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| Coach Tara and her 2013 Patriots HIM Ladies!!!! |
This race report will actually start on Friday the evening before. I got our of work around 330 pm. Pippy and all my gear was already packed from the night before in Ms. Scarlet.
Ms. Scarlet's FIRST RACE!!!!!
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| Ms Scarlet is packed and ready to go...Pippy is ready for her ride to the race! |
Drive up to Cathedral Camp in East Freetown, MA. Packet pick up was the first on my agenda. After I received my packet, I noticed I was registered as an Athena. I am pretty sure I registered as an age grouper this year. I did race as an Athena for the last several years, but I do not qualify for that Category any longer. When I went to the "race help table" to let them know "legally" I could not race as an athena, I am under the minimum weight requirement. The very nice lady says.."Congrats, good job". I then reply to her,"Thanks but I did not loss weight the USAT changed their numbers." She then replies "Oh sorry then." I am not sure how to take that...I was honored to race as an Athena. I was almost last in the Athena category at almost every race just like I was almost last in my age group yesterday. I used to be over 265 pounds I am THRILLED just be able to race at all.......
Waiting for Leslie to arrive at the venue I meet up with a few friends who were also racing, it is so great to see a few faces I have not seen since the end of last season...
Leslie and I meet up and she talked me into a "evening swim". Yes that women is DANGEROUS!!!
OK so the swim was an easy two times around the first buoy.
(ok so you really can not see the buoy here but you get the clue)
After our little swim, we head out to go check into the hotel, after checking in. We run out to the grocery store and there is a Marshals right next to the store, so of course we stop in.
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| Leslie with her BOWLS! |
For those of you who have been following my blog for at least the last year knows that I went into this race last year right after I ended a 13 year relationship. That race was very emotional for me. There was one point where I actually thought I was"going to die" out there. I remember crying at mile ten, trying to figure out what was going on in my life. I felt lost and uncertain of anything at that moment. When I got to the finish line of last years race I knew I had conquer one of the toughest things I would ever do and I have learned so much over the last year.
OK Back to the RACE...
500 am: Up ( Leslie up at 4 and taped me snoring, thank god the video did not come out good!!!LOL)
530 am: On the way to the venue and parking. The very nice young parking attendant wanted me to park Ms. Scarlet under a weeping pine tree. One look and I am like no way, so they he directs me to another spot where the branches are all sticking out....I start to think IF Ms. Scarlet is going to get her first SCRATCH it will come from 4X4ing not parking at a race...
545 am: unpacking Ms Scarlet and go into transition. Set up everything and I keep thinking I must have forgotten something...My bag felt so lite... a trip to the port-a-johns (TWICE) Damn morning coffee!!! I just finished eating my peanut sandwich.
615 am: Hanging out talking with the TRI-NE Crew. We are all racked together. SO AWESOME...I knowing that I would probably not see any of them again till the end of the day.
700 am: the elites are off and swimming. Then wave after wave of Tri Athletes are off every 4 minutes. I am in the second to last wave the women 45-49 y/o with did I tell ya PINK swim caps.
728 am: We are on deck to go into the water as the group before us goes off.
732 am: OFF WE GO!!! Swim goes ok. Not my fastest but done in 51:11 (my Garmin read 51.07). I had a difficult time staying straight and probably added 0.15 miles (according to my Garmin Link -->) 2013 Patriots Swim.
823 am: T1 takes me 6:44 minutes. I had a hard time getting out of the wet suit off again. One of theses days I will just go into a race with a shorty or a sleeveless. switched into my tri top and bike shoes, helmet and sun glasses on. Switch watch from wrist to bike and off to run to the mounting line.
829: Off om the Bike...56 miles of peddling here I come. My longest ride since last September was about 32 miles,,,this was going to be interesting! I do well with my ride. I was able to get all my nutrition in and lots of fluids.
