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Date/Location: |
6/9/19, Rancho Seco Park, Herald, CA |
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Distances: |
1.5km S – 10km R Aquathon |
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Time: |
1:41:02 |
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Place: |
2nd Female |
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Teammates: |
TeamMates/Friends: Troy Soares, Troy Outman (Aquabike), Ariel (Kids Tri), Dave Campbell, Keith Hansen, Tony Marengo, David Slothower (Aquabike), Tiana Rockwell |
SWIM
I get my wetsuit on and am excited to race. I get in the water with my dad. We both get water inside are wetsuits so they are easier to take off. I do a small warm-up swim. And then watch my dad take off in the swim. He is doing the full Olympic distance and I am only doing the Swim & Run of the Olympic distance.
After a little bit, it is my turn to swim. I am very excited and nervous at the same time. The announcer counts down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. I take off. I feel good but I know there's a long swim ahead. I try to draft but everyone is mostly ahead. I focus on the first orange guide buoy. Troy Outman told me it's better to go on the right side of the guide buoy because it’s a shorter distance.
There is a lot of seaweed underneath us but it soon disappears after a while. I finally get to the orange guide buoy and focus on getting to the first turn buoy. I am catching some people in the heats before me. I keep swimming and get closer to the turn buoy. When I get to the turn buoy, I go around it and head for the second guide buoy. We are on the other side of the lake and I start to see more seaweed. I mostly stare at the seaweed and swim. I look up to make sure that I am going the right way and not swimming into people too.
It is a long swim and I finally get to the second orange guide buoy. There is one more guide buoy until I get to the 2nd white turn buoy. The swim is peaceful and I enjoy it. The seaweed disappears and appears underneath me. It looks like mountains and mountains of seaweed. All of the sudden I feel my cap ripping. I know though that it can’t fall off because of my goggles. I try to draft behind some people and swim next to them.
I get to the white turn buoy and head back to shore. I try to draft behind someone but they keep zigzagging. They are on my left and then there on my right. I am now in the middle of the lake and can’t see any seaweed. The sun has started to shine and I see sunlight rays shooting through the water. I pass the last and final guide buoy and I am now close to the shore. As we get closer I can see some more seaweed. I can now see my Mom and sister waiting on shore for me. I see them but I don’t think they can see me. As I get closer to shore the seaweed gets closer. The seaweed stops though and it is all sand now. I swim a little farther and than get up and start to run. When I am out of the water, I take off my wetsuit, cap, and goggles. I run to transition and get my running gear on. I start to put my race belt on but it is all tangled. I finally get it untangled and take off.
RUN
My Dad said that I should give it a good effort and to try to get 7:30 pace. I am running and feel good. I am running on a dirt path and it is hot. I don’t feel the heat much though. I see a lady up ahead. I think she's the one I met in transition, Liz. Up ahead I also see the aid station. I get water and drink it. The last bit I pour on myself. I continue running and start to feel a cramp in my lower stomach. I keep running because there is nothing else to do.
I run up and down the hills and keep my eye on the girl. I am slowly gaining on her. I also see an aid station up ahead. I start to eat my gel so when I get to the aid station I can drink water to wash it down. After running for a while I pass the lady and we say good job to each other. We are at the aid station and I grab water. I drink it and throw the rest on me. I am running on a gravel road now. My stomach is not getting better and it is uncomfortable.
I start to run downhill on a road. At the bottom is the turnaround. As I am running my stomach hurts a lot and I walk for a second. I try to stretch my stomach cramp but I can’t seem to stretch it at all. I start to run again. I see a lady in front coming back from the turnaround. I think I can catch her but my stomach cramp is not letting me go super fast. I get to the turnaround and turn. The lady in front of me has already turned back onto the gravel road. I start to run up the hill and see the lady behind me. She has spider webs stuck to her back dangling behind her. I wonder how they got connected. I run up the hill and I turn onto the gravel road at the top. I check my watch and am surprised to see that I am going 7:20 min pace. I try to keep up the pace. I see the aid station ahead from before but before I get to it a sign says to turn onto a trail. The trail is windy and I don't enjoy it too much. I can see the finish area over the lake. It looks a long way away. As I am running I see a bunch of spider webs dangling everywhere. So that's how she got the webs on her. I get some on me as I run.
I walk one more time and then the trail ends. I am at the aid station on the gravel road. I grab some water and drink it. I then turn onto another trail and there are a ton of spider webs. I duck underneath them. Or at least I try. I run on the trail and go across mini bridges. I have to walk sometimes. The lady behind me catches me and tries to help me out. She tells me to keep walking. I keep walking even though it's starting to really hurt. I walk and run but stop a lot and sit. I get in some shade and stay there. It is too painful and hurts really bad. I ask God for help. After a while, a man comes around the corner. He is a race official who was out running the run. He comes over and I tell him that I am hurting. He starts to help me up but I start to throw up. It is uncomfortable. He looks at my bib number and tells me he will get the truck. He leaves and I throw up a few more times. I lay in the shade and am still hurting but the pain starts to lessen. After awhile I feel better.
I start to walk and then I start to run. I run along the trail. I then start to see someone running towards me. It is Liz who passed me earlier after I had passed her. She had heard from one of the officials I guess. She asks if I'm ok and I say yes. I thank her and she says, “I can’t let someone faster than me finish behind me.” I tell her that is sweet. We run together and I see an aid station up ahead and I see my Mom there too. I get there and she tells me to get water and I do. I found out my Mom heard the news on the radio and ran to the first aid station. I keep running and Mom follows behind so she isn’t like a pacer. I see me Dad running towards us because he is doing the Olympic distance and starting the run. My Mom quickly explains why she's running with me and we continue on. I also see Troy Outman who is racing. He cheers me on.
We are getting closer and I try to run fast. My stomach is hurt a teensy bit which holds me back from going really fast. I start to run on the grass and the finish is just ahead. I get to the road and run though. I point to the lord because kept me stable in it all. I get checked out by a medical person afterward. I am fine and said I had heat exhaustion. Thanks to the Lord I still got 2nd because my friend, Liz, who helped me out. She finished 3rd.
Praise The Lord For He Is Good, His Love Endures Forever!