Sweet and Twisted 2009 - a race gone right!

The Prep:

I signed up for Sweet and Twisted Triathlon in late June. I had been working out a little prior to that - LIFT and spin classes, short runs and some swimming which made me feel confident while signing up. Ironically, all workouts came to a halt a few days after I signed up. The next 4 weeks just flew by in a flurry of activity- driving trip to Colorado, packing, moving, unpacking. Before I knew it, there were just 3 weeks and 2 weekends left before the race. I hadn't even managed to find and buy a bike and there was hardly any time left to get one. I had to get moving.

First of all, the bike fell into my lap. Vanessa and AshG were going to do a relay and Vanessa was willing to lend out her bike. Her bike seemed to be a good fit for me. With that arranged, I concentrated on getting my workouts on track - LIFT on Monday mornings, swim at Mansfield dam with Deb on Wednesdays, short run on Thursdays, a pool swim and a bike+run session on weekends.

Other than getting physically fit, I knew I had to do something to tackle the heat on race day. I did not want to bonk during the run like I had in the two triathlons in 2008. For heat management guidance, I turned to the running guru amongst our friends - Gaurav, who runs for several hours each weekend in the Texas heat, just 'for the fun of it'. He explained how I could use an ice filled bandanna to keep my core temperature down.

Meanwhile, I had also observed that what I ate had a big effect on how I felt during and after my workouts. In the week preceding the race, I made the extra effort to eat right and eat enough to build strength for race day and tried to keep my water intake on the high side.

A good part of the last week before the race was spent on getting used to the road bike I had borrowed from Vanessa. The bike had to be tuned up and fitted for me. I also managed to get a little taper down in the last 3 days before the tri :)

It was race day eve pretty soon and I was at packet pickup. It dawned on me that I had ZERO bike maintenance skills. I did not even have a kit to fix a flat in case I got one on the course. There wasn't much I could do about that this late in the game. I just made a mental note to take care of this aspect for the next Tri, picked up my packet (also got gyan about the hilly bike course from Coach A who was volunteering at Packet Pick-up), and came home. I laid out my gear and went to bed fairly early to get some rest. The sleep was restless of course, but I was also excited about the next day.

Race Day Morning:

Vinit offered to drive AshG and me to Pace Bend Park on race day morning. We reached the park by 6:30a and while we were still in the line for parking, I managed to get really really nervous. I think I even asked Vinit to take me back home at some point of time. He wasn't going to do that, so I had to get out and do what needed to be done.

I quickly got body marked, set up transition and got my bike tires checked for air. Coach A came by to inspect my transition set up and after a few adjustments (like changing the bike gear, re-arranging my shoes, helmet, sunglasses, cap, Gu, race belt, etc. etc... you get the drift), he looked satisfied and gave his nod of approval.

Varsha told me that she had gotten a white swim cap from the organizers which basically made them look out for you on the swim course. She recommended that I get one too. So we promptly made our way to the organizers' desk and I got my timing chip and the white cap. We made the last port-a-potty stop, and Varsha (sweetheart that she is) also fetched my swim goggles from transition, which I had conveniently forgotten in my nervousness. I found Vinit and the three of us took off to the swim area.

The walk to the swim start was around 500m and each step increased my nervousness ten fold. Even in retrospect, I can't put my finger down on what it was that made me so nervous. I think it was just pre-race jitters and fear of racing in a 'new' place.

Then the swim course came into view. It was a straight point to point course that ran parallel to the shore line around 20 feet away from it. We would not have to turn around to do a loop or anything. I felt my nervousness quietly slip away. We dropped off our shoes at the swim finish area and walked barefoot towards the start. Varsha and I got in the water for a quick 10 minute warm up. The water was warm and familiar. It felt just like the cove at Mansfield dam where we swam with Deb. By the time I got out, I felt ready to race!

After a quick photo session with fellow tri-oomphers, we went to the wave start area where I found a place to sit and relax till the swim started.

The Swim (500m):
Time: 00:24:27:246
Pace: 00:04:53.4

Soon enough, we were entering the water and the horn went off. I hung to the back of the pack to let faster swimmers go ahead.

