Race Review- Montana Women's Triathon, OR: I Can Now Say That I Am A TRIATHLETE!

Wow, guys... it's been a long road, but I can now say that I AM A TRIATHLETE!

www.mtwomenstri.com

It felt like I trained for a long time for this race. I mean, I think I signed up back in March or April. Even though I signed up pretty early, I really didn't start training hard until after School/Track ended Memorial Day weekend.

Today, I'm finally going to write about how the race went. It's taken me a while to sort of wrap my head around having done it, hence the delay in getting this post up! Buckle in and grab a cup of coffee, because this is likely to be a lengthy post and with lots of photos!

First of all, let me just acknowledge that I probably wouldn't have done the race at all without the support of my husband, Jeff. I talked about it with him very early on, before signing up, because I was nervous about the potential cost of gear and training adding up. Right from the start, he said that if it was something I'd always wanted to do, then I should probably do it. He was beyond flexible with my training schedule and workouts and never stopped telling me that he was proud of what I was doing. That kind of support and encouragement shows the type of caring spouse that he is! He was there every step of the way and I can't say how much I appreciate it!

Many of you have been following along since the get-go, but just a refresher for those who maybe haven't been--- Montana Women's Triathlon is a women-only race held in Helena, MT. It was a 500 meter swim (in a pool), 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The race was held on Sunday, July 17 near downtown Helena.

Jeff and I drove down the afternoon before the race. My parent's planned their summer Montana visit to be here to watch and cheer at my race, so they were with us, too. Packet pick up was from 2-4 p.m. in  Memorial Park. We got there right away and I was one of the first people to pick up my packet. The nice person at the table handed me my swag bag and race bib, directed me to where I could pick up the bike stand I had ordered, and gave me a black band with another number on it...

Cute bright green race bag filled with stickers and other swag, and both my race numbers. 

Ok, question number one: What the heck is this thing?!?!
Hard to tell in the photo, but it's about 1/4 inch thick and about 2.5 inches wide foam band that's sticky on one end. It reminded me of those wristbands you get when you go to events where there's alcohol, to show that you're 21-- only bigger and thicker. I had never seen anything like this in a race before, so I quickly messaged my friend Tammy with my question.

Tammy and her husband Mark live in Helena, but they have a Hi-Line connection. Mark grew up on a farm north of Rudyard, pretty close to where our farm is. They have been fixing up the old farm house and spending weekends there, and have been getting involved in the community here a bit, too. They both did 5K On the Farm last fall. Tammy also attended the Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference this past February. I believe she was on the planning committee for Montana Women's Tri. She had done the race last year, and Mark has also done two Ironmans! From the moment I started sharing I had signed up for this race (not knowing their involvement in it at the time) they were both so, so supportive and helpful! They had both answered many of my questions already, and I knew Tammy would be able to tell me what this crazy band was for!

Tammy told me it was my timing band, and that I'd wear it around my ankle for the race. So, the timing chip was embedded somewhere in that band. Just like in any chip timed race, it would ping whenever I crossed a magic carpet timing strip. Ok- got it!

The night before the race, we had a low-key evening with my parents. We were staying in a VRBO house together and cooked a simple meal of spaghetti and meat sauce with salad. We played cards for a while and went to bed early.

I laid out everything I'd need for the race the night before. The only things not pictured are my bike and bike stand.

 Even though we went to bed early, and I was feeling pretty confident in the race by this point, I still slept poorly. I wasn't nervous for the race- I really felt like I had trained right and trained smart and felt like I was prepared. It was more like I was just excited to get to the race and start. More of an adrenaline feeling than nerves, really. So, the combination of that and sleeping in a new place wasn't great. But, I've raced after poor nights of sleep before and it was fine. Sometimes I think it's more important to have good sleep in the nights leading up to the night before the race, and even just laying in bed is restful.

Anyway. Race day morning I was up and at 'em at 5:30 a.m. I wanted to have plenty of time to eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, and digest before the race. The transition area opened at 6:30 and the race was supposed to start at 8:00. Jeff drove me over to the race at about 6:30 and helped me unload my gear before heading back to the house. He'd bring my parents over closer to the actual start time of the race.

