On Saturday I had my first tri of the season - Red Hills Sprint in Tallahassee, Fl. Now, I don't know who out there has actually been to Tallahassee, but I can tell you two things about this town:
1. Florida State is there. College town = fast runners. That is just how it is.
2. LOTS of hills. Remember - the only 'hill' that I have to train on is a freaking bridge
But I love this race. They have killer goodie bags and great awards. So it's a yearly event for this girl.
I actually worked in tally on Friday - so I was up and at it bright and early.
I met up with Helen (Libby) Phipps and we headed over to packet pickup. Check out Helen's blog when you get the chance. Not only is she an awesome person, an amazing triathlete, and in this months triathlete magazine - BUT she also works full time AND working on her PHD! Now, if she is not a super woman, I don't know who is.
We headed out to the race site for a quick open water swim and a run and then went to the best place ever for dinner:
Never been there? Check it out!
The next morning - we where up and at it early. Headed over to the state park to set up transition. Need some tips on setting up your transition? Check out my post below!
There where four waves of men and then it was the 39 and under ladies turn to take off. I told Helen that I wanted to stay on her feet for the whole swim. It's kind of hard to do that when everyone looks the same in a lake, swimming in wet suits. But somehow I did. It was a nice, flat, uneventful swim once we got out of the 'pack' and settled into a good pace.
Swim time: 9:04
(Last year was 10:37)
Ran up to transition, threw on my helmet and shoes and took off. Helen was off on the bike - so I didn't see her until the end.
T1: 1:18
(Last year 1:40)
As I mentioned above - the bike was SUPER hilly. But that is ok - what goes up must come down. So I just put my head down, got my ass out of the saddle, and pumped up those bad boys and flew down . There where men that I passed, but I only saw two ladies on the ride that flew by me around mile 13. After checking out their legs - they where some bad ass 48 year olds. I hope I'm that fast when I'm that age!
Bike Time: 49:58
(Last year 50:57)
T2 - no time wasted there!
T1: 0:59
(Last year 1:15)
The run was pretty hilly as well. But the fun thing about this race - is that you actually get into the woods and run about half of the 5k on trails. It's shaded by huge oak trees and is on a nice packed down trail. My legs felt great (Yeah triple bricks do pay off!) Once again - I saw a bunch of men. I was blown by by two 24 year old ladies that where killing it and caught up with one of the ladies I saw on the bike. But the run was pretty uneventful, which is a good thing!
Run Time: 25:37
(Last Year): 24:12
I was kind of bummed by my run time - and hind sight I know I could have pushed myself a bit harder. But I guess I say that about every race!
Total Time: 1:26:54
(Last Year: 1:30:39)
So I beat my time last year and rocked out 1st in the 30-34 age group
Have to love an award you can use!
Helen and I after the race. Don't let her fool you - she is 6 foot + and I have no clue what happened to my camera phone.
Post race is always fun and filled with good food and great conversation. We met some pretty awesome women who are just getting into this crazy sport and also saw a few friends from back home. Love it!
So. Not a bad way to start off the season!
I would like to throw out a special shout out to Josh for this sweet hat. Man. I love KSwiss.
So - anyone else have a race this weekend?
12 comments:
That pic of Princess looks like an excited puppy in the backseat " are we there yet, are we there yet!!! I WANNA PLAY!!!!"
Congrats on the race and taking the top poduim spot in your AG, great way to start the year off.
I am racing this weekend, My first ever half mary, I am really nervous
1st place!!! awesome awesome! way to go - congrats!
im running boston on monday. YIPES!
You did so awesome! You are a rock star!
I recieved an awesome package in the mail yesterday. YAY! Thanks so much for everything!
Don't let that slightly slower run time bother you Chloe, you killed in all other areas and took 1st in AG. Also, great award. More events should make useful awards like that. I'm off this weekend to London for the marathon. Cheerio!
Great season opener Chloe! The great thing about going back to the same race is that you get to compare and see your progression. I'll be doing the same course for 4 different races this season for just that reason. One question, how do you get your bike to stand up like that in the car without falling over (maybe you're not a crazy driver like myself, but maybe you are...)? Keep the posts comin
DS
congrats on the season opener for ya :) I hope it is a sign of things to come for you this year!
Hills in FL?? lol Yup, never been to Tally...
bomb, way to open the season. and I had a "what goes up..." moment yesterday, that's what i named my blog today, i must have been channeling you. :)
Awesome job! It's always nice to see times drop. Keep it up!
You rocked that mutha out! Good job on 1st in your A/G. I'm scared to see you when you hit the 40-44 age group ...a monster to be feared!
Congrats, you worked your butt off for it with all those bricks.
Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Awesome swim, awesome bike, awesome(ish) run - sorry the run wasn't what you wanted, and awesome hat!
Well done Chloe. Great start to tri season. Excited to see what else you do this year!
way to go girl!! Super impressed. And I want that hat!
very very awesome! way to start the season! i love your signature "hold your medal pose" i think you did the same thing in my pic from the destin race :) rock on chica!
Post a Comment