Dallas Triathlon... I mean, Duathlon
Posted by Samantha Kennedy on Saturday, June 13, 2015
This has been a tough post-race write up to get started and I've deleted
what I have started multiple times. After I competed in the Milwaukee
Super Sprint, I became much more interested in the draft-legal format.
Maybe it was the former soccer player in me, but the strategy involved
was new and interesting. I used some of my prize money from the 2014
season and bought an aero road bike on an end of season sale at a local
shop. Then I began to look at which draft legal race I would try. My
race schedule was in a complete shambles after the 5150 Pro series was
cancelled and after Life Time cut their pro race series as well, but
this opened the door to pick an ITU race. My coach suggested Dallas and
I thought a sprint would be a great option. So I booked a flight and
began riding my road bike any time I could to get ready.
The next morning I
woke up at a fairly normal time because my race start wasn't until 9:30
am! I went for my pre-race run and by the end of the run I was shocked
by how sweaty I was! It wasn't that hot yet, but the humidity was
constantly high. Todd and I left early and drove to the race site to
make sure we could find parking. After a short rest in the car, we
grabbed my bike and headed to transition. With ITU racing, registration
is definitely different! They check your uniform to make sure it meets
all the ITU criteria then you take your bike through and they check a
number of measurements to make certain your bike is UCI (not ITU, rather
followers cycling rules set by the UCI) legal. They also check your
wheels and helmet to make sure both are UCI legal. I didn't have much
to set up, but it is always cool to see my last name with the American
flag proudly displayed next to it at my transition spot!
The
run was two loops and halfway into the second loop I knew I was going to
be in trouble. I had started to become light headed and dizzy. The
Canadian athlete in front of me seemed to be waving from side to side. I
tried to focus on her and keep running, but my legs wouldn't respond. I
hit the aid stations, drenching myself in water, but my pace slowed and
I knew I was too far away by the time transition appeared. My
transition was slow as I was trying to be very deliberate about my
movements. I wanted to make sure my helmet was clicked before I touched
my bike (10 second penalty if you don't!) and my shoes were ready for
the second run. I came to the mount line and made certain I was
completely across (10 second penalty if you aren't!) before slowly
mounting. With how dizzy I was, I was certain I would fall over if I
attempted a flying mount.
My
Dallas weekend started out a little chaotic. Todd and I almost missed
our flight and a cranky woman at the check in counter told me she wasn't
sure if my bags would make the flight, which of course had me in a bit
of a panic for the entirity of the flight. Happily my bike did make
it! But as I was about to switch my phone to airplane mode, I noticed
an email from my coach. The race had been changed to a duathlon. My
heart sank, I know my running is not as strong as that of the other
girls racing ITU and cutting out the swim was a big blow. The format
also worked again me. For some reason, when an ITU race is changed to a
duathlon, rules say the distances will be 5k run/20k bike/2.5k run for
sprints and 10k run/40k bike/5k run for Olympic distance races. I knew
that long run first would result in a bigger split between myself and
the college runners. I tried to relax and listen to some music during
the flight, but it was a rough start!
We landed
at 4 pm the day before the race, giving me no time to acclimate to the
90 degree temps and the high humidity. But at the race meeting I became
much more excited, there were so many pros! I had never seen so many
pros at a pre-race meeting and it was a very cool experience. I was a
little intimidated and found a seat toward the back. Many of the
athletes knew each other and the one athlete I knew had decided to drop
out when the race was changed to a duathlon. But the woman sitting in
front of me cheerfully introduced herself to me after the meeting and we
realized we already knew of each other because my coach, Barb
Lindquist, had connections to both of us and had connected athletes she
knew at the race to each other.
There
was no opportunity to do a bike warm up because junior elites were
racing on the course, so I road around the parking lot to check my
gears, jogged a little more and did some drills. Then it was time to
line up. Introductions are another amazing experience with ITU racing!
They called my last name and announced that I was representing the
USA. Very cool! We lined up at the start and then we were "in the
hands of the starter." The horn went off and the pace was quick from
the get go. I picked a spot on the outside and tried to hold on to the
back of the group. Many of the girls ran in college, so I knew this was
a very strong group of runners. I picked a Canadian and stuck to her
shoulder, hoping to follow her and one of her teammates just ahead of us
onto the bike to form a group. The first mile flew by and I was so
distracted with keeping the pace that I skipped the water stations,
figuring I would get water later. Big mistake.
