The Race

Love City Triathlon finish

Well I have to say this last week has been an incredible time in my training.  I was able to take some time over labor day weekend and go to St. John and compete in the Love City Triathlon here are the Results from that race!  It was a very good learning experience I must say.  It was the first time I traveled for a triathlon so it was a new course, a course I was only able to drive partially.  So I didn't know much about the bike course except that it was VERY hilly and lots of hairpin turns at the bottom of the downhills.  I have been training pretty hard these last few weeks but I really haven't been doing much swimming and it shows!  I am now determined to get myself in gear and start busting out those pool workouts.  I can't simply give 100% in 2 of my disciplines and only 50% in the other one.  I must equally work at all three of these areas.  Like I said before this was a great learning experience and I did some things that I am not to fond of, made some mistakes that hopefully by God's grace I won't make again.

First off I learned to ALWAYS do a pre-race bike inspection!  Make sure everything is working properly, all the little details are so important.  I had the sickest feeling in my stomach after the race when I was loading my bike and I realized I never closed the clasp on my brakes from when I took the tires off to travel.  So although my brakes worked fine THANK GOD, I could have been in a heap of trouble due to that one little mistake. 

Second : I learned I have to be very careful about my breathing on the bike.  I had 2 KILLER side aches on the run that I am not positive about how I got them but I think it was from not breathing correctly going up the hills.  Position on the bike when climbing hills is necessary to breath deep and properly.  Not slouching over down on the handle bars but holding the top and allowing your torso to be as straight as possible I guess.... (I'm still working on this one)

Third: I have found that racing in the Caribbean is INCREDIBLE!!  I was stunned and left breathless (not simply because the hills I was riding up were extreme) the view I had from the road of St. John was so amazing.  I for a moment forgot that I was even racing when I came over a hill and saw all the British Virgin Islands to the north.  It was spectacular!  It is in those moments that I just get blown away by the work of God. 

Forth : and lastly go out and do your best!  Even though my run was in my mind horrible due to my side aches I couldn't give up.  I had to walk a lot of the 4 mile course, it wasn't my ideal run but I just kept persevering.  I finished strong and even though I had a few shifting errors and my chain fell of in the middle of 2 hills, and I walked up the remaining hill...(something I'll never do again either)  I learned it will save time to coast to the bottom of the hill fix the chain and ride back up!  I struggled with the run but I kept moving and I didn't give up.  I believed in myself and I just focused on the prize....THE END OF THE RACE! 

I have found that my mind is where the biggest battle is.  I must captivate my thoughts, ignore the ones saying I am tired, I can't continue, it's to hard, I need to stop...these are all lies and when ignored you will see your body do what you thought was impossible.  Overall this was a great race!  I fell in love once again with triathlons and now look forward to my next one at the end of this month!!