i noted some good points about tri's in my last report but neglected to
present the other side.  so here's one opposing note -- how about
first-come, first-served transition zones that open at 5am, and pre-race
meetings at 7am?  how about getting up at quarter to 4 in the morning for
a race that's half an hour away?  at least it's nice and cool that hour of
the day.

for my early bird efforts, i scored the perfect spot for my bike in the
transition.  the lazy sun rose to show a blanket of thick fog over the
inlet, so thick that the promoters shortened the advertised 0.75 mile swim
to 0.5.  even so, it was difficult to make out the turnaround buoy from
the dock.  my wave was the 7th to go off, and as we waited for the 6th to
take off, thunder boomed in the distance.  too late to dash to my car and
roll up my windows, cranked down so my spare wheels' tubes wouldn't
explode in the heat promised later that day.  the sky looked pretty
threatening as my wave finally slipped into the water and waited for the
go, and indeed as we took off, rain began to beat the surface, and
lightening flashed.  i'd never swum in a thunderstorm before, and it was
pretty cool.  you can actually see the lightening underwater, only your
senses are a little messed up, so for a bit i thought i was martin sheen
in Apocalypse Now, getting strafed by tracer lights and shit.

meanwhile, my parents are onshore having an apoplexy, praying the promoter
calls off the race before their daughter gets KFC'd (that's Extra Crispy).

but the promoter stands firm, and we emerge from the water unscathed.  my
first transition is a minute faster than last week's, and i'm not too
chapped that my cycling and running shoes have filled with water.

i'm not expecting much from this race, after a hard training week.  my
legs have been pretty tired, and i've been sleeping like crap.  so me and
the bike go out easy.  the rain's still coming down hard, and we ride
through rivers.  the course is undulating, rarely flat, and i spend a lot
of time in my small ring.  what with the rain, and the unswept shoulders,
i see a lot of riders changing flats, and try to stay as far to the left
as is legal, which turns out to be convenient, because even in my relaxed,
measured state, i am flying by people.  if there's one thing slower than a
tri-geek on a zoomy, twisty downhill, it's a tri-geek on a WET zoomy,
twisty downhill. they're *creeping*!  corners get stuffed, cos
riders come to a complete stop.  meanwhile, my zipp 404's are slicing
every descent, and the time spent scrutinising lance's cadence in the
mountains reaps some benefits on the climbs.

when i pull into the transition again, the rain has stopped.  T2 goes less
smoothly than T1 -- i have some Bike Racking Issues, where my mind goes
blank and i forget how i got my bike up on that rack in the first place.
then i realise my running shoes are on the other side of the rack, and i
duck underneath to fetch them, forgetting i've still got my helmet on, and
i ring my bell pretty hard.  good thing i'm wearing a helmet!

the run, as it seems to do regularly, sucks.  it's out and back, along
272, and the crown of the shoulder on which we're running is steep enough
that, like a true traildawg, i run in the grass and gravel alongside on
the way out. it's boring as all-get-out, and so humid that you're pouring
sweat. i feel less gnarly after a mile or so, but there are still a
gazillion places i'd rather be.  i pass a bunch of people, some people
pass me, and when i cross the line i feel like i've raced a smooth race,
not killing myself but being conservative and, except for cracking my head
on the rack, coordinated.

the unofficial results have the winner of my age group coming in with a
time 3 min slower than the time on my watch.  i'm puzzled, but chalk it up
to hitting the wrong buttons on my timex.  we stick around for the awards
ceremony, and when laura lu herman is called up for 3rd place in my age
group, i know something's up, for i passed her on the run.  2nd place is
called, and i am antsy-pantsy, and then it's me!!  i'm 1st out of 47 in my
age group, and 6th out of 200 women overall!  my parents and i go out to
the cracker barrel to celebrate.