Scenic 17 Sprint Triathlon - August 1, 2010

Sunday, August 1, 2010
BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!! Really…its 4:00 in the morning and for the life of me I cannot figure out why my alarm is going off. So, with a hand that feels extremely heavy, I reach over and smack the “off” button. But through my grogginess, I really feel like I should be getting up. As I roll over and curl up in my warm, cozy covers with the fan blowing the most relaxing, cool air over me, I can’t escape the worry that is preventing me from my morning slumber. Then, as I really begin to get grumpy, it hits me…TRIATHLON!!! Of course I promptly sit up (now in panic mode) and try to figure out how long I have been lying in bed contemplating this dilemma, fearing the worst. Finally, I get my wits about me and realize that this seemingly prolonged event has lasted only moments. WOW! What a way to start the morning.
Now that I realize I have plenty of time, I calmly climb out of my nice, comfy bed and begin my normal morning routine. You may disagree about the need for a shower before going to get sweaty and nasty, but no one can argue with the need to brush my teeth. So everything is now clean and I am getting dressed for the big event when I hear Brianna’s sink running. Now this may sound great, as you are probably thinking that Brianna has gotten herself up early and is ready to cheer for everyone in the race. But – Brianna is not home. It is at this point that I realize I had not completely gotten my wits about me as I had previously believed. It occurs to me that it is Drew using Brie’s sink, which leads to my next realization – Austin is sleeping on the couch. These thoughts further lead me to remember that I am cooking breakfast for us this morning. So my first triathlon has already taught me a lesson…a triathlete needs more than four hours of sleep the night before a race in order to be mentally ready!
Before I head out to the kitchen I make sure that Trey is getting up and ready. It was reassuring to know that he was no more aware of the circumstances for the first few moments of waking than I was. Being the well-prepared person that I am (sometimes), I had put out the griddle, pans, and cooking essentials the night before. And I was really thankful for that at 5:00 in the morning. So, I think that I am fully awake and aware now, and as I cook breakfast I really feel like I should be waking up Austin. My best idea at that time was to make as much noise as I could as I prepared the breakfast of champions – French toast, pancakes, and sausage. But apparently Austin went to bed late as well because all I could get out of him was a few grumpy noises and a roll-over-and-cover-up, presumably in an attempt to ignore my clanging!
Breakfast was almost ready as Drew and Trey made their way to the kitchen. Since I was busy finishing up my task, I convinced Trey that he should be the one to awaken Austin. He too was greeted with a few grumpy sounds, but it wasn’t too long until Austin climbed out of bed and joined us for breakfast.
By now it was almost 6:00am and we really wanted to get to Webber early so that we could take care of the various race day preperations. Plates and leftover food on the table, we gathered our stuff and headed out the door. This brought about yet another realization for me this morning…it is ESPECIALLY dark at 6:00am in the summer. I am just not used to seeing this time of day in August. Drew hopped on his bike and headed toward Webber as the rest of us quickly – and carefully – placed our bikes in the bed of the truck and climbed in for the brief ride.
Within a few minutes we were carrying our transition essentials and walking our bikes to the transition area. Along with preparing for the transitions we had to make our way to the registration area to obtain our scoring chip. This nifty little transponder secures safely (or so they say) around your ankle and records your times as you enter and exit the transition area. As 7:00 drew near we all double checked our transponders, did a final inspection of our transition area, and did the best we could to make sure that we were mentally prepared for the challenge.
As all of the participants gathered on the beach, we saluted the flag to our country’s national anthem and began the final countdown to the start. We were to begin the race in two waves: the men would begin at the sound of the first horn and the women and teams would take the water 3-4 minutes later at the next horn. Before we knew it, and with little warning, the first horn sounded and the men were in the water beginning the swim to the first buoy. It wasn’t until that moment that I felt the nervous, but so excited, butterflies in my stomach. It was like going on a first date with your biggest crush. The thoughts so quickly ran through my head, all forming questions beginning with “What if….”! But as these questions soared around in my head I chatted with the other participants and we waited for our turn. And then…the horn sounded…and my mind was clear. My only thought was to swim. To the first buoy – then the next – and I was on the home stretch. All I had to do was make it to the sand and I was on to my second challenge. As I gracefully exited the water (okay, well maybe not gracefully) I began the short jog to the transition area. I was feeling great, but now I was about to go through transition which had been my biggest fear.
Thanks to the cheers of my wonderfully supportive family and friends, I managed to forget my fear and jogged past a few of my fellow participants, entering the transition area like a pro. I was able to get my clothes changed, shoes and helmet on, and bike of the rack with no problem. I was also sane enough to check on Michael after hearing that he was out of the race due to a poorly placed accidental swim kick from another participant. However, I quickly let my rookie experience show through as I dropped my energy chews while trying to prepare them for consumption during the bike ride. No problem, I will just grab them and head for the exit. I calmly bent over, picked up the bag, and stuffed them in the pouch under my seat. Thinking that I am now prepared to finalize my transition I hear my mom (I have now been in transition long enough that she has made it up from the beach). “You stepped on your sunglasses”. Again, no problem, I just picked them up and was ready to go. Of course by now my mind is in about the same shape as it was at 4:00 this morning and I begin to climb on my bike. It was at this time that my Dad yelled at me, “Walk to the cones, then get on”. Still smiling, I calmly (at least that is how I remember it) exited the transition area and begin the 15 mile bike ride to Frostproof and back.
