(Alternate title: Almost PRing without training)
On Sunday, I got out of bed bright and early, at 6:00am, to race my 6th annual JCC Triathlon by the Sea. Last year, I trained heavily, posted about my training almost daily, and set goals and in the end, had a great race. Last year, I finished in 1:27:31. This year I finished in 1:24:41. WTF?!
I have not swam or biked since this race last year nor have I done a ton of running yet somehow I shaved almost 3 minutes off my time. What?
I went into race day expecting the following from myself:
- Finish the race. I have finished 10 triathlons and this is the shortest distance. There was not reason not to finish.
- Enjoy the course. This course has amazing ocean views and beautifully landscaped houses along the way.
- Enjoy the weather. Spring has finally sprung and after this winter I plan to fully appreciate all the time I can outside.
What I got was an amazing race, 59 seconds away from a PR.
Here is how it all went down and why I think I raced so well.
The Swim
Although I love swimming, I was nervous for the swim. Like I said, I haven’t been in the pool since last year and this race is notorious for people effing up the swim and there being swimmer jams (link traffic jams but with lots of naked limbs). Not gonna lie, I had butterflies in my stomach before jumping in the pool but my brain knew I could do it. And I did.
Swim time (including T1) – 5:41
The Bike
Again, like I said, I hadn’t been on this particular bike since this race last year. I love biking but I just don’t get out as much as I would like. This course is hilly but beautiful so I knew at the very least I would be in for a nice ride. I wanted to finish around the 45 minute mark so I set my RunKeeper app to cycle mode and started to pedal.
After passing the 7 mile mark, I knew I could beat my arbitrary 45 minute goal so I pushed (my 8th mile was my fastest at 16.36 mph) and finished the 10 mile course in 41 minutes. Average speed – 14.47 mph. That is almost 2 mph faster that last year.
If your are wondering, same bike, same legs.
Bike time (including T2) – 47:13
The Run
My legs were pretty gassed from the bike but I grabbed my Clif Shot Blocks and started to move. I set my RunKeeper to run mode to keep track and turned on my Half Marathon Playlist (sans headphones because they told us not to wear them) and made my legs move.
The first mile of this course always feels like hell. It was hot. I felt slow. I needed water. Ugh. But my music was great! I chugged along and at the mile mark I heard RunKeeper chirp…
- Mile 1 – 9:00! Ok, not as slow as I thought.
I grabbed and sipped on a refreshing cup of cold water at the water stand and realized I could beat last years time.
- Mile 2 – 8:58! Negative split!!!
The hardest part of the day was over, only 1.5 miles and one hill left.
- Mile 3 – 8:59. Sub-9 minute miles in a triathlon is something new to me. I love it!
The last half mile felt super long but so many people were out cheering and I was determined to beat last year’s time at this point (little did I know I already had it in the bag).
- Last 1/2 mile – 9:02
The very last part of the race is uphill. So mean!
Run time – RunKeeper 31:29 (8:59 pace), Official Race Results 31:48 (9:05 pace)
Needless to say, I am pretty proud of myself for crushing this race without training. I don’t love that I trained so hard last year and didn’t se the results but I have a sneaking suspicious as to why which I’ll check in with later the week.
Fun fact: I got home to see this. Apparently my athletic efforts for the day made her exhausted.
I hope you all have a great Monday and a great week!
Emily's Full Plate 