Soon after I was on my
bike, I spotted an athlete from Mexico not too far ahead. I sprinted to
catch her, feet still out of my shoes, hoping we could work together to
catch the Canadians. I caught up to her and rested briefly in her
draft and put my shoes on, then I took my turn to pull. I cycled hard,
watching the Canadians ahead of us. Then I signaled for her to take
over and fell back, resting in her draft. She signaled for me to take
over and I pulled ahead, holding the pace steady. After a few minutes, I
looked back to see if she was ready to pull. She was no where in
sight. At the next turnaround, I saw that she had fallen far behind me
and was struggling to keep going. My heart fell because I knew I had no
chance of catching the Canandians on my own. I tried to throw in a
sprint up a hill, but when I rose out of my saddle my bike wobbled
beneath me and I quickly sat down. I was too dizzy and lightheaded to
get out of my saddle without falling.
At that
point all I cared about was finishing. The bike was 4 loops and if the
lead rider laps you, then you are asked to leave the race. I wanted to
finish. My race turned in to checking how close the lead group was
getting to me. I pushed as hard as my failing legs would go and kept
the rest of my body motionless in the drops, fearing that I would fall
if I tried to adjust my position. The lead group slowly drew closer,
but not fast enough and I entered my 4th loop without being caught. I
was excited that I had made it, but quickly re-focused on finishing my
last lap. The volunteers kept me going, they were incredibly
supportive! At this point, 3 girls had dropped out of the race due to
the conditions and the volunteers seemed to realize that I was fighting
not for a win or a position, but just to finish what I had set out to
finish. They cheered wildly when I came by, yelling at me to "stay
strong" and "fight for the finish!" Finally, the dismount line neared
and I heard the announcer's encouragement ringing out as well. I
dismounted well before the line (10 second penalty if you don't!) and
barely held my landing, but I managed to stay upright.
On
failing legs, I tottered into the transition area, wondering how I was
going to run another loop. Again, I was very deliberate with my
transition and made certain my helmet was in the bin for discarded
equipment (10 second penalty if it isn't!) and that my bike was racked
properly (another 10 second penalty if not!) before leaving for my run.
I didn't care about pace, I just tried to focus on my form and moving
forward. The aid station near the turnaround point finally arrived and
the volunteers were ready in force to cheer me to finish. I grabbed the
first water bottle and squeeze it on myself and into my mouth, grabbed a
sponge, then another water bottle and made sure to discard them in the
litter zone because, you guessed it, 10 second penalty if you don't!
The turnaround was hard. It was hard to get back up to my "speed," but I
forced myself forward, aided by the nearby cheering volunteers. Same
routine as I passed the aid station on the way back. Finallly, the
finish came into view. Megan, the athlete I had met at the meeting, was
out there and cheering me on. My heart lifted and I somehow managed to
move slightly faster to the finish line.
Once
I tried to stop moving, it was all over. My hamstrings cramped
painfully and I dropped, but luckily volunteers were ready and caught
me, lowering me to the ground. My hamstrings would not stop cramping
and my chest ached. My arms felt like noodles and I tried to grab my
inhaler out of my uniform, but my hands weren't coordinated enough and
it took multiple tries. They took me to the wonderfully air conditioned
ambulance and packed me in ice bags. It took a few tries to get a vein
because I was so dehydrated, but eventually they got one and started
running fluids. I was very glad that two days prior to leaving, my
husband had decided to go with me! He was able to answer all the
questions as I tried to slow my breathing and to make the world stop
spinning.
This was not the experience I had
expected with going to Dallas, but it was an experience I will never
forget. Sometimes a race doesn't go anywhere close to the way I want it
to go, but these races can teach amazing lessons. When as race goes
not as planned, I try to take solace in learning something. This race
showed me how strong I am and my complete refusal to ever give up.
I just don't have it in me to DNF if there is any way I can continue to
move forward. Mental strength is not something that I would have said
is a strength of mine! In my soccer playing days, I freely admitted
that I was a "head case," but luckily I have a psychologist for a
father! This race proved that I do have mental strength, I just have to
learn how to access it!
My dad texted me the
next day to see how I was doing... I texted him back that I was already
trying to figure out how to get to another ITU race. My dad knows this
is the number one indicator that I am recovering just fine! I'm hoping
to travel to Quebec in July to take my shot at another ITU race! Any
want to join me for a road trip??
Next up is
the Grand Rapids Triathlon to finish up my run of 3 races in a row!
This is good practice for later this season when I have a run of 4 races
in a row! I'm looking forward to racing locally again this weekend
because I know there will be lots of Oakie blue, Playmakers red and LTT
green! Can't wait to see everyone on Sunday!!
