A Destination...

Ah… race weekend. The journey I’ve been on for several months finally has a destination in sight and I’m just thinking a bit that the journey wasn’t long enough. That I should have started my trip earlier and spent more time traveling on my bike. Ah well, it is what it is and my goal is to finish, be healthier  and not injure myself. I can now swim a mile in Lake Washington, run almost the full distance around Green Lake and I’ve been doing strength training every Friday. When I began I could barely run 3 minutes straight and it was difficult to swim just once to the buoy – ¼ mile.

So…. Saturday was the day that Noelle and I went to Seattle Center Exhibition Hall to pick up our registration numbers and swag and then take our bikes to be racked at Genesee Park. We decide to get their fairly early to “beat the crowds” since there are about 4000 women registered for the race. We have a plan that Noelle’s husband, Patrick will meet us at the park with the bikes once we have our numbers and we are also meeting Dr. Bowers where he will guide us through the transitions and help us to be comfortable with the setting. Evidently there is no “beat the crowds” by getting there early, since everyone else had the same idea and the lines went down the street around the corner and all the way to Memorial Stadium. Standing in line we had the opportunity to chat with amazing women around us and discover their journey to doing this race.

I was assigned number 904 and I will remember it forever! They wrote it on my arm and I wore it with honor. I learned my wave was #8, I was given a pink cap and my wave would start with approx. 100 other women at 7:10 am. We headed to the park and surprisingly all arrived about the same time.  We attached our numbers to everything… bikes, helmets, ourselves and a number for the front of our shirts for the next day. Noelle and I were able to each rack our bikes right next to our transition lane numbers and then took the time to practice our transitions, go down and look at the swim course and become familiar with the transition area. This became a lifesaver the next day and we had no doubt where to go for each transition.  Thank you again Dr. Bowers for the experience and calm to guide us through this.

I headed home to prepare for the next day, pack my bag, check my list, email My People with race information and question myself about the bike section. Checked my list again, took a nap and just settled in for the evening to relax by watching DVDs to take my mind off the race. I headed to bed about 10 pm and set my alarm for 5 am to allow me time to get prepared the next day, have my coffee and then head off for the shuttle bus. It was the hottest day of the summer and my room was hot, my fan was noisy, but I slept pretty well… until 1 am… hmmm… not good. I finally got back to sleep fully maybe around 4:30 and slept really well until 5:30. Uh… the plan was to get up at 5 and my alarm DID NOT go off.

One of my fears the night before had been missing my race time after preparing for so long. So the race begins with me quickly showering, making my oats, coffee and racing to catch the shuttle bus.

Pre-Race - Whew… it all worked. As I got to the transition area, my first contact was with Stephanie, my colleague and friend who was volunteering. She was there to check me into the transition area and was the person who remarked my number on my arm and leg. It was so nice to see a familiar face and see her support and excitement. I set up my transition area, struggled into my wetsuit (as usual) and began talking to a woman (Jody) who was doing the race for the 2nd time. She was a calming influence and helped me zip up. She was the first of the many amazing women who were there to calm me at just the right time during the day.

Next stop was down at the ramp to the water. Since I was in wave #8, it was very early in the race and very early in the day. I wasn’t quite sure where to go, but then I saw the sea of pink caps and knew that they were MY people, they were MY age and WE were all doing this together. We waited while 4 waves went before. This was the beginning of my emotions rising to the surface. As the tears rolled down my face I was reviewing how I had gotten to this point. How I had trained to get to this place and the people who were there to support me and those who were cheering for me from other places. I was thinking about how I was 50 years old and I had entered a race that I wouldn’t have thought possible 20 years earlier. At this point another angel stepped up to me… Heidi, to ask how I was doing? We chatted and it helped to bring me back to the present and connect with those around me again. And then it was our turn to move into the water and become the next wave to begin after our pep rally at the beginning.