This is how I set up my transition area:

The nice thing about being one of the first people to the race was that I had lots of space to choose from for where to set up my stuff. I chose a spot right on the end of a row. Easy to find and not boxed in. I got all my stuff laid out the way I thought I wanted it and filled up my water bottle on my bike. During this time, I ran into Tammy and she insisted that I borrow her extra race band for my bib number. She was amazing on race morning! She helped a lot of people get their bearings and also helped with some of the jobs of the race, like marking numbers on people's skin. Always with a smile on her face! I told her and Mark, who was volunteering, that I felt like I was at Triathlon Camp and they were my Den-mother and Den-father! So great.

The race organizers had a little technical difficulty getting people entered into the computer, so we all had to line up in order of our bib numbers, file past the computer and tell them our names, to make sure they had everything correctly. This delayed the start of the race, but it did do a good thing...

Coincidentally, my number 154, was right next to another Oiselle Volee team member, number 153! I almost never meet other Oiselle girls, so it was such a great surprise! She instantly recognized my jersey and said hello. We spent a lot of time chatting before the race, and of course, were lined up next to each other to start the swim, since it went by number. Mary Beth was so nice and great to meet! It was her first time racing in her new singlet, since she just joined this spring. I explained that it's "the magic of the singlet" how when you race in it the first time, you get a PR. She had done some tri's before, so I really appreciated her insight throughout our conversation, too.

Both of us looking at different cameras, but still so fun to see another Oiselle girl! 

The transition area was all full by 8:00 a.m. Again, I can't overstate how fun the vibe was and how friendly and encouraging all the women were. There was a great number of us who were there for our first triathlon and the returners were beyond helpful. It was just the best, most positive environment.

Transition area, all full, but with a pretty excellent sign!

Due to the computer issue I mentioned earlier, the start of the race ended up getting pushed back to about 8:45. We did the National Anthem at 8:30, then it was time to line up and get ready for the swim. I also had a last-minute Honey Stinger waffle at this time.

We were lined up by bib number, which was basically in reverse age order. The first heat in the pool was Elites, then it went oldest to youngest. As we were lining up and getting organized, I noticed that Jeff had disappeared. My parents were there, but he was gone... I didn't think much of it. Just thought he had gone to Starbucks or something and that he'd be back. 

All of a sudden, I looked over to the side and saw Jeff walking toward me with my nephew Brandon! Then I saw Tom and Carol and Katie and Josh behind him! My family had organized a surprise-- they were all there to cheer me on! To have everyone there, my parents, and Jeff, and his (our) family, was the best surprise. My heart was definitely full!! Also, Katie and Brandon made signs:

This photo was taken after the race. Love it!

My only regret from the entire race day was that I thought later it would have been great to have a big group photo with the entire Adam and Bangs family cheering squad! 

As the swim line inched closer to the pool, I tried to do some stretching and warming up. I noticed that at first when we got in line, the girls around me were really chatty and excited but as we neared the pool, people quieted down. Nerves, adrenaline, focus were kicking in. One of the best things about the swim line, though, was that we could cheer on others as they exited the pool and made their way to transition. Again, such a positive environment! I gave a lot of high fives to people as they ran from pool to bike. 

My mom snapped this photo while I was waiting in line for the swim.
You can see the race band on my ankle. 

All of a sudden, I was the next person in line. Again, I didn't feel nervous- but I definitely felt focused and ready. My training had gotten me to this point. A woman exited the pool in the far lane, right by the wall, and before I had time to think, it was Go Time. I ran toward my lane, high fived the woman who had exited the pool, and to the sound of my family cheering me on, I entered the pool and began my swim. 

Right away, I realized that my lane was a disadvantage. It was on the end of the pool and was extra, extra wide. They had it set up that way so that people who were less comfortable swimming could select a lane by the wall so they could rest if they needed to. The extra space itself was not the problem exactly, but the issue was that I was far away from the line and the T along the bottom of the pool. So, it was really difficult to swim in a straight line and also very hard to judge my distance from the wall to do a flip turn. I decided to try to swim right next to the line, but still on my "half" of the lane, so I could see where I was going. This helped, but the problem was that the person I was sharing my lane with was swimming right on top  of the line, and was I think doing backstroke. Plus, my goggles started fogging up about two laps into the swim, so I couldn't see very well, either. All of this meant that we kept running into each other. I think we hit each other three times. Even when I was on the line, I missed the wall completely on two flip turns, which is like putting on the breaks. You just come to a complete stop. 

