Race day continued....

The swim course was out a very short distance then, left to a second buoy, then left and straight in!! To me is seemed so long!!! WOW that is 500 yards I thought...in theory I should be able to do this!! I trained and swam farther then 500 yds twice a week for over a month now!
So the horn went off and I went for it!!
I started my swim off so strong! My thought was-holy cow I am doing this!!! I was breathing and swimming so well!!! The water was green and it wasn't clear but it wasn't like I expected at all. I kept swimming and made it around the first buoy very strong. I headed toward the second buoy and about midway I stopped. I was bumping the chick swimming in front of me and it was sort of distracting me. The bummer is just like in running when I stop it is hard to get going and get a groove going again. My swim buddy the whole time was so encouraging and talking me through each stroke. I starting swimming head out of water and was getting tired and out of breath. I got around the second buoy and swim buddy says see it is just straight in from here!!! The straight in was sooooo far!!! I was already so tired! I decided to flip over and do the backstroke. It helps for some reason to be on your back and it feels like you cover more distance faster. So everytime I flipped back over and tried to freestyle I wasn't putting my face in the water. Which seriously slows you down. Then about half way through the straight away I stopped and the panic set in. Geez swimming is sooooo mental!! I was having trouble taking a deep breath and catching my breath. I need to find out if the lungs expand while swimming and that is why the wetsuit feels like it gets more restrictive OR if it is just in my head! I told my swim buddy and she said she was allowed to loosen the zipper if I wanted. YES!!! It helped a bit but at this point when I tried to back stroke I was having difficulty breathing...Oh MY Gosh!!! So I continued to freestyle head outta water. The swim finish was getting closer but seems soooo hard to gain ground...then I got closer and closer and I swear by the time I was yards away I was practically dog paddling the last few feet. My swim buddy was great! She wished me luck told me I did great (little white lie) and then the crazy part was we had to climb outta the water on to the stairs and go up and out of the bay. There was these nice men there part of the race crew to help. My nice man literally had to heave me out of the water as the first step was a tad to high for me to get and I was sooooo tired hahaha.
So I went up the stairs and started to peel my wetsuit off (how triathlete of me hehehe) ran well jogged to the bike transition area. I was so out of breath. I threw on my pants with out dying off too much. really what I wanted to do is sit down on the floor and leisurely but my socks and shoes on and take break. I instead dried off my feet and got those socks on and my shoes with elastic shoelaces (which are the BOMB). I had this top that doubles as a bra/tank. I stuggled to get it on over my wet suit and it definitely slowed me down. Once I got it on I threw my tank top on with my number attached to it. Got my helmet on and ran out with my bike. At the start line there was a jam up of people getting on the bikes. UGH I finally got across the line and took off for the second leg.
I was sooooo out of breath!! There was so many people headed in the opposite direction finishing their bike leg. That is that bad part of starting in one of the last waves I think. Especially when slow like I am. I head down Harbor Dr. it is not the best paved road (ew) and the first thing is a bridge that goes up and I was struggling. Then I coasted down the other side and got a drink of water...ahhhhh. Time to do this Kate!!! I pedaled and pedaled wondering and thinking how far have I gone. I was just so wanting to see a mile marker to gauge how far I had gone and how far from the half way point. Finally a marker!!! what 2 miles??? that is it??? Oh boy! Most of the course was on the Navy base and honestly if I have a better bike I imagine I would have been faster. I was keeping a good pace for me though. I was pushing and pushing and then a thought came through my mind...what a second...I am ON THE NAVY BASE! I should take a moment and take this in. Yes yes I should. I mean I was passing dock after dock filled with Navy ships and Coast Guard ships! Sooooooo coooooollllllll!!! The course was super flat and aside from some curves not hard. I laughed at one curve the guy was signaling to take it slow and I said...come on now I am not really going that fast....he laughed!