The SWIM – was harder than I anticipated. It wasn’t that there were so many women, but that because of them the water was really choppy. I had trained on breathing efficiently, but never really got into the groove of it. I knew I was slow, but didn’t realize how slow. I was thinking again about how I was doing this… and then I just started visualizing myself swimming the weekend before in the same lake when it was also choppy and I had swam a mile. And I visualized all the times we had swam to the buoy every weekend since June. All that swimming paid off with my increased strength, but especially as mental training. It was still really hard and seemed very long. When I was getting close to the finish I asked one of the swim angels where I was supposed to aim myself and was glad that there were two huge buoys that I could actually see through my goggles. The volunteers at the end were amazing and directed me and one even helped me stand and then steadied me. I’m always a bit wobbly when I come out of the water. When I got out, there was a gauntlet of people cheering us as we walked back to the transition area. And in this crowd were Dr. Bowers and Mary, there to support and take pictures and encourage and unzip the suit just as he’s done each week during training. And there was Darcy, my colleague and friend, to be enthusiastic and excited as only Darcy can be! And then Noelle appeared to walk me back to transition, help me out my suit and be the solid support she’s been since we started this journey. When I was settled, it was time for her race to begin.

Transition 1 - I spent more time in the transition then I planned, since I needed to eat the oatmeal I didn’t eat earlier when I was running late and too nervous. And then I couldn’t find my watch, which I had very carefully put in a very safe place so I would have it with me for the rest of the race. I knew it was someplace very practical, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where that practical place was. I like my watch and use it as a tool during my training so was a bit annoyed that I couldn’t find it.

The BIKE – was easier than I anticipated. I was nervous about the ride, since I didn’t feel as strong on it now as swim and run. When I began training I was most comfortable on the bike, so didn’t concentrate as much and now was really questioning my decision. My bike is a Townie commuter bike with only 8 gears. It is very HEAVY, made for comfort and packing panniers, not for speed or hills. My regular saddle broke just a few weeks before the race, so I was riding on a new seat also. This turned out to be a very good thing, since the new saddle proved to be more comfortable in the long run.
So the ride I was so nervous about proved to be a delight. The weather was beautiful… and the ride across the I-90 bridge was amazing. The water sparkled on each side and I wish I had a picture of the way Mount Rainier looked to remember forever. I was passed by almost everyone, but I was only racing myself. Early in the ride, a woman passed me as we climbed the first hill and said, “Are we gonna make this hill?” my response was “slowly”. This was when I first saw the shirts on some of the women that said, “The miracle is not that I finished the race. The miracle is that I began.” Again, more tears for me… The incline up from the bridge to the tunnel was gradual. I was slow, but I made it. Riding through the tunnel was interesting. Some women yelled, which was kind of fun. We rode almost all the way across Mercer Island, past construction areas and then came the turn around. The way back, as is often the case, seemed much shorter. I wanted my bike to go faster on the downhills, but alas, it’s not made for that. It’s made for slow and steady gets you to work. There are no cheering fans on the bridge or the tunnel. It is quiet except for the sound of the traffic from the other lanes and the women saying “on your left” which I heard a lot of. It was very peaceful. I found my watch safely in my pocket as I was heading back and saw that my time was as expected. As I got back to the Seattle side, it was so nice to hear the encouragement of the volunteers again. And getting closer to the end of the bike are more people looking for THEIR people to encourage and happy to encourage me also. And then I saw MY PEOPLE again. I was so happy to see them. Dr. Bowers and Mary and Darcy and the end of the bike and then Stephanie in the transition area. I’m amazed at how many times I was able to connect with My People and gain new energy from their enthusiasm.

Transition 2 – time to rack the bike and do the run… only 3.1 miles left between me and being able to declare I’m a Triathlete. 

