USAT Mideast Regional Championship and the Next Phase!
After a few weeks away from racing, I threw the race wheels and my husband into the car and headed down to the Waterloo Recreational area for the USAT Mideast Regional Championship. I was excited for this one because a number of my favorite training partners were also racing or volunteering. It has been a little while since I’ve been able to get the group together for a ride, so I was really excited to see Brian Bess and Jef Mallett, who were both racing, Ron Behl, who was the bike transition captain, and of course I dragged my dad and my husband into this one!
I got my poor husband up pretty early because we had about an hour drive to the race site from our apartment and I have a pretty demanding pre-race schedule. Up until last summer when I hired my coach Barb Lindquist, I never warmed up. Like, ever. If I got into the water before the race, it was a pretty big shocker! My dad, my husband and I would travel to races and arrive as late as we possibly could and still have access to transition. We would push it pretty darn close! I remember one particular race where we got to the site with just enough time to throw our gear into transition, struggle into our wetsuits and zip up just as the first wave was going.
Not anymore! At first it was tough to get up early for warm ups, but now I actually enjoy it! Right when I wake up, I do a 20 min jog with some strides and 10k pacing. I listen to my pump up music and start focusing on my race. Then once my transition area is set up, I test out my bike and check out the first few miles of the bike course by doing a 20 minute bike. Then I like to double check my transition spot, jog the flow of the transition then grab my wetsuit and head to the beach. I like to have plenty of time to put my wetsuit on so I can make sure I have put it on properly. The final segment of my warm up is to get in the water and go through a few drills and some race pacing.
Okay, back to the race! When I arrived at the beach I thought the swim course looked really short. Then it hit me, is this two loops? Yup. Add to that the fact that the women were going after all the men, I knew it was going to be a very congested swim. Todd’s wave was first and then my dad, Jef and Brian started their race. Finally it was my turn to get in the water! I was sitting at the front of the group, treading in place and waiting for the swim to start. I looked over and saw the faster guys from the first wave were getting really close to finishing their first loop. Oh boy, I hope we start soon! Maybe 4 minutes between waves was a little too long. When the horn finally blew, the women entered the loop just as the first wave of men reached us. A chaotic swim from start to finish! I got out into the front with another woman and we both had front row seats to watch an amazing woman just take off! A few days ago I received my brand new full sleeve Xterra Vendetta and it is seriously amazing! Extremely buoyant and so flexible, definitely the best full sleeve wetsuit I have ever worn. It helped me to a very quick swim and second woman out of the water.
A run up a hill and through the woods later and I was in transition. I finally had a good T1! I put my aero helmet with my sunglasses inside on my aero bars and that little move definitely helped me to a much faster transition because I wasn’t bending over and dripping all over my sunglasses as I fumbled to jam stuff on my head. Out on the bike course, the first 5 miles definitely woke me up! Good old Michigan roads with all their lovely potholes and mosaic patch jobs! After reaching some smoother roads I passed the woman who had gotten out of the water first and then I settled into a good effort. After a few miles, I started to feel like I was being lulled by the up and down rolling hills. Then a man blew by me on a pretty nice ride, so I decided why not try going with him? It is definitely easier to pace myself at a faster effort when all I have to worry about is keeping another biker within eye sight. I can always count on a middle aged super biker male! Thanks to his wonderful pace, the remainder of the bike flew by and I was pulling up to transition… to run into the back of a boat. I’m not joking. Next to the transition area was a parking lot for a boat launch and the guy driving went down the wrong driveway and was now stopped in front of the bike dismount! I managed to squeeze past him and get into transition. First time I have run into a boat in a triathlon that was on land!
For T2, speed is definitely important. I might come off the bike with other women, like I did at the Reed’s Lake Triathlon last year, so a quick transition is important to either get myself a little ahead of the pack or to stick with the pack! To get my racing flats on quicker, I make sure to put Body Glide inside the heels and of course some speed laces! Then I grab my hat, my racing belt and my inhaler and head out of transition. As I’m navigating to the run out, I stash my inhaler in my sports bra (thank goodness for caps!), throw my hat on and then buckle my belt.
The run was no flatter than the bike. It seemed like every time I got to the top of the hill, it was only to see a quick downhill followed by another uphill. Yikes! Most of the run was on dirt roads, which is good and bad. The good part is that dirt roads are a much softer surface than pavement and don’t radiate heat! The bad part is that dirt roads are usually more hilly and don’t always have the best surface for gripping and pushing off. I try to focus on keeping a high cadence up hills, it helps to keep my pace faster and distracts me from the hill. After finishing the first four miles on the dirt roads, it was onto the trails! And what a beautiful trail! I am a huge fan of trail running, it always keeps my mind distracted from the fact that I’m running and I love the increased challenge of the terrain. I might have gotten a little too distracted on one of the steep hills because I almost slipped and fell, but I did my best graceful recovery. And luckily my high cadence paid off and I finished 1st Overall, crossing the finish line with a big, goofy smile!
My best training buddies also had great days! It was an extremely competitive field, but it is the Regional Championship! Brian Bess and Jef Mallett both finished 4th overall in their age groups. My husband, Todd Kennedy, had a fantastic day with a PR of 2:02, which in this super competitive group was good enough for 3rd in his age group and 8th Overall! My dad had a great race, earning a PR for the swim and his 2nd fastest Olympic time! And Ron ran the transition like a master!
It was also really great to see the Lansing Triathlon Team in full force! New member Nathan Kark took 4th in his age group with a super fast bike on his gorgeous Cervelo P5. Founding member Jason Hartzell took 3rd in his age group and right on his heels was Todd Kauffman, who took 4th in his age group. Another new member, Aaron Bales took 6th in his age group. Kim Albin combined a great swim and bike to take 3rd in her age group. Ron Alleman was unlucky enough to be in one of the most competitive age groups and took 9th in his age group. It was awesome to see Bethany Hartzell and all the other amazing and supportive people there!
Well, with the Regional Championship done it is time for another 3 week break from racing, but for a different reason. I was nervous for the race today, like usual, but nothing close to the amount of nerves I have for tomorrow! Tomorrow I step into Sparrow Hospital as a physician. Mega yikes! It is my first day of residency, which is four years long. I’m excited to start a new phase in my life, especially since I am actually making money instead of taking out loans! But fitting in training during residency will be the ultimate test of my organizational skills. I did pretty good during medical school and I have learned a lot of good skills, so here goes nothing!
