Long Beach Tri 2013

Long Beach Triathlon 2013 Official Results

Finish Time 1:46:52

Swim- 21:45 T1- 4:01 Bike- 4352 T2- 1:51 Run- 35:25

Placed 9/17 Athenas and 516/610 overall

Just finished a .5 mile swim, 11 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run!

Today I finished my third Long Beach Sprint Triathlon and I raced to a personal record by 5 minutes!  After having been on a "no exercise" order for over two weeks I tried to make the most of the 10 days I had to prepare for the triathlon since I didn't sign up until I found out I wasn't pregnant.  I had to rely on muscle memory and was able to pack on some muscle and lose over a percent of body fat before the race.  Whenever Dan and I come to a difficult point in our infertility/adoption journey I react in one of two ways:  take a fabulous and exotic vacation or compete in a physically changing race.  It feels good to be able to do things that I generally wouldn't be able to do if I were pregnant.

Beautiful pre-race sunrise!

We arrived in Long Beach in the dark early morning hours and watched a beautiful sunrise as I headed out to the starting line.  Unlike last year's rough surf and thick fog, the ocean water was glassy and the skies were clear.  Dan was my cheer/support squad this year and did a great job motivating me and taking pictures.

Dan, my biggest fan!

The swim went well although I realized that I need to swim closer to the pylons.  Towards the end of the .5 mile swim I swam right into a huge kelp bed and totally freaked out.  The lifeguard on the surfboard next to me must have gotten a good laugh as I screamed "Eweee!  Gross!   Yuck!"  Given the better swim conditions I did finish the swim 3-4 minutes faster than last year.

Traditional pre-race warrior pose!

Right before the race start!

I raced in the Athena/Clydesdale division again this year which I love!  I would say that the majority of the competitors at this race were young in-shape people in their 20s.  It was fun to race with a huge variety of people who are just out there to set goals and accomplish them.  

I was able to improve my transition time from the swim to the bike by a whole minute which was something that I had focused on.  The run from the beach to the transition area through heavy sand is one of the more difficult parts of the triathlon.  

The bike portion of the race was my biggest improvement.  I completed it two minutes faster than last year.  Dan had taken me to work the hills in Chino Hills and I want to do some more hill work to improve my bike time even more next time.  

I did not complete any training runs or practice swims before this triathlon and I could tell.  I was in good physical condition because of my work in bootcamp but I lacked the endurance that I needed to improve my time in that area.  I did feel MUCH better physically than my 3 mile run in last year's triathlon and I probably could have pushed myself a little harder.  I competed 50 pounds lighter than what I weighed in last year's triathlon.  I wore the same trisuit - check out my comparison pics:

Long Beach Tri 2013 - 194 lbs

Long Beach Tri 2012 - 245 lbs

Miss Lena stayed with Grandma and Grandpa since she wasn't feeling too well with a cold.  When I got home from the race she loved wearing my new race medal.  I am excited that I was able to meet my goal to set a personal record today and to have a fun experience in the midst of a personal trial.  (I miscarried our little baby from our August transfer the day before the race.)  I am looking forward to being in Long Beach again next month to race the Long Beach Half Marathon.  Time to start putting some miles on my new Nike's!