CapTexTri 2017 Race Report

Background/Pre-Race

My very first CapTexTri was also my first triathlon ever. In 2006 I became a triathlete when I raced the super sprint distance of this event. The following year, I signed up for my first Olympic distance at the same race. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and due to insane rain all night and all that morning, the race was cancelled.  I didn’t sign up for the race again until 2012 and also in 2013 and both races went well. But starting in 2014, the weather had other plans. The year I was about a mile from the finish when a giant thunderstorm forced me and hundreds of other athletes off the course. The following year in 2015, more rain cancelled the swim and we did a bike and run event. Last year was even worse and the swim and bike were cancelled and we only ran. 

I can hear your thoughts, “Why on earth do you keep signing up for this thing?” Well, for one thing, they gave me this year’s entry for super cheap. It was $25 or something. And I figure, it can’t happen EVERY year, right? I mean, what are the odds? Also, I actually really like the race when it goes off. I sort of love looped courses. It’s so great for pacing and they tend to be spectator heavy. It just feels easier, mentally to compartmentalize the race. I know, the scenery isn’t amazing or anything, but biking down Congress towards the capital is pretty fun. And the distance is perfect. It’s hard enough that is takes some real training, but it doesn’t kill the rest of my life the way a longer distance event can.

So here we are, the weekend before the event the forecast has rain, rain and more rain. I was sure there wasn’t going to be a race. On Sunday I wandered around the house getting my stuff ready half-heartedly. I was feeling down and frustrated. I had zero motivation to do this thing. I was feeling really off the last week - not physically, just mentally. I injured my leg almost three weeks ago and it was taking FOREVER to heal. I could swim, bike, and do low impact workouts at Camp Gladiator, but running was out. So going into a triathlon not having run for almost three weeks was nerve wracking. 

The night before the race brought some huge thunderstorms and we went to bed with the promise of more rain the next day. But when I woke up at 4:15, it was calm. I ate breakfast and checked the LifeTime Tri Facebook page and the race was on. No more rain was forecast until 11. I choked down some food and made for downtown. 

I arrived and set up my stuff and then stood there looking at my stuff for awhile. Even though I’m down to one try a year, setting up transition is still autopilot for me. As I was standing there staring at my stuff, a woman in a LifeTime Tri polo approached me. “You number 418?” She asks. I nervously reply that I am, thinking somehow I had done something wrong. She said that since I had signed up in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for those cursed events, she had a gift for me. It was a LifeTime Triathlon jersey! From…. South Beach, Florida? Uh, okay. She says “Well, we were all sitting around thinking what we could do for you returning folks that have dealt with this for each of these years.” In my mind I thought it was probably more like, “We have all these leftover jerseys. What are we going to do with them? I know! Let’s give them to the poor saps who keep signing up for CapTex!” Ah well, a free jersey is nice. I’m just not sure how I feel about wearing a jersey for a race I never did. It seems…awkward. 

Moving on! I finished staring at my stuff and made my way to the port a potties. That taken care of, I wandered down to the swim start and began putting on my wetsuit. That was quite a production as it usually is and didn’t feel great to my leg. I was a little concerned, but it was also a lot of pressure I was putting on it so I was still hopeful that running would be okay. 

Swim

The swim was a time trail start. Basically we all grouped up by age group and then two at a time we jumped off the dock and began swimming. A couple seconds later two more jumped in and so forth. So we all sort of shuffled along like zombies until we were told to go. Before I knew it, I was jumping in. Somehow I didn’t feel ready! The water didn’t feel as cold as it has been in previous years but it took me a moment to get my bearings. 

The first little bit I felt sort of odd and flustered. I can’t remember the last time I swam in open water. I was probably the fifth or six person in my age group into the water and I quickly passed by all of them. After about 5 minutes, I settled into a good rhythm breathing every third stroke and settling in for the rest of the swim, which was fairly uneventful. The only unusual thing that happened, that’s never happened to me, is that my swim cap started to creep it’s way off the top of my head. It was slowly moving up. First off my ears, then further up my forehead and it was taking my goggles with it. Just after the turnaround to come back, I realized I was going to have to do something about it. I took a big breath, put my head in the water face down and kicked with my legs while I yanked it back down. It was fine the rest of the swim. 