Even so, I exited the pool relatively quickly and feeling good. The race volunteers who were counting my laps told me that I was "really fast," but who knows what that means, really. I hurried over to my bike and started my transition. I felt like I was hurrying, but I also knew that I hadn't practiced transition much and that I was probably losing time. It seemed like it took forever to get my shoes tied. I wished in my mind for a bungee lace system instead. Next time. Finally, I was off on my bike! 

I don't have any photos from this part of the race. I do have a Strava map to give an idea of the course:

 As you can see, it was an out and back course. There were relatively few twists and turns, thankfully, and it was mostly on roads. There were two little loops toward the beginning that were on bike path and were a little more narrow.

When I left the transition on my bike, I was passed right away by someone I knew was in my age group. She had an actual road bike, while I was racing on my mountain bike which I had equipped with skinnier tires. I got stuck in behind a few people who were going slower than I wanted to go in one of the areas where I didn't think we were supposed to pass, so I lost a little time there, but as soon as I could, i passed them. Then about a third of the way into the course, I got passed by someone else in my age group. I was pretty sure at this point I was in fourth place for my age group. But I didn't care too much, really. After all, my goal was to finish and to smile. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.

The ride was actually pretty fun. Each time someone passed me or I passed someone else, people said "Good Job," or cheered one another on. So many good vibes out there! I looked for Mark, who was volunteering on the bike course, but never saw him. I never saw Tammy again, either, although I knew she was ahead of me because she started her swim like 20 minutes before I did. I didn't think much of it and knew I'd see them after the race.

The whole first half of the bike was a net downhill, so that meant the turnaround was coming back uphill. Nevertheless, it was mostly pretty gentle uphill- nothing too strenuous. I stayed in the top gear range of my bike the whole time and really pedaled hard on the bike course. I really wanted to feel like I hadn't given anything up out there, and knew I was at a slight disadvantage with my bike not being as fast as others.

About 45 minutes later, the transition area was back in view. I dismounted my bike and ran it to my spot. This transition was horrible for me. I knocked down someone else's bike by accident, and my own bike fell over twice and a race volunteer had to help me out. I lost a lot of time in what was supposed to be a very quick transition. All I really had to do was drop my bike off, switch my helmet for my hat, and snap on my race belt. Should have taken less than a minute, but it took quite a bit more. My clumsiness and inexperience definitely cost me some time, but again, I was here to smile and to finish the race. I looked over at Jeff and said, "Is it my first time or what?!" and then took off on the run.

Here's an image of the route. We sort of ran a little lap around the park/transition area to start off the run.

My mom snapped this image of me about 300 meters or so into the run-

 At this point, I was still feeling pretty good. I was experiencing the normal bike to run leg feelings- it almost feels like your legs aren't even there. It's an odd sensation. But overall, I still felt pretty good and adrenaline was still hanging on. My first mile was an 8:04. 

Then I totally hit the wall. The last two miles were a struggle for me, definitely. My second mile was an 8:40. What really helped was seeing others on the course, and again, all the cheers and high fives people gave one another while running. Several people told me that I "looked strong" on the run. I certainly didn't feel strong at that point, but it still felt good to hear it! I passed a lot of people on the run. I felt really validated for all the speed work I'd done in my training. I passed one of the people in my age group who had passed me on the bike, so I now felt like I may be in third place again in my age group. I also saw Mary Beth flying fierce in her singlet and gave her a big high five. On the run, I also saw Molly, the 84 year old woman competing in the race, and the wheelchair racer. All of this really helped give me the mental boost I needed to not let my pace go completely. My last mile was 8:29. 

The woman in blue is named Molly. She is 84 years old and regarded as the Queen of Montana Triathlons. Incredible. 

Finally the park was in view and I tried to give everything I had left in the tank in the last few hundred meters before finally finishing. All my family was there to cheer me to the finish. Such a great feeling. I remember turning around to look back at the finish arch I had just run through, and then it hit me what I had done and I got pretty choked up. Jeff was there and we walked into some shade together. I was still catching my breath from the run and also my body was trying to cry, so it looked like I was dry heaving and my chest was tight, but in actuality I was overcome with emotion. I had just completed my first triathlon, with most of my closest family members there to support me and cheer me on. 