I swam real slow so I wouldn't lose my breath and panic. I was so slow that 4 waves went past me. I tried to stay out of their way and continue at my own pace. Sha even managed to recognize me in the water and gave a shout out. That gave me a great boost!
At one point I did get disoriented though. Around 200 meters into the course, I didn't look up to "sight" for quite sometime and later found myself headed to the shore where I heard Sangeeta and Vinit trying to direct me back to the course :P.
I took my own sweet time to go past each of the five buoys. The swim leg felt long and crowded. Arms and legs hit me at various times, none too seriously except once near the 400m mark, where a jab on my face displaced my goggles and water threatened to flood my eyes and take my contact lens with it. Luckily I was able to adjust the goggles quickly and move on. This was something I had expected, so I stayed calm.

Swim finish was in plain view but somehow I wasn't getting any closer to it. There wasn't enough room to swim. There were swimmers all around and it felt as if I was stuck at the same point for a long time. I moved further away from the frantic swimmers and found my own path to the finish. While coming out of the water, I was glad that I hadn't freaked out in the water. I was also happy that I didn't stop anywhere or call for help and swam freestyle the whole time.

The Dash from swim to T1 (~500m):
Time: 00:05:08:620

I saw Vinit, Sang and Coach A at swim exit, quickly put on my shoes and walked to transition. I felt my stomach cramp a little and decided to not run at all in this 500m 'dash'. I took my time to relax and get my breathing back. In my head, I went over what I was going to do in T1 and T2. I was happy with myself thus far. I had survived the swim even though it had taken me a long time!

T1:
Time: 00:01:56:653

Once in transition, I met AshG and GRao at Tri-oomph bike rack. They were waiting for their relay partners to finish the swim. I quickly ate a Gu, wore my helmet, socks, shoes and took off with the bike.

The Bike (15 miles):
Time: 01:10:10:953
Pace: 12.8

I love being on a bike - reminds me of my childhood rides with my brother. I was looking forward to the bike leg even though I had heard about the hilly course. I was eager to see what it was like. We had to do the same 7.5 mile loop twice. It was a beautiful, tree lined route of rolling hills around the park. The hills never ended and some of them were real brutal but I was able to manoeuvre my gears in time and also take advantage of some fast down-hills. It was tricky to find the right stretch to hydrate on the bike. I forced myself to drink enough Nuun and water since I feared bonking out later during the run.

The bike ride was thrilling actually and I had fun on the course. Near the end of my first loop, I crossed Sha and soon after that Deb crossed me. The camaraderie and occasional vocal exchanges with fellow riders made the ride more interesting. Oh yeah! I also posed for each photographer out on the course :)

T2:
Time: 00:01:51:779

After one last hill, it was time to dismount and head back into transition. I parked my bike, took off the helmet, wore the race belt and my hat. I had put a cooler in transition area in the morning. I reached for an ice filled bandanna from the cooler and tied it around my neck. I doused my hat, head and upper body in water, grabbed a Gu and a water bottle with Nuun in it and took off.

The Run (5k):
Time: 00:36:29:745
Pace: 00:11:46.4

I was still breathing heavily when I set out on the run course. Vinit, Sang and Savi were there to see me head out. I waited for my breathing to become steady and then had the second Gu shot. The run was on a trail in the park and I made slow, steady progress. I was happy to be running and not walking. It was hot and I was glad for my cooling mechanism in place :)

Soon, I saw Cha. She seemed to be going slow. Her quad had cramped and she was going to walk it for sometime. I seemed to be locked into my pace and so I carried on. Soon after that I spotted Varsha. She urged me to go on running at my own pace. I kept going. The water in my bottle was warm and I didn't feel like drinking it. The cold water at the Aide station at mile 1 felt really refreshing. The organizers had promised cold sponges at the aide station at mile 2 and I looked forward to it.

Again the camaraderie on the course was really great. I upped my pace when I saw the 2nd aide station. There was the cold water again and the sponges felt like a slice of heaven! The bandanna around my neck was warm by now and I was feeling quite hot. The sponge did a great job cooling us off.

