Monday, September 17, 2007
New York Metro Danskin #8
Sitting in Concourse A, Gate 10, Newark Airport, and waiting for my plane to board...and I am filled to the brim with satisfaction and ready to celebrate a job well done! The news that I won my age group makes this last Danskin of the Season all that much sweeter. I made a list of all the people that have helped me along the way and in two minutes had over 40 people.... wow! Your love and support made alllll the difference....
Dark arrival at 5:15 AM at Sandy Hook State Park, New Jersey
Swim Time: 10:08
It was shorten due yesterday's rough waters when they laid out the markers. It felt more like a 1/3 mile swim.
I had alot of traffic in the first fifty meters, one woman swam over me and went off tangent to the right. I did hear her apologize...
that's when I wondered just where she was going. I once again nailed the two tangents and actually hit two of the buoys.
I got my first taste of briny salt water, the flavor stayed with me until my first drink of water on the bike, it was the only lasting effect of the salt water.
Water was warm, didn't really need the wet-suit, yet it felt great getting out of the warm water into the chilly morning air.
There were also rolling waves coming into the bay from the north, remembered my open water swim with Dean in stormy weather in
Wyoming and felt perfectly relaxed about the conditions. Had only four stretches were I could really open up my swim stroke and put my head into the water to really stroke.
T-1: 1:50
About a 200 meter run on rough blacktop then into the sandy transition area. I was racked on a Wave 3 - 4 rack... some bikes were already gone from previous wave as I was in Wave 4. This was good as it kept me in my sprint mode...
Bike: 31:11 Pace: 21.1 mph
Bumpy road for the first mile, complete with a 10 foot wide gravel patch. I was continuously passing people. My phrase, "Good job and On your Left." Felt that I passed everyone in my age group by the turn around, including one woman who I picked out at the swim line up as a fast swimmer. Had to gear down for the return ride back into the wind, felt my quads and turned up my RPM as a result.
T-2 : 1:15
As I put my shoes on I said to myself, " OK, get them on nice and tidy..."
Run: 23:29 Pace: 7:34
And then in the first 1/4 mile, my right foot was numb... hmmm too tight due to the extra taping and laced down shoes...
I am not stopping due to coming in second place in Seattle by 4 seconds to a “ghost competitor” in a different wave. While I was checking into the other parts of my body, when I refocused on my right foot, the funniest thing happened...my toggle worked itself loose! Well then, that took care of the numbness, now I had a shoe that felt too loose. I again reminded myself of those four seconds in Seattle, and decided that as long as the sole of my foot was protected from the rough blacktop, I could run with a loose shoe. The first mile - mile and half did feel slow to me, not much in spectators, just lots of pine trees and sandy beach land.
Kept picking up my pace as the 5K progressed. Not many women in front of me to sight and catch up to, I did pick out a few fast women running in the opposite direction, I did pass one last women in the final 1/4 mile. My hamstrings started to tighten up... had to let up a wee bit.
The finish line!!! Wow!!!
Decided to really hop around and dance after the finish line!!! YEAH!!
Overall Time: 1:07:54 1st Place Age Group and 21/1303 overall
I dedicated this race to all the women of Team Survivor who I have gotten to know this summer.... and I was filled with so much happiness and life.
We are an amazing group of women, it truly has been the best thing to come out of having cancer... my life is the better for having walked this journey and sharing it with Team Survivor women....
Special Note:
The women of Tri-State Team Survivors are wonderful! I was hosted by Amy Spiegel, who continued to check in with me before I arrived, gave me directions the entire weekend, explained New Jersey’s “jug handles” for turning left, and connected me with her teammates. Over 30 members shared a fun pre race night of Italian Food, great discussions and even serenading, or was it swooning? I do hope a contention from Tri-State Team Survivor makes their way out to Denver next July for the Denver Danskin...and we will have to find a singing tenor for dinner too!
I will submit another entry this week regarding my overall thoughts of the Series... I am still percolating these thoughts, need a good bike ride to
help them gel....
