Months ago Justin suggested we do this race and I needed motivation to train. I also saw it as a good reason for a road trip and Tempe is even the hometown of The Format, my favorite band, which had to count for something, so I registered.
My friend Tania came with me for fun, support, to be shotgun DJ, and comic relief...We left after my class on Friday and were able to take Richard to Blythe on the way and have dinner with his family before continuing to Peoria to meet up with Justin and Stefan. We stayed the night there at Justin's parent's house.
Saturday morning Justin and I rode for 40 minutes and ran for 20, to make sure bikes were shifting and we hadn't forgotten any equipment.
After lunch the Arnold's wine shop, we drove to Tempe to check in and put our bikes in to transition.
My parents flew in that afternoon (!!) and Tania and I were able to pick them up from the airport which was only 5 miles from the hotel, which was only 1.25 miles from Transition itself.
The swim was quite a mess. I was literally swimming over the wave ahead of us from about 300 yds in, but the course was probably the easiest course I've ever swum sighting-wise.
The bike felt pretty good for how little anaerobic training I've been doing. At about 48 minutes I was worried, but I soon had a lot more to think about...the 1/4Man course had too loops that were slightly different. The course monitor was directing people at the split:
"Quarterman left, Half right," he said as I rode up. I went left and did a U-turn heading back along the same bridge I'd come out on. I was worried because there were very few cyclists on the bridge, but I was merging with people and I looked back and saw a guy that could have been in my wave turn aswell. I was worried and distracted for a few hundred meters, but then was being passed by men with "Qs" for Quarterman on their calves and thought I was OK. Not so much.
I finished the loop again, the same loop.
"Quarterman first loop right, quarterman second loop left," they told the woman up ahead of me who was in my wave.
"I'm on my second, but I went left the first time!" She yelled.
"So did I!" I said.
"There were a bunch of guys that turned with me too," she said.
At that point we both knew we'd screwed it up. We fumed for a little while together, it seemed almost alright to be talking in the race, as we technically had a few miles of time to blow, that I would have given a lot to have back.
"It's just a race," she told me, "Let's just finish it from here."
We rode into T2 together. I was embarrassed because I knew I shouldn't be there yet. It was hard to focus on the run when felt like the cheater I was. But now, I wish I had stayed focused on the run better and just run harder.
When my Dad went to go turn me in to an official after the race, there was already another man there saying he had done exactly what I had and that there were a lot of people around him that made the same mistake. My Dad gave the official my name and number.
Still, on the results I was listed 5th overall and 1st in my age group, but I told the announcers again that my name shouldn't be called.
Justin was 2nd in his age group and won a bottle of wine!!
Where the 4:35-something finishing time came from I'm not sure...I finished in the 2:30s, and would much rather have a DQ next to my name than some arbitrary time...
Blood Sugars of the race below; more analysis to come.
Pre Pre-Race Dinner: 128
Pre Bed:190
Fasting:230
5 Units (1 piece Toast w/PB, 1/4 granola bar, 1/2 Banana, 12g Espresso drink)
Pre Warm Up:280
1 unit
Pre Start:297
T1:251
0.4 units
Drank 20g Accelerade, 20g gel at about mile 20
T2:265
0.4 units
Post Race (about 45 min after finishing):59
Thank you Dad, Mum, Tania, Justin, and Stefan!The drive back was long, but we got to stop at the Armenta's again for a great dinner, and Richard treated me by driving the rest of the way home.