I wasn’t passed by anyone in my age group until the very end, which made me feel pretty good. Though, since it was a time trial, there could have been girls that got into the water further back that swam a faster time, but I never saw them. (It turns out I had the fourth fastest swim split in my age group.) 

A very nice volunteer yanked me out of the water when I got to the dock (swim exit volunteers are the best people ever). I looked down at my watch and saw 30 minutes. Perfect! Buoyed by a solid swim, I ran into transition as I ripped off my goggles and pulled down the top of my wetsuit. 

T1

The wetsuit came off much easier than it went on, which was a relief, because sometimes it can be a pain. The girl in my age group that came out of the water just ahead of me was still sitting on the ground struggling with hers when I grabbed my bike and made my way out to the bike course.

Bike

I started out on the bike at a steady pace. I wasn’t going easy, but I wasn’t hammering it either. As I settled in I picked up the pace a bit, keeping my heart rate at an acceptable level and my cadence high. As I was coming in to complete the first loop, I saw Roger and Emmaline walking to their normal spectating spot. I passed the checkpoint for the first loop and lapped my bike computer to see 21 minutes and change on there. Awesome! Right where I wanted to be, which was 22 minutes or less per loop. 

So I’m feeling pretty good. I’m happy with my swim, I’m feeling strong on my bike, and the weather is cooperating! Lap two flies by, I lap and see 19 and something. Wow! That’s awesome! Now I’m feeling great, whizzing along with a smile on my face. I holler to Roger and Emmaline as I go by that I’m KILLING it! Lap 3 comes in at 19 and a half! SCORE! Now I’m feeling good, I keep going with my nutrition and fluids. I decided that I was going to try to eat my beginning of run nutrition on the bike this time since I NEVER want to eat it on the run. So I do that and finish my fourth and final loop, still feeling good in a little over 20 minutes. Fantastic! My total bike time was 1:22:33 which is a PR for the bike split of an Olympic distance for me. I’m thrilled! 

T2

I have nothing much to report about T2. I came in, took off my helmet, put on my shoes, grabbed my visor and race number and went to run out. I popped a gu in my jersey pocket just in case, but I promptly forgot about it. I’m not sure how I spent 2:46 doing all that. I guess I wasn’t running as I walked a bit to get my heart rate down before really starting the run in earnest. 

Run

I already mentioned hadn’t run in three weeks and had no idea how my shin was going to react. I really don’t have a good story for how I injured it. I should really figure something dramatic out. I started out a little gingerly and it felt a little tight but okay. It hurt a bit for the first half mile, but after that, things were okay. It talked to me every now and then but nothing felt sharp or shooting or damaging or anything. 

So I’m running along and I feel like I’m not going anywhere, but I look down and I see 9:30 and that’s pretty good so I guess things are going well. I’m where I want to be. I’m at about mile 2 when my stomach starts feeling iffy. Hmm. I take some water. That seems to help a bit. Maybe I ate too much on the bike. Okay, so I just ignore it and keep running. I see Roger and Emmaline shortly after that and that helps a lot. She’s very enthusiastic and it’s pretty contagious. I just really really want to finish under 3 hours and I’m trying really hard. 

I finish the first loop and I just really really want to be done with this thing. I’m getting tired. My stomach is really talking to me and I can feel a HUGE blister happening on my left arch and it’s really hurting. That second loop is just pure torture. I just want to be done and I know I’m slowing down and my mental strength is flagging. Did I push the bike too much? Did not running for three weeks hamper me? My pace continues to slow and I’m seeing 10:00 and over on my watch. It’s getting depressing and I’m worried. Will I make it? 

And finally, finally I’m running the last mile. Just one more mile! That was a hard mile, let me tell you. But finally I got it done and gave everything else I had as I crossed the finish line, looked down and saw…. 2:58! I made it. Under three hours, just barely! Whew!

I was feeling very tired, but really happy and I remembered WHY I love triathlon, even if sometimes it really hurts. 

I signed up again next year, but this time the Sprint, because I remember how it felt to pass by that finishing chute and do another lap of the run and I think next year I can remember the joy of triathlon without subjecting myself to a second loop of run.