I Went For It!

Quick update after the Oklahoma ITU race on Saturday morning. I'm actually home in Clermont, got back on Sunday night...finally updating my blog.
The morning started off cool and overcast. A huge thunderstorm rolled in on Friday night and the roads were wet on race morning. The Juniors raced early so they got the coolest temps of the day.
I rolled out of the hotel in arm warmers, a vest, and all my warm gear. I didn't even put on sunscreen because the sky was completely gray. Of course, by the time we were lined up on the pontoon, awaiting the starters horn, the skies opened up and the bright midday (1:00pm) sun broke through! As a result...my back is lobster-red and very tender to the touch:)
Anyways, back to the race...
I was excited to be racing with Hayley Piersol for the first time. We raced each other back in college (UF vs. Auburn) and she just started triathlons! As a result, my 18 year streak of being the first woman out of the water in EVERY race is over. Hayley was so strong...I just drafted her the whole 1500 meter swim and we exited the water together with a 45+ second lead over the chase pack!
Out on the bike, with 20+ mph headwinds, our lead was quickly diminished and the chasers caught us at the 1/2-way point. Out on the third lap, there was a crash in our pack and Hayley was out of the race. On the fourth and final lap, there was another crash and Jill Peterson was out of the race. Going into T2, I was riding with Mary Beth Ellis and Jenna Shoemaker...we had about 30 seconds over the next group of women.
The run course was four laps, out and back, tail-wind then head-wind. I felt great off the bike and headed out strong. I was drafting Mary Beth for the first two laps and feeling strong. Unfortunately, I only had 5K of that pace...and the race was 10K! So, on the third lap, I dropped way back and then on the 4th lap, I had to pull out of the race before passing out.
Another trip to the medical tent was not how I wanted to finish this race...but, if I could do it again, I probably would have done the same thing! I'm a racer and that's what I do...I GO FOR it!!!!