I was on the last mile now and could hear the noise coming from the finish line but it was still a good distance way. The third mile seemed to drag on forever. The trail seemed never ending. At one point I felt that my knee pain might flare up but I guess the softer trail surface as compared to tarmac kept it in check. Finally, the finish line came into view. I made Vinit run with me in the last stretch. I was feeling good and strong when I finished with a little dance and a huge smile on my face.

At the end of it all:
I had run a strong race and achieved all my goals
1. Not freak out in the swim.
2. Stay strong and ON the bike throughout the course.
3. Run and not walk during the run.

I know these were pretty basic goals. Improving my times will be my goal for the next triathlon that I do but all that is for later... now was the time for hugs and kisses and smiles and race stories and pictures and food and cupcakes!


-Itisha

Sweet and Twisted Tri!

Steph and I did the Sweet and Twisted Tri last weekend...we were the only 2 Tri-oomphers there 'cos we were waaay too enthusiastic 2 months ago and signed up for it! :) The race however sold out before the other girls could sign up!

The day started off pretty well...I had gotten Amit Bhai's help the previous evening to get my bike checked and my bike rack put up on my car (I have been slacking off on this forever!!)...I got a call at 5 in the morning from Mr G (a friend who's been curious about Triathlons but has never managed to wake up early enough to make it for one of our races! :p) asking for my gate code! He had actually woken up early enough to ride with me to the Tri...and I was glad he came! Cos the drive to Pace Bend Park was loooooong...much longer than the one to New Braunfels for the Rogue Tri...and I really appreciated the company!

We reached the park about an hour later...and I went to set up transition, while Mr G took in the scene around him and did some *ahem* bird-watching! ;) Amit Bhai, who was volunteering at the event, came by the transition area and reviewed my set-up and gave his nod of approval...20 mins later Steph arrived - about 10 mins before Transition closed - and quickly set up her stuff! We both then made last min potty trips, and then made our way to swim start!

I did my 1st Tri at Pace Bend park almost 3 years ago, as part of a relay team. I was the swimmer then and was familiar with the lake...things had changed quite a bit though...the swim start felt like it was so much further away - and it was! Due to the low rainfalls over the last couple of years, the shoreline had moved further out! This of course meant that we would have to run a longer distance from the swim exit to the transition area - not fun!

We were one of the last waves to start, at ~8:30...The swim was pretty good....I like swimming in Lake Travis....I remember having one of my best swim paces ever during the Dillo relay 3 years ago....and the swim last Sunday was pretty decent too and much better than my Rogue Tri swim pace!

The run from swim exit to transition was looooong and seemed never-ending...I did have Steph for company though, since we finished our swims approximately at the same time - so we just chatted, bitched, joked alternatively and made our way to transition! I was practically dry by the time I reached, and didnt even have to towel dry myself...put on my shoes and helmet quickly and ran with my bike to the bike exit...we had to climb a mini-hill to get to the run course which I walked cos I was still a little weary from the swim and the run to transition....once I reached the road, I got on my bike and started the bike course....The bike course was a 2 loop course, with each loop ~7.5 miles. The loop was just full of rolling hills....with very few flat legs in between...each time you thought you conquered a hill, you would see the next one in sight...it was quite crazy....but in a way, I have to say I enjoyed the steep rolling hills more than the not-so-steep but neverending hills I've ridden on my other races! I got off my bike after the 1st loop to get a drink - I still suck at hydrating on the bike!! :( Defn something I need to improve on!! - as I was getting back on the bike though, I felt a sharp pain on my left quad, so rested for a couple of mins more before I got back on the bike again! No pain this time, and I started on my 2nd loop. The 2nd loop was a lot more fun and as I was more familiar with the course now, I could plan the gear shiftings that needed to be done much more in advance!