I get about 2 or 3 miles into the ride when i notice a women riding the opposite way and she has a bike number on her bike...I start to think that is strange. About 1/4 mile later i see why she was riding back. There is a lady on the side of the road holding her face and blood on her legs and face. Her bike is laying its the side and her sunglasses are broken and shattered. There was a nice crush mark on the front of her helmet. Another racer had handed her some tissues and was staying with her while the other racer who I saw going the wrong direction went back to get help is with her and people are stopping their cars to check on her. When I identified my self as a nurse, she said she was glad to see me there or something to that effect. Several racers stop and check, I tell them to keep racing she was doing fine. A very nice gentleman offers to drive her to the hospital , I suggest that is not a good idea. Some one else hands me his shirt off his back and I hold the lady hold pressure on her nose while I try to stabilize her head and neck. That same gentleman then calls 911 to have an ambulance come.
The lady is alert and oriented times three. I do a quick trauma assessment. No pain in neck or back, but I try to keep her as still as possible. The home owner brings me gauzes and water to wash the sand and dirt from her forehead wound and eyes. I continue to hold her head still. A few minutes later the rescue is there. I give them a quick report on the lady, name, age, medical history and allergies, list of evident injuries, and pain levels. As soon as the rescue arrived and took over , I jumped back on my bike and was peddling again. I was not sure how much time I was there but I did not think it was more then 10 minutes, I had to wait till I downloaded the Garmin to see it was just about exatly 10 minutes.
As I am making the second loop on the bike, I start to think if I had not gone back into the registration the night before and exchanged my Athena for my age group, I would of been about 20 minutes ahead of her and not come up on her. I thank you GOD for allowing me to be where I needed to be and to be able to help someone in their time of need.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STOPPED TO ASK IF THEY COULD HELP, Thanks to the three gentleman (the two in the cars and the home owner). Thank you to the several racers who stopped to check and see if she was ok or if we needed help. Thank you to the RESCUE who came rapidly and took care of the lady. I remembered her name and that she was from another state, I did check after I finished my race to make she was ok. She had been seen at the local facility and was on her way home....THANK YOU GOD!)
So I am finishing up the bike I get to almost the top of the hill and the TRI NE'rs are all passing water out at the bike water satin. Thank you for all your support and being awesome friends, athletes and teammates! 3 hours 25 Minutes 13 Seconds Again according to my Garmin link -->2013 Patriots Bike
1205 pm: Off the Bike and stripping off my bike shoes and helmet, adding my baseball cap and running shoes, grab my running belt and race belt. I start to run out and a volunteer stops me i forgot i had my phone and headphone in my running belt and the headphones cam out and were tangling around my legs. SHe takes them for me and goes to put them back into my bag for me. THANK YOU, for helping me and preventing me from getting disqualified. I am almost of of the transition area and i realize I do not have my watch on. I head back to my bike and grab my Garmin and attach it back to my wrist band. Out of T2 and on to the run.... I see Luis and Beth on the side of the road and they are yelling out my name a quick wave and smile to them. Luis is taking pictures of course he gets one of me after i run by him...way is there always a ughhh that is my butt picture in al my races????
1210 pm: Out onto the run, stop at the Port-a-john near the transition area....of course. I hit mile one and feeling good, mile two not bad, mile three good and another potty stop, (I guess I drank enough fluids on the bike...LOL), mile four good as well. Nothing fast or furious but getting it down. I stop at every mile water stop for a drink and piece of fruit and a glass of water or ice over my head. Mile 5, I start to get what feel like a achey jarring muscle pain with every step and I can feel the start of a blister on my left foot near the base of my great toe. So starts the walk/trot cycle..Mile 6-9 is trot/walk/trot/walk...just one foot in front of the other...Mile 10: where I lost it last year. I stop look around and yelled out loud "EAT THAT MILE TEN. I got you this year!" I am sure anyone who was near me must of thought I was NUTS!!!
Miles 11-13 are allot of walking and little trotting...I get to the top of the last hill and start to run again...then there is the last road to crossover and I can see the entrance to the camp... the last quarter of mile is thru the camp across a foot bridge and into the shoot..I hear my name from Coach Tara, Leslie, my Cousins Robi Ann and Ciara, Cheryl and Amy. I hear others calling my name but I am not sure who they were..BUT THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! Your encouragement and support help me push thru till the end. Garmin Link --> 2013 Patriots Run
7 hours 36 minutes 27 seconds I cross the FINISH LINE at the Patriots Half Iron Triathlon! Below is the official results from the RACE!!!!!