Along this part of the course there really wasn't many people behind me. The beach cruiser devision and some of the relay people. A LOT of people passed me. One thing I appreciate is how when people do whiz past you most will say some words of encouragment like good job, your doing great, almost there, etc. There was a drum band that was Asian and they were cool and the Navy Band was at the entrace/exit to the base. That part with the music was cool! I wish there was more on the course.
So by the time I exited the base I had gone about 8 miles and some areas of my body were going a little numb. My hands, my butt and surrounding areas. Which would not be so bad but the roads like I said were bad. So those last 2 miles back to transition were painful haha. Then remember there was that bridge I had to go over at the start...what you forgot? I certainly didn't the whole ride I was thinking about how I had to get over that at the end. Luckily in training I had really worked on my bike gears and figured out the way to adjust them just right so that I could keep going (slowly of course) over these hills. Then I coasted down the back side and right into the bike finish line.
At this point I am aware I have a big task of the run ahead of me but I know I am in the home stretch!
There was just one problem I faced...remember that coffee I had earlier...yeah it was ready to make its departure. I didn't know what to do in the situation. I actually had needed to pee before the swim leg but my friend warned me that doing it in the wetsuit actually keeps it in there and when you remove the wetsuit the smell stays....
So the bike to run transition is fast (for me at least cause I dont need to change shoes). I just took off my helmet but on my cool new hat and took off. It is so hard to run when your legs are fatigued. At this point too most people have actually finished the race so I am running through all the spectators and competitors that have finished and are walking back to their cars.
So I take off and the whole time I am running the fact that I need to use the bathroom is consuming my mind. The run is along seaport village and as I get going maybe the first 1/4mile the sensation is returning to my legs, they start to remember how to run and I find my 13 min mile pace. As I run past the shops and restaurants I keep looking for a bathroom. If I can just duck in somewhere and go I know I can run better...and think about something else besides going. I don't even know if that is allowed. I am thinking why don't they have a bathroom along the course somewhere. What the heck to people do in longer races??? And while I am at it where the heck is the half way mark!!!
There was so few people left on the course and very few behind me. When I did turn around at the half way mark most the people I passed going the other way ended up catching up with me and passing me. Don't misunderstand I don't mind at all. I never set out to do this to be fast or the best. I am seriously grinning from ear to ear the whole run (except for when I am fretting about my full bladder). So then there it us up ahead...no not the finish line haha
A bathroom in the end of the park we are running around about a mile from the finish line. You better believe I ducked in there and took care of business. I felt incredible!!!!!
I came running outta the bathroom. Totally ready and able to finish the last mile. I still kept my pace but now I was totally able to do it with no distraction!!! As I rounded the last part of the park ready to head into the last 200 yards or so there they were....my kids <3 <3 also my sister, cousin and my friend. They all cheered for me!!! What a great feeling to have love and support at the race!! So I told them I would be back soon as I had to get to that finish!!!
I was so happy I tried to sprint the whole way but it felt like the finish line was moving further away the harder I tried to get to it hahaha. But then my moment came I ran up the red carpet to the finish beaming ear to ear, a wave of emotions came over me as I crossed over!! The announcer says and we have #731 Katie Mason coming across the finish line, and how about that a huge smile still on her face after all that hard work!!! It's true I was so happy!!!
As you can see with the photo I was so proud of myself!! During the run the swim seemed a lifetime ago. Now that I was done it all did. Physically I felt great! I don't wanna say that I could have kept going or that I was ready for the next race right away.
I rejoiced with my family for a while, walked around all the expo stuff and band playing.
And that was it, it was over, I was done! All my training had been for this moment!
I didn't see my times before I left the race but I looked on line later.
My finish time was 1 hour 55minutes. Which I AM THRILLED WITH!!! The super sprint I did my time was 1 hr 19min and that was half the distance of this Sprint Distance. All my times are:
Swim time 14:17 (I can not believe that was only 14 min!!!! Seemed like days haha)
Swim to Bike transition 4:11
Bike 52:52
Bike to Run trans 1:12
Run 42:28

Those are the results!!!