After the race, I talked to my family quite a bit and thanked everyone for being there. Then, we took my transition area down and I checked my results on the computer they had set up. It looked like I had actually taken third place in my age group, so I changed clothes and stuck around for the awards. They had food for race participants and volunteers- pizza, melon, oranges, water, and desserts. I didn't feel hungry, but I made myself eat anyway while waiting for awards. 

You can see full race results on the Competitive Timing website. I couldn't be happier with my results. I was 3 out of 7 in my age group and 21 out of 78 overall participants. My total time was 1:26.09-- way under what my goal of 1:45 was. My overall splits are as follows:

Swim: 11:32.56, 2:19 per 100 meters

T1: 3:11.97

Bike: 44:21.24, 16.2 mph

T2: 1:52.39

Run: 25:11.03, 8:24 pace

I do feel like I left time on the table in the swim, with running into the other women so many times and my turns being pretty poor. Plus, there was a bit of a walk from where the timing mat was to where the actual entrance into my lane was, so that accounts for a bit more time. Whatever. Also, obviously, my transitions were really slow. I can definitely improve there, but I don't feel bad about it at all, either. I really didn't practice transitions and I went into the race knowing I'd be OK with having slow transitions and just being there for the experience and learning. I felt like the bike and the run, both, were where I left nothing on the table. 

Compared to others, the swim and run were my strongest legs. I was 15 out of 78 on swim and 14 out of 78 on run. The bike I was 27. My transitions killed me- T1 was 56 of 78, and T2 was 53 of 78. Turns out I was only about two minutes behind the second place person in my age group, so maybe with faster transitions I could have snuck up to second. I was six minutes behind first place in my age group, but I had a faster swim and run than she did. Evidence that a faster bike makes a big difference, too. Oh well. Live and learn. 

The truth is, I had a good training plan and I stuck with it. I trained my ass off to prepare for this race, and I thought it paid off on race day. Yes, my goal was to finish and to smile, and I definitely did that, but I wanted to know that I had worked hard and given it everything I had, too. There were moments in the run that I considered walking, but I didn't. I hadn't come this far to walk in the last two miles. I thought of my family, and all the support I'd had, and everything crazy that has happened this year, and I ran. 

The first thing people have asked me after completing this is, "was it hard?" Damn right it was hard, but I worked for it, and I think I earned the result that I got. The best result was ultimately being there and completing it with my husband and family by my side. No better feeling than that. 

I saw this little image on my Facebook in the week after the race and it perfectly sums up my thoughts. If you want something, work for it. Don't wait around for someone else to make an easy path for you. Maybe it's a race, or maybe it's something bigger like a job or a relationship. You have the power to make your dreams a reality. No one can do it but you.

Awards were really cool- they were necklaces in the shape of Montana with MTWomen's Tri 2016 etched into them. 

I was really happy I finished fast enough to win an award. It was surprise, but I also felt like I had earned it. 

One of the most inspiring aspects of this race was the wide age range, in addition to the positivity of all involved. I was blown away by Molly and LizAnn, and it was so, so cool to hear them talk about their experiences competing in triathlons.

Molly, in green, accepts her medal. She was first place in the 80-85 age group, at age 84. #lifegoals

Molly, a finisher at age 84, and Liz Ann, a finisher in a wheelchair. Amazing. 

There were girls as young as 12 and 13 competing in this race, along with women in their 70s and 80s. There were several teams comprised of three generations of women of the same family. So amazing and awe-inspiring. I just couldn't get enough of the positive vibes.

This race was the PERFECT race for a first time triathlon. It couldn't have been any better than it was. I'm beyond happy with my results and I feel really proud of my accomplishment. I learned that I am stronger than I knew was possible, I felt the love from my family, and I felt fierce and proud to be a woman. I would definitely do this race again, or would consider a different race. I definitely caught the triathlon bug! 

Post- race photo with finisher t-shirt and medal/necklace. 

What's next? I actually feel like I have more to say about the race (amazing, after this saga of a post, I know!) so there may be one or two more Tri Tuesday posts on the blog. Stay tuned for that!