Through another awesome display by the “MTB Cheerleading Crew” I turned on to Highway 17 and began my peaceful ride. Having accomplished this ride before, and knowing that I made it out of the water before a number of my competitors, I was relaxed and ready to pound out the miles. But only a few minutes into my ride, I was being passed by road bikes. As I attacked the lengthy hill taking us out of Babson Park, I contemplated my third realization of the day – road bikes make a huge difference. It was probably good to have my mind on this realization as I was up and over the hill in no time and was now to one of the less demanding portions of the course. As the course was requiring less effort at this point, I decided it would be a good time to pop a few energy chews and rehydrate. Thankfully, this process was uneventful and completed just in time for the climb past Mullinsville Road heading into Frostproof. As I turned onto Mullinsville road I had once again managed to be out there by myself since the road bikes just blew by me and left me behind. This left me only one option to keep my mind off my third realization. So as I passed the cows in the pasture, I was sure to tell them good morning and inform them that the putrid smell that was greeting me early this Sunday morning was not appreciated. They didn’t really seem to care. It wasn’t long before I came upon three horses enjoying an early morning breakfast, so I sent a friendly greeting their way as well. They didn’t even look at me.
So now it was time to attack the hills that I had enjoyed descending not too long before. Small gears and LOTS of pedal rotations later, I had made it out of Frostproof was now enjoying the final descent back to Webber. A few more energy chews and some water would give me the kick I needed to meet today’s final challenge. More cheering from the MTB Crew helped too!!!
As I approached my last time in the transition area, I dismounted my bike and mentally prepared for my biggest challenge of the day. This transition went much more smoothly than the previous. I was able to put my bike back on the rack and make it out in only 40 seconds. I had made it to the last leg of today’s journey. I had managed to complete the swim using only the freestyle stroke, I had completed the bike ride with more ease than ever before, and I was NOT going to let myself down by having to walk during the 5K portion. I believe it was Yoda that said, “Try? Do or do not. There is no try.” I was going to DO!!!
As I began jogging out of the transition area and towards the exit of Webber’s campus, my legs were gradually feeling more reliable. Once again, I received a much appreciated cheer as I made the turn onto Scenic 17 for the short jaunt to what we have appropriately deemed “Roller Coaster Road”. I hadn’t made it too far down the road before I started meeting up with my fellow MTB crew headed in to finish the race. As we crossed paths, we exchanged a quick word of encouragement and I enjoyed the momentary escape from counting my steps (such a tedious habit). Having passed most of the crew I figured I would just have to pound out these last two miles on my own, as I have done many times before. I slowly made the ascent up one of the larger hills followed by a relaxing downhill that led to the halfway point. Amazingly, I had gained on this guy that had been running just ahead of me since we started. As he entered the cones that guided our u-turn I was shocked to discover that I had been following Austin this whole time.
Now I had a new goal - I picked up my pace and set forth to pass Austin. Unfortunately, he quickly figured out my plan and he was not going to let that happen. Realizing that my efforts would remain in vain, I decided to settle in to my normal pace and assure that I could finish strong. I was now down to the last mile and, aside from the sun beginning to scorch my face, I was feeling good. I soon exited Scenic 17 and began the final run around the softball field leading up to the finish line. Then came the cheers from the crew…I was almost there. The last few yards were approaching and I was still running. Before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line, handed over my transponder, and was enjoying the refreshing taste of a cold bottle of water. What an AWESOME feeling!
I soon discovered that I was not the only one excited to have completed the event. As I observed other competitors I found that each had their own story to tell about this challenging journey we had completed early this Sunday morning. While exchanging stories, we headed down to listen to awards and begin the process of rehydrating and nourishing our bodies.
The MTB Sports participants had a great showing for the day with Drew Hollis and Austin Wade taking 1st and 2nd place in their age group, respectively. Brad Hutzleman also received a 2nd place trophy in his age group. Of our nine MTB participants Drew Hollis finished with a time of 1:35:39 followed by Heath Williams with 1:38:49 and Trey Heath with 1:39:16. Brad Hutzelman crossed the line with a time of 1:44:36, Michelle Heath with 1:51:50, and after many mechanical issues with this bicycle Gus Rickman came in at 1:52:07. Determined to finish the run ahead of me, Austin Wade brought his journey to a rough end in 1:54:15 leaving his breakfast for everyone to see (sorry, Austin…I have to give you a hard time). Michelle Yodonis closed it out for the MTB crew with a time of 2:12:24. Although Michael Yodonis suffered an injury in the swim and had to disqualify himself, he did complete the race with Michelle and was scored in with a time of 2:15:35.
“Awesome Work” does not even begin to describe the efforts of the crew throughout the training and completion of this challenge. Thanks for the support and alliance as we met our goals. I also want to the thank our family and friends who were not participants in the race, but who helped us complete the training and cheered us on as we put our training to work! Looking forward to the next one!!!!