The run was on a trail through the mini-forest at the park...not a very nice course...was rocky, bumpy and at some points, slanted! The water-stop positionings were also not so great - there was one at 0.5mile and one at 2 miles...I didn't really need water at the 0.5 mile mark, but was craving it at the 2mile mark! I took it pretty easy the 1st 2 miles - my left quad was hurting again....but then picked it up during the 3rd mile....About 400m from the finish line, I heard my name being yelled out by Steph, Amit and Mr G - and that really pumped me up and I manged to sprint pretty hard the last 200m and finished strongly!

Overall:

Swim (500m): 13:36, 2:45/M

T1: 05:58

Bike (15 miles): 1:12"03, 12.2 mph

T2: 02:09

Run (5K): 42.19, 13:39/M

Post-race, Steph and I ate tacos, got massages and chilled....overall it was a hard race, but I enjoyed it....among the 3 Tri courses I have done, Decker, Pace Bend and the TX Ski Ranch, I think Pace Bend is now my favorite - just 'cos of the swim and the bike courses! I have yet to do a race in Downtown Austin - which I will probably love even more....but that's something to think about next year! Tri season for me is over as of 2008....and I had great fun during both Tris and training with all the gals in Team Tri-Oomph!

Special thanks to Steph, Amit, Mr G and Bradford for helping me out with various stuff before and during race day and for being such awesome cheerleaders!

The Temple Tri

Wait between the race start and our swim start (1 'painful' hour):
Vinit and I were regretting giving very very conservative swim times for the two of us. which pushed us to the back of the queue.

350m pool swim (00:13:46):
Comfortable. Mostly smooth. It was a litle tricky to go past people who were standing, walking and doing backstroke.

T1 (00:4:05):
I think I was napping. Also took a loo break :P

9.1 mile Bike (00:43:50):
There were some hills but I still had fun pushing myself.

T2 (00:1:33):
Mostly good and quick. Had a little bit of trouble parking my bike AND I forgot to take off my helmet but thankfully remembered before exiting transition : D

2.1 mile Run (00:26:46):
My legs were super tired after battling that last hill at the fag end of the bike course. Got side stitches again. Temp must have been 90+ but it's about time I got used to running in the heat. The hilly second half of the run course made matters worse. Overall run - not very great, could have been better.

Crossing the finish line and being welcomed by Steph, Steph and Vinit (1:30:03):
Absolutely PRICELESS!

Tri 1: DONE!

Alright.. so on Saturday, after packet pick up and lots of hogging in Austin Java and Amy's icecream with fellow trioomphers, I finally got home around 5pm. I was already exhausted from all the excitement :) Anyway I read all the instructions and packed my race bag. I would be driving alone to Texas Ski Ranch since the others were getting bikes in their cars. After finishing up laundry etc, I finally went to bed around 11p. Of course most of the night was spent tossing and turning in bed, feeling terribly anxious about my swim, going to the loo, feeling thirsty, drinking water, feeling more anxious, going to the loo again, feeling hot, then feeling cold, falling asleep for half hour, dreaming of drowning, getting up again... blah blah.. It was 4.30a finally.. my alarm rang and I woke up. I got changed, ate some, checked my bag to make sure I had everything I needed and was out of the door by 5.20a.

Till now, I had managed to keep fear at bay by distracting myself with the training, and other preparations, but it kept gnawing at me as I drove. That was one reason why I had to be at the race venue in advance. I was at Texas Ski Ranch just a little after 6a. No other Trioomphers had gotten there. And with my relay partner still absent from the scene, I couldn't do much about setting up transition. I got body marked, got my timing chip and sat in front of the lake looking at the swim course and "trying" to get comfortable with it.
The yellow buoys marked the 300m swim course - it seemed like a LONG distance. The lake seemed too BIG. I wasn't trained well. I would get tired. Fed up with all the negative thoughts, I just started looking at other athletes, their gears, the bikes.

