Tempe Race Report

See race web site for more info: http://www.tucsonracing.com/TPTinf05.htm#Race%20Information
Race morning: Sunday, May 22nd. Woke up around 7am. Ate breakfast in the hotel lobby. Got on bike with bag full of race gear. Rode to race site for warm up. Set up transition area. Jogged around to warm up. Drank a lot of fluids. Temperature was pushing 100 degrees by 9am. Swam one lap of the course for last warm up. Sat in shade and drank more fluids. Men started race at 9:30 am. Women lined up for parade out to beach at 9:40am. I chose a spot to start on the right side of everyone. We started about 9:45am. I was in the lead as soon as the gun went off. Water was a bit warm, but not "bath-water-warm". Swim course was 2 laps around 4 buoys in a square. I spent the first lap slowing down to wait for Barb Lindquist to get on my feet. She caught up at the end of the first lap. I started swimming normal speed but she couldn't hang on. I just kept swimming my pace and knew she would catch me on the bike. I entered transition 1 (T1) about 30 seconds in the lead. Had a fast T1 and headed out on to the bike course. 1/2 mile into the bike I took a drink of my Gatorade and dropped the bottle on to the side of the road. All I had left was one bottle of water and one Gel. Barb caught me after half a lap and we started riding together. She would lead on the hills and flat parts and I would lead in the turns and downhills. We worked together really good and gained time on the chase pack of women. Every lap we put over 30 seconds and ended up with 4+ minutes of lead starting the run. I ran out of water on lap 4 of the 6 lap bike course. I told Barb that I had to pick up my other bottle and she said she would wait if I did it fast! I guzzled that HOT Gatorade during the last bike lap like it was 'going out of style'!! The heat was taking its toll on me and I knew that I had to be smart on the run in order to finish the race. I drank water and poured it all over myself at EVERY water station. I ate the gels that I was carrying in my suit. I took salt tablets to replace the electrolytes I was loosing in all my sweat. I knew I had a great lead over the runners behind me and I could get second place to Barb if I just stayed coherent. But...inevitably...in 107+ degrees, I was unable to fight the heat. I can remember feeling good for the first 2 mile loop on the run. After the first big loop, we did 4 1/2 loops on a bridge. I could see my competition every 7-8 minutes. Unfortunately, I can only remember 3 1/2 of those loops on the bridge. The last loop is only fragments in my memory. The heat won and I started shuffling instead of running. Then I started walking instead of shuffling. Then I started staggering instead of walking. My coach, Denny, was walking beside me. (this is all second hand information...my teammates filled me in on what happened) The only medics were at the finish line so Denny didn't pull me from the race...he just let me get there on my own. I guess I crossed the finish line...and I did it in 5th place. My totally awesome teammate, Jasmine, passed me at the end and got 4th place. My other teammate, Sarah, crashed on the bike but still got up and finished the whole race. The next thing I remember is cooling down under the first aid tent with cold water and fans all around. It was a bit scary...okay, REALLY scary...but I hope that I can learn a lesson from all this (and not the "keep going no matter what" lesson!). My teammates, coach, friends, and competitors were all so awesome to help me feel better after the race. All-in-all, I had a fun time in Tempe...it helps that I brought home some race bonus $$...but I also brought home a respect for the heat and for all the other people who competed that day!