Sunday morning I got up at 4:50 am, got a cup of coffee and got dressed. It takes me a while to get going in the morning, so I didn’t get out the door until 6:10 am.
The drive over to Siesta Key was pretty quick at that time of the morning, so I got there about 6:20. Pulled out everything I wanted to leave with my bike, unloaded the bike and then went to find my staging spot. I learned that I had to get my number marked on my body first, so had to wheel my bike through the large crowd to find that area. Got my number marked on my arms and leg, picked up my timing chip and headed over to my bike spot.
Right after setting up my bike, my friend Melissa showed up and I discovered she was in the same area as me. A good thing, it would have been hard finding her in this crowd!
I made a bathroom stop, then headed to the beach were the starting line was. The run started at the same time as the first wave of swimmers, so we got going right at 7:30 am. The weather was pretty good. Low 70s and low humidity.
I started out a bit fast. It’s so hard to pull myself back when the group is smallish and everyone is pretty fast. I was amazed to see my first mile was 8:19! I couldn’t believe it was a mile, I wasn’t wearing my Garmin, but found out later that it was! The run back over the dry sand to the transition was tough, but I kept up with those around me. I think I made good time in the transition area. Just pulled on my helmet and grabbed my bike and headed out.
Now the bike race part is all new to me. I was bummed to have so many people zooming past me. But the only ones doing that were those on the nice road bikes. My bike is a mountain bike with smooth tires. The tires are at least twice as wide. Anyway, I did manage to pass 4 other riders while on the course. This is when I wished I had my Garmin on. I had no idea about my speed or how far along I was. I felt like I was keeping a pretty good pace though. When I got off my bike just before entering the transition area, my right quad was very tight and I was happy to have a bit of walking before getting to the run. I got my bike on the rack, traded my helmet for a visor, stretched my legs quick, then headed out for the run.
The trip over the loose sand to the waterfront was once again tough. Again, I have no idea on my pace, but I was passing people, so must not have been going to slow. I know I slowed down in the last mile, but kept on going and when I headed back over the dry sand towards the finish, I was still feeling strong. We ran over a small wooden bridge, took a hard right and the finish was just ahead. I tried passing the woman in front of me, but she held me off. However we both passed a guy, before running over the finish line!
Finish time 1:38:22
Splits: 2 mile run: 18:31; transition 1: 1:19; 13 mile Bike: 46:45; transition 2: 1:34; 5k run: 30:14. Much faster on the bike during the race then I was in training.
The food set up was awesome. Lots of different types of food: Pasta, breads, yogurt, fruit, sodas, water, juice. After having a snack, I checked out the race results. Discovered I was first place in the 39 and under Athena division! Woot! There were 5 total women in the age bracket. I looked at the 35-39 women’s age group and discovered with my time, I would have been first place in that group too!
I had a great time. Wish I could do another one soon. Probably won’t until next summer though. Maybe by then I can talk my dear hubby into getting me a new road bike. ;)
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