Gulf Coast Triathlon Race Report

Ohh good old Gulf Coast 70.3.  Have to love a race that is in your back yard.  The course that you swim/bike/run on all of the time.  And a race where it is always 100000 degrees out. (please read into my sarcasm) But the support is awesome - and knowing about 20% of the people who are racing can not be beat - have to love Gulf Coast Triathlon.  That is why I keep on coming back every year! 

Friday Carla (remember Carla?  1/3 of the amazing crew I trained with for Ironman) went to check in our bikes.  What?  Only numbers on the racks and no specific markers for each bike?  Sweet.  We'll take the end!

(yep.  I'm rocking compression socks with a skirt...by the way- did you see page 122 of this months Triathlete??  See a comment about compression socks form someone that you know??)

Good thing we got there early!

Saturday morning - up and at it early.  Since the sun comes up at 6am here - the first wave starts at 6:15.  So it's a super early race.  Pre race - same breakfast as always.  Oatmeal with blackberries and some carbopro.  Yum.  

Headed down to transition (about a mile from my house) and got everything set up.  

Carla and I right before the Swim

Cari, Myself, and Carla - don't mess with these ladies!

6:30 our wave goes off.  Thankfully we are one of the first waves AND the gulf was somewhat calm.  The past three years they have put up the red flags after the last swimmer was out (that means the gulf was SUPER ROUGH)  So I was stoked for hopefully a PR in the swim.  Even after yet another super awesome  make out session with a jellyfish I came out of the water with a:

34:38 (last year 36:42)

Always smile for the camera - even though my face hurt like hell.  I ran into transition kind of confused - not quite feeling like myself.  I was lucky to find my bike and had issues pulling off my wetsuit and putting on my bike shoes.  Kind of odd.  But bolted out of transition at:

3:30 (last year 3:24)

The bike was hot and windy.  I was feeling ok and just got my legs pumping on the roads that I ride everyday.  Around mile 20 I tried to eat part of a Lura Bar.  And flet that funny feeling.  You know that feeling.  Like you need to let go and not hold back.  And I didn't.  Just let it all out in aero position.  Thankfully no one was behind me to get the backlash of my puke. 

Odd I thought to myself - that has NEVER happened before.  So silly me, I tried to eat again.  Same thing.  Oh no.  I have never had a major nutrition issue like that during a race.  So I just kept on drinking water and cytomax and doing what I could for calories - and not looking forward to the run.

Bike time:

2:58:01-18.9mph(last year 2:51:25 - 19.6mph)

But the highlight of the ride no doubt was seeing Carla's family on the course with AWESOME signs.  So awesome that they deserve their own post. 

T2:

1:30 - both years.  No time lost there!

Oh the run.  Man it was hot.  Flat.  And no shade.  Oh yeah - the only calories I could hold down was flat coke and oranges.  Awesome.  But other then that it was a pretty uneventful run.   I just put my head down and put one foot in front of another.  It was though and I knew I was not going to hit the numbers that I wanted - but I finished.  :) 

Run time:

2:15:40 (ouch!) (last year 2:09)

Total time:  5:53:22

Last year:  5:42:19

Kelsi and I rocking out the Trinity Tops and GOTRIbal Love!  Oh yeah - and Big J in the background!

Not my best race but not my worst race either.  But all in all it was a learning experience.  What did I learn?

#1:  jellyfish might make me puke

#2:  I can do a 70.3 on very few calories

#3:  I can puke in the aero position (skill my friends)

#4.  ALWAYS do local races.  It's so awesome to see everyone, cheering or racing, out there! 

REMINDER ON MY SWEET GIVE-A-WAY! 

SEE BELOW!!!  :)