2011 Keuka Lake Tri Race Report

Keuka Lake Tri.. was one of the best days of my life. Not because it was beautiful out. Not because the race is an amazing event. Not because Mary was race announcing. Not because I saw so many wonderful friends racing, volunteering, and cheering. Not because my parents came to watch. Not because I finished the bike with a huge smile on my face.

Not because I won.

But because all of this happened. On one day. To me.

I needed it.

Honestly, I think the details are a little monotonous. It was a sprint. We swam .46 miles and I pushed it.. came out of the water in the front of my wave. I hammered the bike (13.8 miles) and passed the one girl that was ahead of me. After that I saw no one else from the sprint. I hit the run (5K) and gave it what I could. I crossed the line, and that was it. I won the race!

one of my favorites, Dad was a little too quick
with the camera.. that is my foot though!

Swim: 14:23, 1:55 pace
T1: 1:12
Bike: 39:17, 19.1 mph
T2: 1:04 (this was slow, I couldn't get my bike back on the rack)
Run: 23:57, 7:44 min/mile
Overall: 1:19:53

favorite cycling picture ever!

This is my first win ever! I AM SO EXCITED! But I'm not quite there yet. In a competitive field ( which this was not) I will always get toasted. I need a better swim, and a better run split. Mary thinks (and I agree) that I am better suited for short course racing. I am already planning a year off of Ironman next year (for my sanity) and I think a good goal would be to focus on short course speed (and also, just have some FUN!).

Some highlights from the race:

I think perhaps I wasn't running hard enough if I was able to scream "wooooooooooooooooo!" at the top of my lungs at all of the teammates/friends that I saw. But I just LOVE cheering them on!

I saw 2 of my favorite Train-This alums - Jeremy and Glenn before the race so I talked to them for a while (and then my parents showed up and joined us!). They are 2 of the nicest guys I know.

I made 2 new friends, Sandy and Tim, who I then facebook stalked when I got home!

My friend Matthias did his first tri in a few years - he did great!

Greg had a superb race as well!

EVERYBODY DID AWESOME!

Greg, me, Matthias post-awards

Sticking around for awards is always one of my favorite things. Even if I don't get an award, I like to cheer for people who do. Especially people who are really proud of how they did, or are getting an award for the first time, or made a huge improvement in their racing ability and are rewarded with a medal!

lounging in the grass with Mary and Will

After the race, the lunch, the awards, I hung out with Mary and Will Mitchell (brother and sister). I have known them for a few years because I see them at various tris. They are both awesome, fun, and hilarious! I also met Tim Dwyer who is a marathoner that I've heard of but never met. I ended up drinking a beer, watching a squirrel plot to steal a cookie, and just lying in the grass chatting for probably 1.5-2 hours. It was an amazing end to an amazing race!

the squirrel spies the cookie, perched on Mary M's wheel

THE SQUIRREL GETS THE COOKIE!