Race morning!!
Woke plenty early, no problem. HWC was still snoozing like a crazy cat. Did some jumping jacks after a quick shower to fully wake. Dialled some cereal, coffee, toast. Julie got up and we strolled down a dark Lakeshore Dr. to "Special needs bag drop off" (they eliminated body marking, which makes sense) miss it somehow though.
Fixed tire pressure on Tarmac, touched up T bags and returned my pump and glasses to Julie.
The next hour or so is spent trying to convince the bowels to clean house. I walked around and stretched near porta-potties as I usually do.
Once I have my wetsuit on, it's time to move to the beach.
For some reason I didn't pay attention to the countdown blasted out by Steve King. There were so many people hanging out in the field that I decided to do the same. I forgot that there were many other racers doing other races. I got complacent.
I should have been waiting on the beach, not in a portta potty line up....
My SWIM start involved a panicked run through a crowded beach with 10 seconds to spare. (seriously) I'm such an idiot.
The swim went well with my new goggles (I could actually see), but ultimately was slow. Maybe it's time for lessons eh? Yuk.
The BIKE was OK but my bike computer decided to not function properly for the 1st time since I bought it many years ago. Aaarghh! . I was swearing at it for the first 50 km or so because I couldn't judge my average speed which is vital for a key finish. Also, had pain in my glutes for the first 100 k while aero. (Why?) No cramping though. Stopped at special needs but didn't need to. Wasted over 5 minutes. Stupid.
The RUN was a no show. (not a surprise as my training was eliminated by shin splints over a month prior)
As soon as my foot touched ground off the bike, I knew that it would be "a long walk home" (Bruce Springsteen song)
I jogged to halfway point but developed leg cramps at the 18 km mark. I hobbled till around 25 km then jog/walked a bit. Was totally shut down at around 30 km. I was finally able to pee orange (odd, since I've bin taking in many fluids). I guess nothing was being absorbed.
After walking for a while and continuing my conversations with fellow stragglers, I was able to finally straighten my frozen legs and run the last 10 km. And a solid finish it was! Albeit slow.
Grabbed my sister at the finish chute and into the recovery tent we went. I felt fine as if I hadn't really expelled many calories from so much walking. Anyway, # 7 done for what it's worth.
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| Sketch for Race Day |
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