Wildflower Weekend

This past weekend was the weekend I have been preparing for for 3 months. I went down to Lake San Antonio on Friday and I was full of anticipation and anxiety. Friday night we set up our camping area, went to a pasta party, and hung out. We spent Saturday looking around at the booths in the festival area and watching our friends who were competing in the mountain bike and long course races. My parents arrived in the afternoon and joined us for the pasta party that night. Saturday night I put all my stuff together and I was actually able to get some sleep. We got up on Sunday around 6 and left the camping area at about 7:30 for the race area so we could set up our transition areas and work out our anxiousness by watching the collegiate waves. Then we waited around until 10:55 for our wave to go. The anticipation was intense, but as soon as I was in the water it was all about making it to the finish line. I did really well on the swim and was one of the first Silicon Valley TNTers in my wave to make it out. The bike course is pretty tough with lots of hills. I was pretty tired by the time I was done, but otherwise I felt good with no cramping or anything. I tried to stay hydrated, but I'm not sure I did very well. The run was the hardest part for me. Because of my trouble staying hydrated on the bike, I started off the run feeling sluggish. I walked a good portion of the hilly run course, but was able to get it together enough to run the last mile and a half and finished strong.

Here are my official race stats...

Swim Time: 31 min
Transition 1: 7.5 min
Bike Time: 2 hrs, 25 min
Transition 2: 5.5 min
Run Time: 1 hr, 28 min
Total Time: 4 hrs, 37 min
Overall Rank: 2235 out of 2584
Sex Rank: 982 out of 1038
Swim Rank: 1278
Bike Rank: 2501
Run Rank: 2485

Things to work on or do differently next time...
* use a road bike (damn that mountain bike!)
* work on hydration on the bike (perhaps use a camelbak?)
* practice running on hills
* practice running after biking
* either use more sun screen or wear a jersey that covers more skin
* be more intentional about eating my gels while on the bike and run

Things I did well...
* I rocked on the swim
* I stayed mobile on the bike the entire time, except for once on Lynch Hill and at two of the aid stations while I was taking in some water/gatorade... and I walked my bike up one hill on the way back
* I listened to my body when my stomach started to cramp on the run

So, I believe I will be doing this again. I know now what I need to work on and I am looking forward to trying to improve my time next year.

GO TEAM!