One World Triathlon - Race Report

One more olympic distance tri (1,350 meter swim; 40K bike; 10K run) under my belt before Louisville.

The One World Tri took place in downtown Cincy -- right in my backyard. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the race was the swim! I was shocked. I usually absolutely loathe the swim portion of the triathlon. Not only was I nervous about my first time swimming in the Ohio River, but this would be my first race without a wetsuit (the water was 81 degrees so wetsuits were illegal). My wetsuit is definitely my security blanket, because it's basically like wearing a life jacket -- its very buoyant.

We started from the Boathouse -- there is actually a flight of stairs hidden away right below the restaurant. I was in the second wave of olympic distance athletes. The race was pretty thin on olympic distance female athletes -- there were probably only about 25 of us. We made our way down the stairs into the river for a treading water start. I had never done a treading water start, but I loved it. We all lined up with the buoy (which was not an easy task with the current pushing us down river) - had PLENTY of space, so there was no one in front or behind me, and when the siren went off we took off without any problems. I always get kicked or elbowed at least once, but not this time.

The water was absolutely beautiful. SERIOUSLY!! I could see the bottom (didn't spot any metro bus sized catfish) and since I breath to the right I knew exactly where I was at all times as I made my way along Sawyer Point and eventually the Serpentine Wall. I must admit, there was something very cool about swimming in place I run/bike by on a daily basis. I loved going under the bridges, and swimming through the giant concrete circles in front of the Serpentine Wall where they used to showcase cars during big events.

We exited the water right in front of the Showboat Majestic at the boat ramp. The ramp was slick and covered with moss - but there were volunteers there to pull you up and prevent you from slipping. I made my way up the steep slope and onto the grassy portion of the serpentine wall to transition. Grabbed my bike and was off without any problems.

The bike portion of the race went along Columbia Parkway and down around the stadiums. It was a two lap course for the olympic distance. After a few pedal strokes my legs already ached. A 20 mile run the day before a race is definately not ideal. Around mile 9 my worst nightmare happened. Mechanical difficulty. I cranked my gears too hard going from my big ring (downhill) into my small ring (up hill) for the last big climb on the parkway. I popped out of my chain and my bike immediately hit the breaks. I was able to pop out of my pedals just as my bike was going down.

I am NOT a bike person. I ride the bike. I don't know anything about the bike. I know this is a major problem. I should know basic bike maintenance - it comes with the territory. I'll get right on becoming a bike guru in all of my free time. Luckily I had popped a chain before, so I was able to get it back on my small ring and hopped back on the bike. I felt like I was on the side of the road for an eternity -- but it was probably only 3-4 minutes. The bigger problem was getting back into my pedal clips on a pretty steep incline - my hands were also completely and totally black from the chain grease. The rest of the ride I was totally pissed - I lost the group of girls I was riding with and it was totally my fault.

I was still thinking about the chain as I came into transition. I changed my shoes, grabbed some sports beans, and left transition without my number! About 50 meters outside transition I realized what I had done and turned around to grab my number and start again. Not cool. The run was very comfortable for me. We ran along Sawyer Point, into Friendship Park, and over the Purple People Bridge. It was two laps for the olympic distance. I run these areas all the time, so I knew exactly what to expect. I was able to pick off a couple girls, and by the second lap realized I was near the front (its really hard to tell where you are in a race when people are doing multiple laps, and some of the athletes were sprint distance). Unfortunately, by the time I figured out I was in second place, we only had about 400 meters to go before the finish. I ended up second overall by about 40 seconds. It was a small race, so it really wasn't a big deal, but it would have been nice to say I won something. Damn chain.

Official time 2:37:59
swim: 20:54
bike: 1:25:46
run: 48:55

After crossing the finish line I grabbed my gear and rode 5 blocks back to my place. Ate a quick PB&J, refilled my water bottles, stocked my Bento Box with cliff bars, and was back out on the roads for a 6 hour bike ride. By this point it was noon and the sun was blazing. After starting my day at 5:30 am, I finished it around 6 p.m. -- completely and utterly exhausted.

Some people have asked what I eat when I'm training - my daylong workout extravaganza provides a good platform to share:

5:30 AM (prerace): Kashi protein shake (with one cup milk, banana, and frozen berries) and half a bagel with peanut butter; propel

During race: one water bottle of Nuun, packet of sports beans before the run, half glass of water and half glass of Gatorade on the run

After race: glass of Gatorade; PB&J

On 6 hour ride: 4.5 bottles of Nuun; 3 endurolyte pills ; a diet mt. dew; 3 Cliff bars (half a Cliff bar each hour)

Immediately after ride: Ensure chocolate protein milkshake

Dinner: chicken tetrizzini, 5 bean salad, bowl of chocolate ice cream

Bed: SKINS - compression tights that reduce the build up of lactic acid. LOVE THEM and wear them to bed all the time.