Wow, what a race! It was awesome and with one unexpected challenge. And, my fellow athletes included a senator and one of the most decorated Olympic swimmers in history!
I had more time and was much more organized getting my transition area set up this time around. Since I had to arrive to Nantucket via passenger ferry, I had had no choice but to pack only the essentials. Unlike the last time, we were allowed to warm up in the water which is critical for me to get my breathing regulated when I swim.
They actually started the race a few minutes before the official start and rapidly kept each wave starting in 3 minute intervals. So, while I was in wave 7 out of 8, we were being summoned to start before I knew it. Unlike the last time, I had thought about having flip flops for walking around prior to the start but at the last minute I realized my hat and sunglasses were still in hand -- I had forgotten to leave them in the transition area. I really needed at least the sunglasses for the rest of the race so at the risk of some penalty (I wasn’t really sure of the rules on this), I told Mike to put them on the ground near him so I could retrieve them. It’s amazing how just when you think you are organized, there’s something you overlooked!
Since it was low tide, we had to walk pretty far out to a sand bar where we would start. We were off – I began in freestyle and was happy that I didn’t go off course or hyperventilate like the last time. I swam about 70% of the course freestyle and flipped over on my back when I felt myself getting out of breath. In retrospect, I could have been more aggressive with my swim, but I wanted to make sure I exited the water in better shape than the last time. As I ran out of the water, I sliced a toe on a shell. It stung and I worried about how it might impact my run, but I forgot about it for the rest of the race. It was quite a long run back to the transition area. I felt good as I passed people exhausted from the swim.
Off on the bike, the course took me pass cheering and enthusiastic fans out to Madaket. I felt good as I passed people on expensive Felts and Cannondales with my entry level Raleigh! About a quarter of a mile into it, the skies started to get dark and lightening appeared in the distance. I so hoped the storm would blow away from the island. However, after making the U-turn, the sky really darkened and then opened up with an explosive downpour of buckets of rain and pelting hail! As the lightening got closer, I went faster until I approached town and the runners and bikers converged. It was mayhem! I couldn’t see or hear the race staff directing me which way to go on the course and I was navigating through some pretty deep, flash flood puddles.
As I transitioned into T2, the sky cleared as fast as it had darkened. My sneakers and gear were soaked but I made the transition and it didn’t seem to matter as I had to run through massive puddles on the course. Again, I felt good as I passed other runners and maintained a high energy level. Two other women and I high-fived three girls under the age of ten who were enthusiastic spectators. Feeling good, I picked up the pace. Coming down the long, home stretch to the finish line, I sprinted in, finishing at 1:45:38, 20 minutes better than my predicted time!
To put it all in perspective, the overall winning time was 1:02:55 and the last person to complete the race crossed the finish line at 2:48:50. Jenny Thompson, the former Olympian, finished with a time of 1:27:46. I’ll take being less than 18 minutes away from an Olympic athlete who is 5 years younger than me! Scott Brown, the Massachusetts senator, had an excellent race finishing overall in 50th place out of 763 total athletes at 1:18:24. Now, if he can just put his muscles to use to solve the nation’s debt problems we’ll be in good shape!
I had more time and was much more organized getting my transition area set up this time around. Since I had to arrive to Nantucket via passenger ferry, I had had no choice but to pack only the essentials. Unlike the last time, we were allowed to warm up in the water which is critical for me to get my breathing regulated when I swim.
They actually started the race a few minutes before the official start and rapidly kept each wave starting in 3 minute intervals. So, while I was in wave 7 out of 8, we were being summoned to start before I knew it. Unlike the last time, I had thought about having flip flops for walking around prior to the start but at the last minute I realized my hat and sunglasses were still in hand -- I had forgotten to leave them in the transition area. I really needed at least the sunglasses for the rest of the race so at the risk of some penalty (I wasn’t really sure of the rules on this), I told Mike to put them on the ground near him so I could retrieve them. It’s amazing how just when you think you are organized, there’s something you overlooked!
Since it was low tide, we had to walk pretty far out to a sand bar where we would start. We were off – I began in freestyle and was happy that I didn’t go off course or hyperventilate like the last time. I swam about 70% of the course freestyle and flipped over on my back when I felt myself getting out of breath. In retrospect, I could have been more aggressive with my swim, but I wanted to make sure I exited the water in better shape than the last time. As I ran out of the water, I sliced a toe on a shell. It stung and I worried about how it might impact my run, but I forgot about it for the rest of the race. It was quite a long run back to the transition area. I felt good as I passed people exhausted from the swim.
Off on the bike, the course took me pass cheering and enthusiastic fans out to Madaket. I felt good as I passed people on expensive Felts and Cannondales with my entry level Raleigh! About a quarter of a mile into it, the skies started to get dark and lightening appeared in the distance. I so hoped the storm would blow away from the island. However, after making the U-turn, the sky really darkened and then opened up with an explosive downpour of buckets of rain and pelting hail! As the lightening got closer, I went faster until I approached town and the runners and bikers converged. It was mayhem! I couldn’t see or hear the race staff directing me which way to go on the course and I was navigating through some pretty deep, flash flood puddles.
As I transitioned into T2, the sky cleared as fast as it had darkened. My sneakers and gear were soaked but I made the transition and it didn’t seem to matter as I had to run through massive puddles on the course. Again, I felt good as I passed other runners and maintained a high energy level. Two other women and I high-fived three girls under the age of ten who were enthusiastic spectators. Feeling good, I picked up the pace. Coming down the long, home stretch to the finish line, I sprinted in, finishing at 1:45:38, 20 minutes better than my predicted time!
To put it all in perspective, the overall winning time was 1:02:55 and the last person to complete the race crossed the finish line at 2:48:50. Jenny Thompson, the former Olympian, finished with a time of 1:27:46. I’ll take being less than 18 minutes away from an Olympic athlete who is 5 years younger than me! Scott Brown, the Massachusetts senator, had an excellent race finishing overall in 50th place out of 763 total athletes at 1:18:24. Now, if he can just put his muscles to use to solve the nation’s debt problems we’ll be in good shape!
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