New Orleans 70.3 in a word: CHAOS

Friday I drove to Effingham, IL with my car loaded up with bike and race gear, and met Bev, Laura and Tonya to drive to New Orleans for the 70.3 race. Laura had first drive shift, and Laura has some hobbies, adventure racing and collecting speeding tickets. She should be racing Nascar. Before we got out of Illinois, she was pulled over and given a speeding ticket. Poor Laura! $75 down the drain! The rest of the drive was long! We missed one interstate exchange, because we were busy yapping. SO, we added on one hour total with those two incidents. We rolled into New Orleans near 11pm, and the initial drive through part of the city to the hotel was our first taste of the chaos that is New Orleans. People walking everywhere in the streets. Drunk people. Drunk people with open containers of alcohol in their hands. The Hotel has 400 rooms, and parking for 100! ANd it was full. So we unloaded , and Bev and Laura went searching for parking. One hour later they returned. Laura is the go-to-girl. If something needs to be handled, she will figure out how to get it down. ANd she is only 30, but she is one smart girl.

Saturday we slept in. Spent another hour retrieving the car, and after an hour of annoying our hotel, they let us into the parking garage. At least that was no longer a worry. We went to the second race briefing along with a few hundred people, and decided instead of waiting in another long line for packets, we'd get lunch and walk to the finish area first. This was 20min north of the packet area pickup. After too much walking, and packet pickup, its 3pm and we still have to drive our bikes to transition. WHich is an hour drive through the chaos of New Orleans again. This was a nightmare, we did not know exactly how to get there, and it took a long time, fighting a lot of traffic, and we were frazzled. Not to mention the headache I had all day long. Happy to be back to the hotel finally by 7pm, we got pizza and watched Michigan State win their way to the final of the NCAA tourney.

Sunday we were up at 5am, and on a bus for shuttle to the transition area by 5:30. The swim was point to point, so we walked the 2k down to the swim start, and my wave was the last wave to start - 8:28! The first pro wave went off at 7am. I watched a lot of people swim, and I was not looking forward to swimming through hundreds of people. TUrns out the swim was great. The swim was between a sea wall and buoys about 100 yards off shore, and you were supposed to stay inside the buoys, so everyone was spread out, and I pretty much swam the whole swim without much traffic. One gal in my wave took off and I thought I should go with her, but I was thinking it was a long day, just chill. Turns out it was Jill Gellatly, who I have raced against many times in tris and masters, and at Lake Placid 1999, she and I came out of the swim together as first AG women. I should have stayed with her. I was too lazy. Next race will be different! SO, the swim was uneventful, and hopped on the bike. Starting in the last wave, I was basically passing people the entire 56 miles. The wind was strong, and I tried to put my head down when it was a head or side wind. I started the bike with 2 bottles of nuun, and 2 bars. Thinking I'd get gatorade at the aid stations (because I had forgotten to bring my own for the start - I knew I'd forget something!). ANyways first aid station, there was only water. I dumped one bottle, and took some fresh water. Second aid station, only water! I was getting worried now. As the return ride was far windier and I wanted more calories, and eating the second bar was not going down so easy in the 85 degree heat. Third aid station had no water, and no gatorade! The RD will hear from me about this! The rest of the bike I tried to be calm even though I knew I probably didn't get enough calories, probably 400 total 3 hours into the race. I knew I had gels at transition and water and gatorade on the run. The last 9 miles of the bike were so hard. I was at 2:15, and thought I'd cruise in around 2:45, even with the headwind. But I slowed way down, wind and nerves, and didn't roll in until 2:51. Damn. Ok, I tell myself, to use this as a learning experience for next race. But also don't give up for the run. Jen has been giving me great workouts, and I have been riding a lot, and running decently. I didn't know my place, I thought maybe 5th -7th. I just started running. The first 3 miles are along the lakefront, no shade, and a 20-30mph wind blowing straight into us. It was painful, and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. The turn around came, and just having the wind behind me now was a blessing. I was managing the heat somehow even with the dinw not cooling me off. Around mile 4 I actually passed a girl in my AG. I never pass anyone on the run! This was a big mental boost. I was not wearing a watch so I had no idea how fast I was running, but I felt really solid. ANd spectators I passed were encouraging telling me I looked strong, and I felt that way, since I was passing people the whole way. Starting in the last wave, has that advantage. By mile 6 I passed a second girl in my AG. Now I was trying to remain calm, and thinking I need to keep this pace and build, and maybe I can catch one or two more, and maybe no one will catch me from behind. Well, that was it, no one else did catch me, but I also didn't catch anyone else. The last mile I was hurting, but I pushed to the finish, crossed the line, had a mini asthma attack, wheezing, and stumbling to the ground. But I recovered quickly, and found my way to a smoothie and some shade. Found Bev who had placed second in her AG, (and got a slot to the World Championships!), and we waited for Laura and Tonya. TUrns out I was 6th in my age group. I was hoping for top 10, top 3 was my big goal. I was right there. Only 7 minutes out of qualifying for the world championships. Not bad for an early season race that was contested in 85 degrees, while I've been training in winter and early spring conditions, and not getting all the calories I needed on the bike. I can't wait to race again!

During the run I was thinking about Sam back at home, and imagining him walking next to me , Daisy running next to me, pulling me home the last 5k, Todd cheering for me, the whole country cheering for Michigan State. I talked to myself, all positive things. ANd somehow at the end, even though I didn't quite PR, it didn't matter. Afte chasing PR's in masters swims this winter, and not quite getting therm, and not quite getting one here, I realized the PR doesn't matter to me anymore. Sure if I PR this year over the distance, I will be ecstatic, but I was just so happy that I fought my way through some issues, and never gave up, and fought to keep myself in contention for a shot at a world championship slot, even though I finished out of the money. I actually learned to enjoy being in the race, and not about my time. ANd now that's how I will keep racing. I will race for myself, and for the people (and pooches) who help me everyday to be able to do this. Yeah, it feels good to PR, but I felt even better knowing that I gave it everything I had on this day. ANd I know I can do it again.

ANd once my muscles stop aching, I'll get going again for the next race.

PS. After the race, we had to get Bev to the awards to get her Clearwater slot. This was a 20min walk from the race finish. and started at 4pm. SHe actually didn't know she got a slot, thinking they only had one for her AG, and she finished second. And Tonya had not finished yet. SO Laura stayed behind for Tonya, and Bev and I hobbled back to the hotel and the awards bar (yes, it was at a bar nowhere the race course). And she got a slot! Now we had to get back to the transition area to get out bikes by 6:30. But Laura was waiting for Tonya, who actually had finished, and we missed, and walked back to the hotel by herself. SO Bev was getting her slot, and Tonya and I drove to find Laura, but it was thc chaos of the French QUarter, and it took one hour to get there (5 miles) and findLaura, and now it was almost 6, and Bev was not with us, and bikes were 13 miles away! So poor Bev ran to us - we would have never made it back through the traffic. ANd we drive to the bikes. We made it, but were exhausted from the race and the utter ridiculousness of the race logistics. See, I can't even explain how chaotic it was!

SO, I'm super happy that I went to this early season race, but I will not recommend it to people, and I won't do this one next year, just because of the chaos that I could not endure again. You need to do a race and have time to relax and get ready and recover, not spend the 24 hours surrounding the race racing around getting ready for the race.

thanks everyone for thinking of me!