About 10 weeks ago I decided I needed to sign up for a race to spark my motivation so I registered for the Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl Sprint. I did my first ever triathlon on Jekyll Island years ago so I was looking forward to visiting the island again. We arrived at the race site just before 5PM Friday evening. I felt ridiculously unprepared but knew I needed to know where I was conditioning wise and just go through the motions of racing to get the cobwebs out. I picked up my packet then headed out for a little spin on my bike. I felt really good... I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
I didn't sleep very well that night, but who does the night before a race anyway? First off, I was a fan of this race way before the race started! Parking was right next to the transition area and we had access to the swankiest bathrooms ever for a triathlon! The convention center is wonderful and they didn't seem to blink an eye about giving triathletes full access to the facilities. First class! Once I had transition all set up and warmed up I went into the convention center, made myself comfy on the floor, did some stretching and then leisurely put on my wetsuit.
Leading up to race day I'd been having some discomfort in my big toe joints and the walk down the beach to the swim start seemed to irritate them a bit. Nothing I could do but just do my best... if I couldn't run when it came time well, that's just how it was going to go down.
Being in the older age groups, I was starting in the last wave of the day which is actually fine with me as I enjoy having rabbits to chase out on the course. The conditions were perfect! The water was flat and a nice temperature. But the water was DARK. I guess it really has been a long time since I have done a race/open water swim because it did freak me out a little. I just had to keep my eyes shut tightly and focus on form and sighting. I'm not sure it was lack of conditioning or the uneasiness of open water swimming but the swim felt LONG!
I took my time in T1 just wanting to make sure I remembered everything I needed to do. If you haven't been to Jekyll, go. Seriously. The bike course was one loop around the island and it has so much natural beauty that it's almost hard to stay focused on the race. Anyway, I didn't feel awesome but certainly felt good for the amount of training in my legs. This is where it's helpful for me to start in the back. As a decent swimmer, if I'm starting in the front wave I get passed by a lot of people on the bike but starting in the last wave I actually get to pass a lot! On this day, not one single person passed me on the bike! I think it's interesting to talk to people about what they think about on the bike. I'm a totally left brained analytical geek. I spend a lot of the time calculating in my head 'if I keep up this pace, it should take me so many mintues to finish this course.' I guess it's a little game I play in my head. Anyway, I was pretty satisfied with my bike when I entered T2.
As I dismounted, one of the volunteers yelled to me that I was the second female and that the first female was just ahead. As I look down transition, I see female #1 and notice that she is 30-34 which means she started three minutes ahead of me. Um... seriously? Can't be right.
I am motivated now. Get my running shoes and race belt on and I'm off onto the run. Luckily my big toe joints are pain free. However, I can feel that my HR is through the roof! I try to keep a reasonable pace to get my HR under control but it doesn't work. The run is a struggle and I am just waiting to implode. The entire run I know that if I am challenged that I don't have anything extra to give. I think that thought alone keeps me in that red zone. I've never wanted to walk so badly on a run course EVER and never so happy to see a finish line (ok... i might have been happier at Vineman full). I am fairly certain that the run was significantly longer than a 5K but it's hard to judge these things when you feel really out of shape. At least I have a good idea of where I am now and it's clear that I have a LOT of work to do on my running!!
Matt, the best support crew ever, encourages me to do a little cool down run with him. I'm so fried and out of shape I struggle the entire 'cool down' run. Afterwards, we wander up to the results board. Holy moly... not only did I win overall but I won by like 7 minutes. I don't think it matters how many races you've won before, a win is always a really great feeling!
I really want to thank Georgia Mulitsport for a fantastic event and the Jekyll Island Convention Center for the amazing venue! View Complete Results
