there is a lot going on within each mile. It was so great to see Yannick leading the race and Karel and Alvaro not too far behind. As the race went on, I was able to see more familiar faces which made me so happy. Since I had two flasks with me (one with NBS Carbo-hydration and one with water), I didn't need anything from the aid stations. There was one aid station with an energy drink (which I passed on) and a few tables with water bottles for us to grab. The course was a little tricky to navigate through as there were signs for the 10K run (Olympic distance) and 5K (sprint distance) - with so many turns, it was sometimes easy to doubt yourself - am I going the right way? But thankfully I always had an athlete in front of me to keep me on course. Around half way I was passed by another girl and I cheered her on. I was giving my best effort on the day (which felt more like half Ironman effort as I am just not a speedy runner) and I wasn't going to let myself be disappointed with my effort (especially when I am injury free). I loved getting cheers from a few spectators on the course (thanks Thomas and Laura) and it felt great to know that I was almost close to crossing a finish line - for the first time in 11 months.
After I crossed the finish line, I felt really accomplished. I was happy, joyful, grateful and had all the feels that I missed. I was greeted by Karel (who cheered me on in the last 1/4 mile) and met up with Alvi, Yannick and eventually Josh. We waited for more of our athletes to finish before we grabbed some food in the pavillion. We all kept on our masks throughout the post-race experience (there were masks on the table right at the finish line).
Total:
Marni: 2:24.02 (3rd overall female, 15th overall)
Karel: 2:12.42 (2nd overall)
This race was just what we needed. More than the experience to allow us to put our season of training to good use, it gave us something to look forward to, it gave us purpose for the day and it allowed us to connect with the triathlon community - which we have missed so much. Even though I love long distance racing, it was nice to finish a race before 11am and be home by 2pm. And I loved seeing our athletes on and off the course.
I am calling 2020 the year of the unfamiliar. I am embracing new opportunities, welcoming new experiences and exploring new events. And I'm happy to say, we actually have four more events planned for 2020!
