Stories of a Traveling Diva: Race Report: Iron Girl Columbia

Sunday was the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon – an all women Sprint+ Triathlon. What are the few things about this race and my tri-season that come first to mind from this race:

I am consistent. Consistently slow…just above frozen molasses
I have work to do, Lucy
Whatever…I AM AN IRON GIRL!!!

and I have the BLING to show for the effort.

So, that goal I had of 2 hours or less…yeah, well, um, er…what had happened was…I’m just slow. PERIOD. And whoever that sinister psychopath is that created the Iron Girl Course (particularly the bike & run course) is probably best friends with Hannibal Lecter and needs to be taken down. JUST WRONG is all I can muster up to say about that crazy course creator mofo. HUMPH.

The Iron Girl Columbia course was one kinda hella hard. I know they put little mountain icon’s on the maps where there was a “big” hill. I think they left some off the map. For real doh. JUST WRONG.

So here is a recap of the past 3 months…the past 3 races:

Philly Tri MussleMan Iron Girl

Swim (850m) 37:30 Swim (750m) 23:48 Swim (998m) 34:15

Bike (15.7mi) 1:05:59 Bike (16.2mi) 1:07:06 Bike (17.5mi) 1:30:26

Run (3.2mi) 39:23 Run (3.2mi) 41:00 Run (3.3mi) 48.07

Final 2:32:28 Final 2:20:08 Final 2:53:40

When I first saw my results I was all depresses and feeling pitiful. I wasn’t dead last but I was pulling up the rear STILL. Then when I compared these times, reflected on how challenging the course was…well…not too shabby for an overweight lover in da house. Yeah, I’m a work in progress.

Despite my sniveling about the course – this was probably the most rewarding. EVERYONE was so encouraging & supportive. There were women of all shapes, sizes, colors – some with all of their limbs – some not. It was just so amazing.

I arrived at the park with the Queen Mother (My Personal Paparazzi) and Princess Erin in tow and as soon as they find their way around it starts to POUR down rain. That picture above looks like we just got out of the water. NOPE. We were just standing in the rain – 15 min race delay. Safety First.

SWIM: What is there to say? To me the swim is a mind game…and it messes with me EVERY SINGLE TIME. The 15 min delay and the fact that we didn’t get into the water until a little after 8 am (after being in the park since 6am) didn’t have anything to do with nerves, heart racing or anything. I felt calm getting into the water, but once I got out there and started swimming…well…I felt tired & winded. I just couldn’t get a rhythm going. I just swam buoy to buoy, resting when I needed to with a side stroke and then started again. Will there EVER be a day when I can do this thing in 17 min like the gazelle in my age group that came out of the water first? No matter. I got out without the need of assistance…but I didn’t look too happy about it. Funny – I never do.

Bike: Tough. Hilly. Mountainous. But I never got off the bike to walk it up a hill. Sheer determination and the fact that I had trained on the course so much that I knew what to expect was what got me through. I really thought I was bookin’ it but then you see pace times IN MY AGE GROUP of 20mph and I’m like WHAT THE HECK?! Will there be a day that I’m cooking it on the bike like that? Is it me or is it the bike? Hmmmm….

Run: Sweet Baby Jesus! Whoever came up with the idea to put a mountain at the 1.4 mile mark to run up, down and then up again was on that pipe or just plain mean. That run was no joke. There was a LOT of walking out there on the course (especially on that hill) and I was one of those walkers. HUMPH. That was just hateful. When I had about a half mile left, I was feeling might low…I was feeling real bad. But then I looked up and there was Jerrold & his son Gabriel yelling for me and pushing me on…that’s when I knew there was a GAWD. I took it on in and finished strong…in my mind.

Thank you to all of you that came out to cheer us on (Robin, Kenneth, Jerrold, Mom, Erin…I’m sorry if I forgot you). This was one of the most spectacular & awesome spectator crowd ever.