45 minutes or so later I made my way to transition and found other trioomphers - the two Stephanies, Cha, G3, Sha, and Savi. It calmed my nerves a little to see all of them. Around 7.20 or so, Savi and I went to the swim start area for me to get warmed up and get familiar with the water. The water was warm and you couldn't see a thing under it. There were these small tadpole kind of fish that nibbled on my calves and startled me more than once. The first time I went out, I came back panting, and desperately short of breath. I couldn't do it. The last buoy was too far. How would I last the entire distance. I didn't know any stroke other than freestyle. I didn't even know how to tread water properly. I strongly contemplated telling Savi that I would quit. And hoped that she would understand. But then.... if hundreds of other women over there could attempt to do it - a lot of them for the first time - SO COULD I. Besides, Ganesh and Arun had come from Austin to cheer us in the race. And Vinit - who I knew would be really proud if I finished the swim. I couldn't let any of them down. I couldn't let myself down.
So I went out for a test swim again. This time it was slightly better but I panicked once I was 25 yards away from the shore. I swam right back and found Sha entering the water. One look at me and she knew how I was feeling inside. She was full of just perfect words - "Iti, you can do it", "you'll be fine", "it just looks very far". I swam a couple more times and then just decided to work on my mind.. filling it with positive stuff - thinking about my training, calming my nerves by saying positive stuff to other trioomphers. Meanwhile I also spotted 2 life guards with floats and 2 people on canoes in diff spots on the swim course. The strategy was formed. I would just swim to the first person, then the next, then the next and so on. And then I found out that if I hung on to the floats to take a breath, I wouldn't be disqualified.

Great.. super... Sha and I were to go out in the last wave with the other relay swimmers. We saw all the other trioomphers start their swim in their respective waves. Soon it was our turn. Once we went in, I hung to the back of the pack and swam slowly to the first life guard. Stopped for a breath. So far so good. I wasn't warmed up enough and could not get my rhythm but I was still in the game at least. Next I got to the first canoe and after a short breather, swam right to the last buoy. That was the turn around point. Since I was the last swimmer, the first life guard with the float was right behind me. She was one big help. I had constant encouragement along the way. By now I was warmed up enough and swam the last 100m non stop. It was the most inefficient stroke EVER. All the "good" swimming practices that I incorporated in my training never really showed in my swim BUT at least I finished the swim without drowning!! I was ecstatic !

From swim finish area I ran to the relay area, where Savi was waiting for me. I gave her the timing chip and off she went with the bike. I had close to an hour to get changed and ready for my run. I found Sha (she was Preethi's partner) and she told me how she was having a tough time with her stomach - Madam had dined at Thai Passion the previous day!! :D We just hung around, ate a little and talked about our tri experiences.
Savi came in at around 10.15a and after the chip exchange, I took off for the run. It was 2 mile out and back course and the sun was beating down like anything by now. The temperature must have been in upper 90s and I felt it within a few yards of running. But I wanted to maintain my pace anyhow and the effort nicely led to side stitches. I kept my pace and waited for them to subside. It was hot hot hot. On my way back I crossed Sha (Preethi had come in a little while after Savi) and we did a little high five and then there was Cha at the entrance of the Ranch. I was dead from the heat by the time I entered the Ranch again. But the voice of the MC over the speakers, the cheering from the onlookers made me sprint the last few hundred meters and there it was - my pink and white finisher's medal :)

After cooling off a little bit , I met all the other people. EVERYBODY finished and did really well. Lots of photos, hugs, congratulations later, we also got the biggest team award. It was awesome!! I couldn't eat anything because of the heat, although there was yummy food from Tacodeli, mimosas, and ice cream. However, I did get a free massage before driving back to Austin with Savi :)

Lessons:
I really need to work on my swim. I do fine in the pool but open water scared the sh** out of me. Panic totally got me in this one. Many many more open water sessions in Barton Springs.

Our Relay Timing:

Distance	Short
Clock Time	1:56:05
Chip Time	1:56:05
Overall Place	10 / 11
Gender Place	10 / 11
Division Place	8 / 11
Swim 300M Rank	11
Swim 300M Time	14:48
T1 Time	01:17
Bike 11 1M Rank	10
Bike 11 1M Time	1:15:04
T2 Time	01:01
Run 2 Mi Rank	8
Run 2 Mi Time	23:52