The RUN – I wasn’t sure how this would go, given that I had only practiced transition from bike to run a few times. Since you are using different leg muscles, they kind of question what you are doing to them at first. They seem to be saying, “Seriously? I thought we were doing this and now you want to switch?” I knew I could always walk if I needed to and since I can walk as fast as I can run I really wasn’t worried by this time about finishing. My goal for finishing was 3 hours total including transition. I started out running. My version of running is very slow but it’s a different motion than walking so I get to call it running and it’s my race… I ran for a bit and was again moved by the shirts with the “beginning” words and my journey to get here. I decided to stop for a moment to stretch quickly and it made a world of difference for the rest of the race. My friend Julie and I have been running at Green Lake every Mon, Wed, & Fri at 5:30 am for a couple months and we have come from only running 3 min at a time to running most of the way with a short walk stint. That running training with Julie and the strength training I did with Dr. Bowers every Friday really paid off for the run. I highly recommend a Bosu ball to develop leg and ankle strength! So I was running and before the first mile I thought, “well, you could do this like training and walk for a bit now” as I was walking I was giving myself 5 minutes and then back to running. I kept checking my watch and it was moving so slowly I actually looked to see if it had stopped. I recovered so quickly that after 3 minutes I said, “what the hell, just finish by running the rest.” It was great to see the Mile 1 marker, meaning only 2 miles left. I thought we were going all the way to Orcas Street, which I was familiar with, but the turn around was several blocks sooner, which was a great psychological boost for me. There were people along the route and the path was along Lake Washington Blvd, which was a beautiful place to be. Just before the only hill, were two young women holding a sign that said, “Go MOM” or something like that and I told them I was pretending the sign was for me, also. They started cheering and jumping up and down and waving the sign for me! Also at this point were drummers playing the coolest beat and I began up the wicked hill.  Seriously… a nasty hill, but the only one. I walked the last half up the hill and then started my running again. I felt strong!!! And surprised at myself that I could feel this strong with less than a mile to go. I love an adrenaline high! At this point we are running through the streets to get back to the park and the finish line. There are police at all the intersections and we have the right-of-way… thank you very much! As I turned into the park, the course is narrower and people are on each side along the route cheering and again looking for their people. I decide it’s time to do my version of a sprint so I can finish strong! And I see MY PEOPLE again!!! There to take pictures and cheer are Dr. Bowers and Mary and Alden and Darcy! And I know there are a slew of people waiting from other places to hear my story and who have been wishing me well all through. I get to the finish and I get a medal and ice cold water!!! Yea!!! I earned a medal at the Danskin Seattle Triathlon in 2010.

Transition 3 – as I went back to the transition area to collect my phone to connect with others, I had the chance to see Noelle again. She was just in from the bike and just heading out to run. It was so miraculous that we were able to see each other so many times during the race, in spite of the fact that our start times were about 1 ½ hours apart from each other. She looked great and I was glad I knew about how long it would be before she was at the finish line so I could be there to cheer her on.

I connected with Alisa and Case and it was so great to see them and have them experience my joy at the finish. We wandered a bit and I got some food and then we headed back to connect with Patrick and some of Noelle’s People to wait for her finish. It was amazing to see her cross the finish line and know that we had supported each other through this. Our motto – We Rock!

Transition 4 – was home to settle, have a much desired burger and diet Coke and then relax on the couch. I felt pretty good, just tired legs, sore knees and my upper and lower back a bit stiff. Today I feel great, woke up rested and mostly recovered and I’m ready to contemplate my next journey. I think it’s time to start shopping for a new bike…

My times – Total race was within my goal of 3 hours. Swim - 31.09 (I’m happy with that number) Bike – 1:01:50 (I enjoyed it!) Run 49.01 (longer than my usual, but given the circumstances I’m happy)

I did this for myself and only want to compare my stats to what I can do for the next race. I did check my stats against others my age, and had to remind myself that this was not a broad comparison of women my age, but only women who had the courage to actually BEGIN and then finish the race.

It’s time to Journey again…