Let me start this race report by thanking all of my fellow Long Island triathletes. After having time to reflect on the event which took place last weekend (September 18th) the biggest take away for me is the camaraderie and support that was shown at this event and the days after. I have been racing for 19 years and in that time a lot has changed in the sport of triathlon. Some of these changes have been positive and some negative. I have met a lot of great friends through the years, but I have also had some bad experiences as well. Such is life… This weekend showed me how the love in this sport has grown in this Long Island community. I am grateful to be a part of it and humbled by the efforts that many individuals made on my behalf. I want to thank everyone, but special thanks to: Richie Caiazza, Sanjeev Chopra, Jose Hernandez and Bob McKeown.
This 70.3 event was my first “long distance triathlon” since 2011 when I officially retired from the sport despite having re-qualified to race professional for another 3 years. While my training has been going well, I was still nervous going in, “what if I can’t handle the long distance events now?”, “how much have I slowed down in these 6 years?” I’ll be racing Ironman Florida in November and this was an excellent way to see where my fitness is as this point!
Race morning:
After getting stuck in a horrific traffic jam I finally got to Badger Field where transition was, only to find that I had 12 minutes until transition closed! I hurriedly set up my gear and got out of there. I was happy to run into my athletes Gordon Lewis and Scott Janicola. I headed to the start of the swim where I got Deepak Chopra’s attention who was about to start his swim. I gave him a good luck hug and he was off!
The swim:
I was in the 2nd “woman 40-44 age group” wave, which was wave 6 of the swim. The swim start was typical, the gun went off and so did we. I swam through some of the slower swimmers from the other waves…as a side note, I always feel TERRIBLE bumping into these swimmers! I want the swimmers to know that while it may seem like we are monsters out there in the water bumping into and fighting our way past you without a care in the world, I feel bad every single time it happens! We are just as confused and discombobulated out there as you may feel!
All of a sudden I felt a strong current against me. I looked at the buoy next to me and got nervous that I wasn’t making any progress!! Then there was a “washing machine affect”. I was stuck in one spot with a huge group of swimmers. It was choppy and felt like whirlpool! I started doing breast stroke just to calm down and see what was going on! Once I realized just how strong the current was I put my head down and started swimming to try to get past it. I started making forward progress but when I rounded the last buoy the current was so strong that it pushed me into and almost under the buoy! I started thinking of my athletes and how they were doing out there…
I finally exited the water 35 minutes later! A very slow swim for me… I felt as if I had swum 2.4 miles! With that past me, I headed to the bike…
The Bike:
A few words come to mind: Crowded! Fast! “On your left!” The bike was so crowded that I spent the first half of it screaming, “on your left!” so the person ahead knew I was coming up from behind to pass them. Finally, it opened up and I could relax. I am always afraid of a cyclist moving over without knowing I am coming from behind, so I am grateful when it spreads out! Also, I am so nervous about getting “stuck” with other cyclists. This happens a lot on flat courses…you find yourself riding a similar speed to another cyclist. In my fear of drafting I quickly pass them, but they are moving at a similar speed, so then they pass me! I find this to be very stressful!!
The rest of the bike went smoothly. I was happy to see Deepak Chopra out there! He looked relaxed and happy, which is always a relief as a coach! I clocked a sub-2:30 bike, which I was thrilled with. My 2nd fastest bike split ever! Woot! Woot!
The Run:
I started exiting transition only to realize that I forgot to put my race belt on (1st mistake)! Damn! I quickly turned around to get it. I started running and the legs felt GOOD! First mile was a 6:36… The perceived exertion was in check. “I feel comfortable!”
I saw Jose Hernandez for the first time. “Wow”, I thought, “he must have had a rocking bike split!”. He did, of course! It was HOT, but I’m good in the heat and we have all trained in oppressive heat this summer. I wasn’t worried. After the first aid station (I drank Coke), I realized that I didn’t have a gel on me! (2nd mistake). I tried to get a gel at the 2nd aid station, but as I ran by and called out “gel!” I couldn’t get one. I kept running. I was worried thinking that it had already been too much time without one! I know this could be disastrous… I was desperate. As I ran up to Richie Caiazza and said, “Rich, do you have a gel?” He responded, “I have a flask, take it!” I grabbed it from him and took a swig. I handed back the gnarly gel flask that had my slobber and gel all over it and kept running as Richie cheered me on. That was his ONLY gel, by the way… For that I am eternally grateful. I don’t think I have ever asked someone for nutrition out on a course in all my years of racing. The generosity he displayed as he handed me his only gel flask was an incredible act of kindness and selflessness that will not be forgotten.
The run felt good, though I did slow down to a 7:14 pace by mile 6. Once we turned around on the boardwalk, with the wind to our backs it got REALLY HOT! I started to feel BAD at mile 8. My pace slowed again to a 7:30, then 7:45 pace. On the sand section I clocked an 8 min pace. I was feeling terrible wondering if I could even finish! I heard my name everywhere and I want those people to know that while I felt too terrible to even acknowledge them, I appreciate it more than they can imagine! There was Bob McKeown with his speaker! How great is that!
The Finish:
I don’t know if I have just been out of the long distance racing for too long and I forgot how difficult these events are, or if I just felt particularly bad, but those last few miles were torture! I finally finished and felt pretty terrible for a long while after. After downing 4 Cokes I started to feel better!
My favorite part of the day? Hanging out after the finish… This is the change that I speak of. Usually I finish and gather my things. That day, I hung out for a good 2 hours after my finish. I got to see all of the Wild Wood Warriors come through (thanks again John Graziano and Jason Marc Cohen for organizing the dinner the night before the race!), Bob Spina and his crew from LITC, the Tri Global crew, South Shore Tri Coach athletes and many more. Most importantly my athletes: Scott Janicola who had a rocking day on his way to a 2nd Ironman finish this year in Maryland, Gordon Lewis who finished this race despite having not run until July of this year due to a knee injury, Jose Hernandez who also finished despite dealing with a heel spur that has taken him out of running, Deepak Chopra who had a strong showing and Rafael Tovar who crashed two weeks before the race and then again on race day! He had severe road rash, went to the medical tent and continued on to finish his first 70.3!
While I am disappointed with how the race director and staff did not address or adjust due the fact that different waves swam different distances, I am coming away from this race with a positive feeling. As I wait for the roads to dry up so I can start my long ride today, I am happy and grateful that I started racing the long course triathlons again and am looking forward to Ironman Florida and to another triathlon in 2017 where the teams of Long Island are represented!