Oh hi.
This report is way late. I have no excuse other than being lazy. Ha! Before I get started I have to apologize for the lack of pictures. You see, I had a Windows phone and I took a ton of pictures but then it took a crap and I had to get a new phone. On the one hand YAY iPhone, on the other hand no pictures from Scenic 17, boooooo. I have borrowed from a friend and from the tri’s website. From now on though, I’ve got photos coming out my ears for you guys!
After my really quick nap, another one of my Megan‘s and I headed out to Polk County, Florida, for the Scenic 17 Sprint Triathlon. There’s not a ton of city or touristy stuff in Polk County, but it is a really pretty, rural area. It’s got lots of rolling hills and tons of orange groves. Megan and I talked our faces off and the two hour drive zipped by.
We arrived at the race “host” hotel. Also known as Webber International University where we paid $25 to stay in dorms. In bunk beds! And we were totally in the RA (resident assistant) room. We had fun with that one. “No alcohol in your rooms!” “Keep your radios down!” I didn’t get a chance to ride my bike down the halls but I REALLY wanted to.
Webber has a triathlon team and that’s why they host this event every year. I would have loved to be on a tri team in college. If I were any good of course. Heh.
This sprint is either a 400 meter swim or a 600 meter swim. I have read conflicting versions of the distance I swam that day but since the race says it’s 400, let’s go with that. (I had a slow swim time so I’m thinking it was longer but maybe I just sucked at swimming that day. Totally possible.) The bike is a 15 mile loop with lots of hills. The run is a 5K that also features some hills.
Going into it, I was nervous about the hills on the bike because I haven’t really been training for them and I’m still getting used to gearing on my new bike. Of course, I think I figured out the gearing really well at this race. Nothing like “on the job” training.
After a lovely dinner with a group of fellow triathletes, we headed to bed and I fell asleep quickly. I was a little sore from the race the day prior but not as bad as I thought I would be. It felt like a long night of sleep but I kept waking up thinking I was going to sleep though my alarm. One of the best things about this race was that the transition is less than a few hundred feet away. We kept our bikes in the dorm room with us and just woke up and headed over to the transition and start. So easy.
The Swim
For some reason, I had zero desire to warm up. I just didn’t feel like it. I was in a good mood and since this was a “fun” race, I just waited for the horn and dove in with the rest of my race wave. Oh, and speaking of waves, there were all of THREE. I love a small race! There were only TEN women in my age group, FYI.
The swim was in a nice, cool lake and I got out in front and swam as hard as I could to get in front of the main pack. I did. But then, I got real tired. I think the swim from the day prior caught up to me because I was feeling really winded. I eased up a bit and made it around the semi-circle lake that was the swim course.
Swim Time: 8:33
Rank: 3rd
T1
At Top Gun, the day before, I had some terribly slow transitions. I did a little bit better here and it helped that the T1 wasn’t a billion miles away from the swim exit.
T1 Time: 2:13
Rank: 4th
The Bike
I was really looking forward to this ride. While I was anxious about the hills, having driven the course the night before I knew it would be challenging but manageable.
On the first few climbs, I got passed quite a bit. I finally figured out I had been gearing incorrectly on my new bike and managed to get it together after that. Yes, I am special.
As soon as I got up a hill, I’d be so excited to go screaming down it. I truly love the descents. I only got passed on a downhill once and the dude who passed me said, “It pays to be fat.” It was hilarious.
 |
| One of my favorite descents! |
I really enjoyed this course and looked around at how lovely this part of Florida is. It’s not often you get to ride actual hills in the pancake-flat state so it’s really nice to ride here. I wasn’t ready to quit riding when the turn back into the college came into view. I watched a woman in front of me take her feet out of her bike shoes and thought about how I need to learn to do that. It didn’t look too hard…
Bike time: 51:45
Rank: 5th
T2
Ok, so this was a debacle because my shoe lace came out of the speed lace thingy and I putzed with it for entirely too long. I wasn’t overly concerned because I reminded myself that this race was for fun, but still…sheesh!
T1 Time: 1:40
Rank: 8th
The Run
I didn’t realize this run had some hills so I was pleasantly surprised when I started running up them. It seemed to climb mostly on the way out so I knew the way back would have some great downhill running. I wasn’t too happy with my run from the race on Saturday so I really tried to push the pace on this run. I was hoping to catch some ladies from my age group on the run. Sadly, the top four women in front of me where so far out on the bike, I had zero chance of catching them with only three miles.
On the plus side though, I actually felt better on this run than I had at the race the day before. I can only assume it’s because my legs got more recovery time on the bike. Who knows.
Run Time: 24:49
Rank: 4th
Overall Time: 1:29
Rank: 5th (out of 10)
This was one of the most fun races I’ve ever done. I love doing Top Gun every year but this race was so different and quaint. I may have to do both from now on! Happy Monday friends. Congrats to all who raced this weekend. I’ll be stalking your reports.
It DOES pay to be fat on the downhills. That goes for running, especially.
I did Scenic 17 also! First time doing it, loved the big down hill also and would love to race it again. Not crazy about lake swims as they are my slowest! Maybe we can meet up next time. Jaclyn
Thanks for the race report, I was unaware of this race until just a few weeks ago (way too short notice for me to commit). I found the venue intriguing and the small size perfect for my lack of race experience. Perhaps I'll see you there next year.
Congrats on having an even BETTER race on day 2 than on day 1 – that is awesome! And I love hilly courses too, though I always get passed like I'm standing still on the descents.
Way to go lady! Two races in one weekend?! You my hero. 🙂
Nice job out there!
Good Job boB!
Bye bye windows PHONE! ick iPhone…we'll chat 😉
HOORAY FOR A REAL PHONE! 🙂
Good job out there, not dying and enjoying yourself and what not.
Too funny. I always tell people "this is when it pays to be fat" on downhills too. LOL. I think it's a Fat Guy Rule.
I 2nd Red's comment. Seriously? A windows phone???
Congrats on a solid race!
Nice job and strong run time after a hilly bike. So wish we could train together 🙂