2007 Rogue 1 Mile Open Water Swim - Race 2
This was the third in a series of three 1 mile swims I decided to do this year (Rogue 1, Austin Triathletes, and Rogue 2). My goal before the first swim was to finish in the top five of all finishers doing all three swims. The turnout was actually fairly low I wasn't sure how many women would continue on to the second and third swims. I figured I had a good chance. Only four women did the whole series as it would turn out.
I came in FIRST PLACE for the series!!!
Okay, so 1 out of 4 isn't terribly hard, but it's still first place and I'll take it! Plus, it looks like I finished in the top 5 women at each race (second place, fifth place and we think fifth place). I don't have the official results for the race on Saturday, but I'm very pleased with how my race went.
In my heart of hearts, I wanted to come in first or second again in this one (like the first one), but then when I arrived and saw the field, I figured that wasn't happening. I was racing against some superstar triathletes and swimmers. Desiree Ficker, Jen Reinhart, and a younger girl (according to a friend she was Madison Prado "superstar junior triathlete") who looked like she was a contender were all there.
I put on my wetsuit (yay for wetsuit legal!) and did a warmup out to the first buoy. I practiced turning the buoy (and heard Coach Fish's voice in my head telling me to "attack the buoy"). I swam back to the start and tried to figure out how I should line myself up. I decided Jen wasn't a drafting option, but I thought I might be able to do some drafting off some of the other people.
We began and boy was it a fast start. I was having trouble holding on, but I found some feet and I did my best to keep with them. Then I turned to breath and got a nose and mouthful of water. I can handle a mouthful of water, but up my nose was too much. I lifted my head to recover a bit and watched helplessly as those treasured feet (and the rest of the pack) sped off and away.
I was alone again, like the last race. So I just put my head down and tried to recover a bit from the crazy fast start. I was worried I was losing some time slowing down, but I was seriously winded from the frenzied and fast start. And then I just swam the three laps of the course. On the last lap, I started lapping people which was annoying and sort of gratifying at the same time (it nice to be the lapper instead of the lapee like I normally am at run workouts on the track).
The last stretch seemed to take forever. I tried to pick it up a bit near the end. This time I was pretty clear on where the finish was. The lake was super full and so we finished in a different area. I stumbled onto the shore (the stumbling, you've probably noticed is a common theme) and looked at the clock. It said 24:something. I immediately asked "Is that right?" I was told the course was a bit short (and that the others had been a bit long). That's annoying - it's hard to compare times to see if you've made progress. Oh well, I clearly did well. My official time was 24:40 which is great for a 1450-1500 meter course (my goal for the 1500 at CapTexTri had been in the 25 minute neighborhood).
I knew going into the race that I would very likely be winning the series and it turns out I did. They were supposed to give wetsuits as prizes, but I guess they figured with the low turnout, it was a little much. Instead, I got a very nice Rocket Science Sports transition bag. Roger won one at the Jack and Adam's new years party but I've mostly used it. Now I have one of my own.
I don't have all the official results yet so I don't know how I did in the women's. I think I was 9th overall (men and women) and I'm fairly sure I was in the top 5 women.
EDIT: I was 9th out of 46 total participants and the 7th woman (including masters) out of what looks to be 32 (I had to count the participants that appeared to be female based on first name). So I didn't make it in the top 5 women, but I still feel darn good about my placement, particularly in light of the fierce competition.
I came in FIRST PLACE for the series!!!
Okay, so 1 out of 4 isn't terribly hard, but it's still first place and I'll take it! Plus, it looks like I finished in the top 5 women at each race (second place, fifth place and we think fifth place). I don't have the official results for the race on Saturday, but I'm very pleased with how my race went.
In my heart of hearts, I wanted to come in first or second again in this one (like the first one), but then when I arrived and saw the field, I figured that wasn't happening. I was racing against some superstar triathletes and swimmers. Desiree Ficker, Jen Reinhart, and a younger girl (according to a friend she was Madison Prado "superstar junior triathlete") who looked like she was a contender were all there.
I put on my wetsuit (yay for wetsuit legal!) and did a warmup out to the first buoy. I practiced turning the buoy (and heard Coach Fish's voice in my head telling me to "attack the buoy"). I swam back to the start and tried to figure out how I should line myself up. I decided Jen wasn't a drafting option, but I thought I might be able to do some drafting off some of the other people.
We began and boy was it a fast start. I was having trouble holding on, but I found some feet and I did my best to keep with them. Then I turned to breath and got a nose and mouthful of water. I can handle a mouthful of water, but up my nose was too much. I lifted my head to recover a bit and watched helplessly as those treasured feet (and the rest of the pack) sped off and away.
I was alone again, like the last race. So I just put my head down and tried to recover a bit from the crazy fast start. I was worried I was losing some time slowing down, but I was seriously winded from the frenzied and fast start. And then I just swam the three laps of the course. On the last lap, I started lapping people which was annoying and sort of gratifying at the same time (it nice to be the lapper instead of the lapee like I normally am at run workouts on the track).
The last stretch seemed to take forever. I tried to pick it up a bit near the end. This time I was pretty clear on where the finish was. The lake was super full and so we finished in a different area. I stumbled onto the shore (the stumbling, you've probably noticed is a common theme) and looked at the clock. It said 24:something. I immediately asked "Is that right?" I was told the course was a bit short (and that the others had been a bit long). That's annoying - it's hard to compare times to see if you've made progress. Oh well, I clearly did well. My official time was 24:40 which is great for a 1450-1500 meter course (my goal for the 1500 at CapTexTri had been in the 25 minute neighborhood).
I knew going into the race that I would very likely be winning the series and it turns out I did. They were supposed to give wetsuits as prizes, but I guess they figured with the low turnout, it was a little much. Instead, I got a very nice Rocket Science Sports transition bag. Roger won one at the Jack and Adam's new years party but I've mostly used it. Now I have one of my own.
I don't have all the official results yet so I don't know how I did in the women's. I think I was 9th overall (men and women) and I'm fairly sure I was in the top 5 women.
EDIT: I was 9th out of 46 total participants and the 7th woman (including masters) out of what looks to be 32 (I had to count the participants that appeared to be female based on first name). So I didn't make it in the top 5 women, but I still feel darn good about my placement, particularly in light of the fierce competition.
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