I’ve spent a lot of time leading up to this race and finally I’m ready to tell you all the details!
The Day Before
Saturday before the race I slept in and then went on a 20 minute light run just to get my legs moving. I haven’t been running a ton so I just wanted to remind myself that I CAN run. I decided to head down to the West Side Highway path to check out the tri transition zone (which was set up but not yet open). Gave me chills!
I then had my favorite brunch meal, Eggs Benedict (hold the hollandaise) and then made my way back down to the transition zone to check in my bike.
For the NYC Tri you MUST bring your bike the day before. I always get the maintenance guys to do a check of my bike; greasing the chain, filling the tires and giving it a once over to ensure I’m all set for the morning.
Later that night I had my traditional pre-race meal of whole wheat pasta and grilled chicken, gathered all my tri gear, watched The Devil Wears Prada on Bravo and then was off to bed! I got in bed around 10:30 and had the worst sleep ever. I was wired and could not fall asleep. Eventually I fell asleep but when my alarm went off at 3:25am (yep, you read that right) it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. Luckily race day is filled with adrenaline so actual sleep is irrelevant.
Race Morning
I drank a small cup of coffee, put on my tats, braided my hair (I wear a french braid for every single race that I do), grabbed my gear and left my apartment at 4:05am.
I got to the transition zone around 4:20am (I’m so lucky to live just a few blocks from the race). On my walk I ate a Powerbar and sipped on water. I laid out all my gear and then stared at it for about 15 minutes just to assure myself that I hadn’t forgotten anything.
You want all your gear completely ready for when you get into transition. This means untying your shoes, un-velcroing your cycling shoes, unclipping your helmet, gloves and socks ready to pull on, etc. In the past I’ve forgotten to untie my shoes, it’s unnecessary wasted time in transition.
In transition I met up with a few of my tri buddies and together we walked up to the swim start around 99th and the river.
Swim Start
The walk to the swim start is over a mile and once there we had some time to relax (or rather, freak out), hit up the bathroom a few times, and do some hair braiding.
MM, his parents, my parents and Sara met up at the swim start to cheer me on. Having them there is so great and it’s fun for them as they can follow along the entire swim from the land and cheer me on.
While waiting I drank a little more water and ate ¾ a bag of Chomps. For a while I think I have all the time in the world to hang out before jumping in but then before you know it, we’re lining up and about to jump in the Hudson! The time seriously is moving slowly and then all of the sudden it’s like, AH RACE TIME!
We headed to the swim start and before I knew it, I was jumping into the Hudson! I tried to stay calm. It’s easy to panic in the murky water so I focused on finding my steady swim stroke. Every time I looked up I was headed in the wrong direction. The current is very strong in the Hudson and I wanted to stay where the current was at it’s strongest (closer to the Jersey side) but every time I looked up I felt like I was swimming into the wall. Eventually I found my calm stroke and started going straight (took about half the swim to get my sh*t together). The entire swim I thought I really messed it up and there was no way I’d PR in this race. I felt like I was moving in slow motion and wasting tons of time. By the time I hit the end of the swim I was pulled out and glanced down at my watch. I expected it to say 25 minutes but instead it said 16 minutes! What?? That is my fastest swim by almost 4 minutes. Thank you Hudson River current!!
I got a burst of energy and ran from the swim exit to my transition zone (which is a very long, barefoot and painful run). In transition I did my best to get my wetsuit off quickly and get onto my bike.
Oh wait, did I mention it’s been raining this entire time? Because it was! I was nervous to ride my bike in the rain but what choice did I have?
Bike Course
While riding out of Riverside I saw my cheering section again and flashed them a big smile. I was feeling good! The 26 mile course is pretty hilly. The continuous rain did not help. I had trouble seeing (rain in my eyes plus the water spraying at me from whatever bike I was behind, plus I couldn’t wear my sunglasses because it was too dark). The entire bike course I couldn’t decide if I was going faster than past years because the road was slick or slower because I was riding the breaks, trying not to skid out. Usually I really feel the hills on this course but this year the course didn’t feel hilly at all! I think it’s because of the Black Bear Triathlon which was basically up a mountain; this felt like nothing compared to that ride.
I ate one Gu at the beginning of the bike ride and then another Gu in the last couple of miles. I started to get stomach cramps and prayed they would go away by the run portion. I only drank about half a bottle of water on the entire bike ride. I wasn’t that thirsty or hot but tried to drink when I could. Typically you’d want to drink more than this but I tend to focus on the riding and not my hydration.
Finally I was back in transition, cutting my bike time from last year by 1 minute, woohoo!
Run Course
I had been thinking about my sopping wet shoes and socks during the entire bike ride and was nervous about blisters. I wish I had put my socks and shoes in a plastic bag in transition but oh well, I would have to do it in wet gear. I took a quick sip of water and was off! The weather at this point was perfect for running. The rain had stopped but it wasn’t yet sunny out.
I felt amazing! Well, I felt wet and heavy but amazing nonetheless. The run from Riverside to Central Park is hard, you’re just getting into the running motion but your legs feel like bricks. Along this portion I saw my friends and family and their amazing cheering gave me an extra boost.
And I saw my friend’s baby Jonah, how could this face not give you a burst of energy?
As I mentioned, I hadn’t really run that much in my training but I really was just feeling good. Around mile 3 I started to get hungry and tired and ate one more Gu. Along the 6.2 mile run I grabbed water at 2 water stations. It wasn’t hot out and I wasn’t thirsty so I skipped most of the water stations.
As I ran I cheered on fellow runners. I never know if they will find me encouraging or annoying, probably both. Whenever I ran near someone I would yell “looking good!” or “nice work!” or “keep going!” So…annoying or helpful?
As I finally made it around the park I again saw my friends and family going crazy on the sidelines. Soon enough the finish line was in my sights. I gave it a huge sprint and felt sooo good crossing the finish line.
This was my 5th NYC Tri and I’ve felt a variety of things at the finish line. Sometimes I feel horrible, exhausted and DONE and other years I’m still full of energy and excitement, this year it was the latter.
I checked my watch and was beyond excited and proud to see I had PR’d by 5 minutes.
Here were my final times:
- Swim: 16:53
- Transition 1: 6:15
- Bike: 1:29:49
- Transition 2: 1:48
- Run: 48:51
- OVERALL TIME: 2:42:34
After the race I had a BBQ to celebrate. Ya know what one of the hardest parts of the triathlon is? Getting these tattoos off! Didn’t have the time or energy before the BBQ so instead we rocked ‘em.
And there you have it, my 5th NYC Tri is in the books! I had an amazing time and want to give a big shout out to all my friends that trained and competed alongside me and a BIG THANK YOU to my friends and family who cheered me on. Couldn’t have done it without you guys!
