Race Result

Racer:	Karen Tine
Race:	Lifetime Fitness Triathlon
Date:	Saturday, July 12, 2008
Location:	Minneapolis, MN
Race Type:	Triathlon - International Distance
Time:	3:00:34
Overall Place:	675 / 1147
Age Group Place:	23 / 57
Comment:	Second Oly tri…perfect weather!

Race Report:

Swim: 30:32 (2:02/100m, 12th in AG, 324th overall, 65th female)
T1: 4:31
Bike: 1:28:04 (17.4 MPH, 37th in AG, 935th overall, 212th female)
T2: 2:41
Run: 54:45 (8:50/mile, 24th in AG, 576th overall, 116th female)

To echo Mike, this was a great race! This was my second Olympic distance tri and I was excited but a little nervous as I did not train enough on the bike before this event.

I chatted with racers around me before the race which helped take away pre-race jitters. I didn’t really think too much about the task ahead until the starter touched my shoulder and said “Go!”

Within a few minutes, I got into a rhythm in the water and passed several people as I made my way to the first turn. I had a pretty clear shot on the longest leg of the swim as I stayed to the outside. I passed several more people and tried not to think about the fact that I was swimming into the current and the wind. As I rounded the last buoy for the final turn I started to feel the swim in my shoulders and back. As I headed toward shore, I realized I misjudged the swim exit and readjusted to swim toward the correct spot.

After a long jog up to transition through deep sand and an even longer jog out of transition to the bike mount line, I was ready to ride. Several guys in Mike’s wave passed me on the bike within the first few miles. I didn’t mind too much, as I had passed them in the water. One AG and I traded places for the first few miles – I passed her on the uphills and she caught me on the downhills. As we rode along the Mississippi, I grew tired of the cat-and-mouse game and passed her one final time. I concentrated on my cadence throughout the ride and had fun watching the spectators, including the three-legged dog! I also enjoyed snacking on Luna Moons throughout the ride (thanks, Julie, for introducing me to these tasty treats!).

Around Mile 14.5, I passed Mike going the other way less than a mile from the end of his ride. I cheered for him, but he was focused on the path ahead. I was excited to see that I maintained around 17 MPH throughout the rolling course.

I came into T2 excited about my bike time, ready to attack the run. As I ran through transition to the start of the run, several volunteers were standing around eating pizza. One of them even offered me a slice. Maybe after the 10K…though I never did see pizza after the race!

The run was tough. To distract myself, I focused on several racers and tried to keep pace with them as I made my way through the first few miles. Mike cheered for me as I completed my first lap and gave me the boost I needed. One eager spectator pointed at me with both hands and shouted, “This is your day!” He’s got a point…

When I hit mile four, I was happy with my 9:05 pace, but wanted to push the last 2.2 miles. I was hoping my weekly track workouts would help. I continued to look for anything to distract me from the pain in my right hip flexor and left knee. I didn’t have to wait too long. I saw two women dressed as nuns waving signs that said, “Kick a$$” and something about sinners and exercise. I also passed a guy on the Big Boy Team with this message on the back of his shirt: “If found face down, please resuscitate.”

I continued to increase my pace the last mile and when I saw the “Long Course Last Lap” sign, I headed in that direction and ran as fast as I could. I focused on the balloons and the finish line and heard them call my name. I sped up just a bit and passed a guy just before the line. I was ecstatic to look down at my watch and see my final time: 3:00:34! I beat my goal by ten minutes!