Kinetic Sprint Aquathlon

I love the later start time of the Kinetic sprint races!  A 9:16 wave start means that I can make it a day trip without waking up super super early.  So I did exactly that.  I had dropped the dogs at daycare on Saturday... they were very high energy and I was very low tolerance, so I used the quiet time to get some chores done and relax.  I started the keto diet earlier in the week and was suddenly second guessing my decision to start such a new [and drastic] diet so close to a race.... but I felt pretty OK.  I packed my bags (thanks to Laura for posting a social media pick of her outfit... it reminded me of my race belt and visor that I would have forgotten otherwise!!) and headed to bed early, ready for the 5am alarm.

That's not my bike!  My transition areas is the two small white bags, and that's it!

I slept pretty well, and while 5am is a little earlier than normal for me (dogs get me up 5:30 everyday), excitement for the race got me moving.  I grabbed my pre-packed breakfast and snacks from the refrigerator and packed them.  It's challenging to plan ahead for keto.  I hit the road and had no issues getting down to Lake Anna.  It rained off and on, but was OK when I pulled into the park.  Still, I took my umbrella as I made my way over to the Team Z tent.  The parking lot was pretty empty, and coach Ed commented that he predicted it would be a quiet race day given the weather.  I made my way over to registration and then met up with Laura to set up transition.  Most minimal transition I've ever had.  It seemed really weird to only have two small bags sitting on the ground:  one contained my socks and shoes, and the other a long sleeved shirt, race belt and visor.

When I heard that the water temp was 74 degrees, my first thought was to go without my wetsuit.  I don't hate the wetsuit, but.... one less thing.  As time went along though, hanging out with teammates, somehow I went from 100% sure I didn't want the wetsuit... to 80/20... to 50/50... and then the determination that I would wear it.  I can't even recall my reasoning.  So, on went the wetsuit, remembering to generously apply the tri-slide on my neck.  Time to walk down to the beach.  A few of us walked into the water to test it out - warm!

The aquathlon was in the final wave along with the novice athletes, aquabike and relays, quite the mix!  I found a spot towards the outside and was ready to go when they sounded the horn.  I walked in until the people in front of me started swimming, and I dove right in.  I felt good despite only having been in the pool twice so far this year (oops!).  I had to swim around a few people in the beginning and avoid some breast stroke kicks, but overall didn't feel too crowded.  I did get kicked once in the wrist... not hard, but enough to make me nervous my garmin had stopped (luckily it hadn't).  I was slower than I would have liked, but that goes with the territory when I didn't put in the pool time.

When I packed my bag, I couldn't find any ear plugs, but figured with only a 750m swim, I'd be OK. I'd completely forgotten about the ginger pills I usually take before OWS.  These omissions became painfully obvious as I came out of the water and made my way into transition.  I had that intense dizzy and light-headed feeling so I took my time.  I saw Laura and waved as she made her way out to the run.  I got my wetsuit off and my shoes on and slowly made my way to the run start, thankful there was a water station within the first 100 yards.

Still not feeling 100%, I gave myself permission to walk the first mile which was almost entirely uphill.  To be honest, it was a struggle, but as I neared the top, the dizziness went away.  It was definitely misting, but the rain wasn't too bad and I was comfortable.  I hadn't even bothered to put on my long sleeved shirt.  The run course was deserted.  I had seen one woman in front of me, but since I was walking, she'd separated from me pretty quickly.  I was surprised that Laura was the next person I saw on the out-and-back, after she'd made the turn around.  We high-fived and I realized I was half done with the run.  My 2nd mile was definitely faster than my first and I was feeling good.  The woman I had seen earlier was the only other runner I saw until the fast triathletes started catching up to me (and passing, obvi).

With about a mile left in the run, I was getting hungry.  I was pleased that my energy levels hadn't felt depleted due to the keto diet, and I am thinking the hunger I felt was because I hadn't eaten enough calories, not necessarily lack of carbs.  My last mile, which was mostly downhill, went pretty fast and soon I was coming out of the woods at the water and to the finish line!

I collected my medal, water and hand towel and made my way back to the Team Z tent.  It started raining pretty hard as I was getting my stuff out of transition.  Luckily I had brought a dry towel and clothes to change into for the drive home.  My keto diet didn't allow me to eat any of the Team Z food, so after an "after" photo with Laura and hanging out for a bit, I started making my way home.  I did have some good snacks in the car which tided me over for the long (traffic and rain-wise) drive home.  I picked up the dogs from daycare, took a shower, made some dinner and relaxed.  Glad to be back in race season!

Oh, and apparently I got an award!  3rd place Masters Female Overall! 
(don't ask how many people there were....)