the hunted

it's like christmas morning...

finally, my 2013 triathlon race season started this past sunday.  i had been looking forward to this race for a few reasons:

1. last year it was my first ever triathlon, and as you know, you never forget your first ;)

2. i am 10x's better than i was last year and wanted to show my coach (she puts on the race) how well i've been doing

3. when i broke my jaw and teeth on may 4th, i figured there would be no way i would be able to race. however, thanks to my dr.'s and oral surgeon, i'm cleared to race, so here we go....

earlier in the week, my coach told me that there were going to be a few fast swimmers racing.  i consider myself to be pretty quick, but when the shot rang out, i think one guy was attached to a boat motor.  i was shocked, but soon calmed down and followed.  it was crystal clear out and the sun made it almost impossible to see the turn-around buoy.  however, i could see the 'motor boat' in front of me, so i used him to sight.

was second out of the water... 7:47 :)

as i made my way to transition, my fiance greeted me and told me that i was second and needed to hurry up.  i asked her how much further ahead was the 'motor boat' and 'damn, he's fast as "crap".  to my surprise, he was still taking off his wetsuit.  he had me by 45 seconds, what is he still doing here?  

 removing my wetsuit quickly, which i didn't know was one of my talents

jim aka "motor boat" couldn't believe that i was out of my swim gear and on the bike in seconds.  to me, this is a race and i'm trying to win, let's talk about this later... out of the water 2nd, onto the bike in 1st.

sexy flo cycling wheelset, huh?

the race is in wayne hills, nj.  the course circles a lake.  there are tight turns, some hills, some downhills, an overall challenging but fun course.  as i started out on the bike, i remembered that jim won this race last year.  he looks like a runner, tall and lean, so i determined that i needed to get a decent lead coming off the bike.  

but as i peddled away from transition, i had this strange revelation... 'i'm leading this race, i'm being hunted'.  have never been in this situation before.  it felt great and scary at the same time.  normally, i'm the hunter, picking off competitors one by one.  plus, my age group always seems to start in one of the last swim waves (25-29), so it's always a chase for me, never a lead.  but here i am, setting the pace and trying to build my lead.  i tried not to think anymore about it and put my head down and just kept peddling.

coming into transition, i was told i had a minute lead on jim.  my fiance told me i needed to win so we could pay for the wedding?!?  however, this race doesn't have a prize purse, but it was encouraging.  i made my way onto the running course, and started to feel water-logged.  it's a sprint distance and normally, i don't need anything.  i took a few sips on the bike, but not enough to feel like i drank a gallon of water.  this feeling stayed with me until the last mile :(  jim caught up to me about halfway into it.  i was sad to hear his footsteps behind me.  we chatted for a bit, but i couldn't keep his pace.

i kept motoring on and made the final turn towards the finish line.  i thought about looking behind me to see if anyone was coming, but it's a quiet neighborhood, i didn't hear anything, and i hate looking back.  i want to stay focused on what's in front of me, never behind.... kind of a life mantra for me, but if i happened to look this time, i would have noticed a speedy runner behind me.  he must have been wearing sound proofing shoes or something.  

therefore, i ended up taking 3rd overall with a time of 54:38.  i am happy with the result, but not satisfied.  i can and will do better...

by the way, the silent yet speedy runner who took 2nd was rocking newtons.  so was the first woman finisher and yours truly.  hat's off to you, newton running shoes!

dude, where's my tooth?

i purchased my RoadID for two reasons...

#1 i had just met craig (crowie) alexander and noticed that he was wearing his at a book signing.  he looked cool, so i wanted to look cool.  i know, a bit childish, but if i was going to imitate anyone, crowie would be it.

#2 my brother-in-law, training partner, co-creator of aluminum boy, best mate, has a heart condition which worries my sister sick when we are out training or racing.  she would love to have a tracking device installed, i'm sure.  don't think he has his yet, but i ordered mine.

here it is...

this is one of the few times that it's ever off.

now, let me tell you about the other time it came off, may 4th, 2013 (may the 4th be with you, haha)

over the past few weeks, my brother-in-law, brandon and our friend jaybird, would meet up for an early morning long-distance run.  they are training for a few marathons, and yours truly for lake placid.  so its awesome having company on those long runs.  hopefully, i can get them to join me on the bike rides, but one step at a time.  anyways, we set out and ran 11.5 miles and i jumped on my bike to do a recovery ride of 50 minutes.  it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and i was flying on the bike.  felt strong and encouraged.  as i came back into town, i typically do a time trial up in my neighborhood.  even though it was a recovery ride, i felt too good not to push.  i made my final turn onto my street, slight downhill, unclipped my left foot and for some reason that is not yet know to me, i grabbed my front brakes... bike stopped on a dime (good brakes), i didn't.  i remember flipping somewhat and the pavement meeting my face.  within seconds, i did what all triathletes do, worried first and foremost about my bike.  then, i started going through each body part - left foot, right foot, left leg/knee, right leg/knee, and so on.  got to my right calf which really hurt (was still clipped in at time of accident), and cupped my chin which was bleeding badly.  as my tongue searched my mouth, i felt that my front tooth is only half missing and my bridge on the right side of my mouth felt 'wrong'.  my neighbors came rushing out, and i quickly took off my RoadID and said to call any of the numbers.  

minutes later, all three of those listed on my bracelet were present and discussing what out plan of action would be.  my fiance, who is a rn, quickly cleaned me up and made all the preparations for us to head to hospital.  she's an absolute saint.  she puts up with all of my training, stinky clothes and complaining about not going fast enough.  and as i think of it now, it's a bit eerie because as i left that morning, i asked her to stay close to her phone.  i leave every morning, very early and never ask that.  but then my sister, who is a pediatrician and brandon who is an urgent care doctor, came and transported me to his facility.  for the first time since medical school, they teamed up and stitched me back together.  

he wasn't working, hence his sweet attire!

i'm a big baby when it comes to needles and stitches and such...

the team, my team, put me back together.  he 'somewhat' guaranteed no scar, but i know the ladies dig scars so i'm not too worried.  i'm a bit more concerned with my teeth, since they are likely to have to come out and fake ones will go in their place.  maybe, i can get some gold teeth, who knows.

having their support and, if needed, on-call medical emergency team, i feel invincible.  yesterday proved that i'm obviously not, but knowing that my team is there, i can do anything.  i love them all more that i will ever be able to explain with words or action.

i will show you this one, if you saw me today, it's much worse! haha

my hair looks pretty go though, thanks Giro helmets

when i received my RoadID, i read the flyer that came with it, describing people's stories about their accidents or whatnot and how they are so thankful for their bracelet.  i was touched but never thought i would have a story like that.  just wanted to look cool like crowie.  but, now i do.  and i would highly suggest that if you are out training, anything could happen.  get yourself one.  of all the triathlon gear, this has to be the cheapest too! i think i have a coupon somewhere too.  

triathlon is not an individual sport.  i may be the one out on the course swimming, biking and running, but i wouldn't be ever able to toe the starting line without my team.