6/18/16

Race Report: Escape The Cape Triathlon

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I ESCAPED!!!

 

The tag line from DelmoSports for this race is so on point: 1 Boat, 1750 Athletes, Unlimited Smack Talk

 

I signed up to do Escape the Cape again because…

1. IT IS SO DAMN FUN

2. For a 50yr old, pleasingly plump, old West Point Woman Grad, this race is my Ranger School of endurance, perseverance and overcoming obstacles.

3. It makes me feel absolutely BAD-ASS

 

I went with ONE GOAL – An under 4 hour International Distance Race. It didn’t matter how I put it together; just that I put it together and get it done. No matter what the day threw at me…and for those that have followed my escapades – having a drama free race would be like finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The key for me is to not let any one challenge trip me up.

 

I had The FireMarshall – one of the members of Team Spectathlete – with me who always ensures that I am ready & calm. We get up at 3am and are out the door at 4 to get to the parking area. Spectators can’t get on the shuttles till 6am, so after he throws me out helps me get my gear out the car, Princess Cara and The FireMarshall are back asleep for a two hour nap.

 

I get to transition and get all set up to wait and get in line to board the boat. Time for selfies and group pictures with some BTA and MMTC folk -

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Finally it is time to board and get ready to do the damn thing. It was a beautiful morning, a tad windy and you could see the white caps on the water…people were mumbling about it and getting antsy. NOT LISTENING. I’m going to stand over hear on the railing and dance to the music and eat my snacks.

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Finally, three horns and we are off!

 

We were out and anchored in record time and I made my way down to the deck to line up to JUMP!

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I made my way to the front and….SUPAH STAR!!!!!

I was in the water before I knew it and the current was so fast I was away from the boat about 100 yards without taking my first stroke. It was pandemonium from then on…2 ft swells, people were panicking, paddle board and jet ski people were trying their darndest to keep people close to the buoys. Plenty of support, someone always asking if you were okay if you stopped. “Just keep swimming, you are doing great.” when I asked if I was going the right way. With the swells, it was damn near impossible to sight a buoy so I found the Ferry building and went for that. I told myself to ride the waves and let the current take me. The ability to breath bilaterally was definitely a lifesaver, but I did drink a little salt water. Really couldn’t be helped…stay calm and GET OUT THE DAMN WATER!!!

 

I ended up on the beach about a 100 yards from the exit and had to run down to the timing mat. WHEW. I looked at my Garmin and started laughing. I averaged 1:04/100yrs. ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME!! That was a fast but hellacious ocean swim. I’ll take it!

SWIM – 1 MILE: 29:13

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Transitions are LONG. From the swim out, it is about 500+yards to the transition area – through the sand, across a parking lot, through a grass path into T1. Not as long as the swim out to T1 at Chicago Tri, but still…DAMN playa! Could you make it just a little longer??

 

I get it on and get to moving. It is a fast, mostly flat course with a bridge you have to go up and over 2x for the only true hill, but the headwind!!!! SERIOUSLY. Most of the wind was mitigated by the community we went through but there is about 4 miles of just grind through the wind. That is when I decided this would be the best time to get all comfy with my aero bars, drop down a gear (or two) so I’m not working so hard and spin that byotch out till I was through it. I felt like I was crushing it on every single segment (except the climb on the bridge and the wind tunnel sections). I was happy.

 

I passed some ladies on the course and I know that look. I know that body position – shoulders slumped, slow cadence. They are tired, they are thinking WTF, when will it be over. I know, sister. I know. I know that I sometimes HATE IT when someone passes me and says something encouraging – I’m in my feelings and don’t want to hear your “encouragement” even if I need it, so sometimes I hesitate…but I say something anyway. Maybe a little humor and truth like – “You DO have this, YES YOU CAN!” I hope it was received in the spirit I meant it…truly I know and still I bring up the rear most times. What’s the difference. I’m doing better FOR ME than the last time. LET’S GO!

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BIKE – 25 MILES 1:41

Whelp…that salt water I drank, hit me the minute I racked my bike in T2. I took a knee and waited for the hurl. I grabbed my water bottle and swooned from nausea and was sure here it comes. PLEASE…let’s just do this sick thing and be done with it so I can get out there to run from the devil. I slowly started putting on my run gear, waiting for the nausea to pass and remembered I had a carbonated water in my bag. I took a few sips of that and my stomach started to settle. I put my RIP IT hat on and made haste for the run through purgatory.

That is exactly what it was. HOT AS FUGGING HELL. No shade. I knew that I had to do my best on the front 2.5 miles because on the return you had three sections of sand dunes/loose sand to dig through to get to that damn finish line. I don’t think I made much haste. There was a lot of walking. I was not prepared for the heat AGAIN. That first split was a speedy 17min pace and the second half was…I don’t want to talk about it.

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Running…yeah…gotta work on that.

RUN – 5 MILES OF HELL: 1:32

BUT DID I MEET MY GOAL? HELL YEAH!!!

Total Race Time – 3:59:08

YES I CAN! YES I DID! Knocked 6 minutes off my race time from 2015!

…AND THAT’S HOW WINNING IS DONE ~ Rocky Balboa

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Next up…the RIP IT Duathlon Challenge (Sprint/Oly Du back to back). YES I CAN.

 

P.S. Notice my lipgloss is still poppin’