Bridgeland Triathlon

This was my second year racing the Bridgeland Sprint Triathlon put on by OnUrmark Productions. I have mentioned them before, and I love their races. It was practically in my backyard so why wouldnt I do the race!!?? I like to consider the Bridgeland Tri as the "Championship" Sprint triathlon because everyone comes out to battle, throw down, and make it rain [pain]. The race even offers a little prize purse which motivates everyone a little more.

Hanging out before the start

The days leading up to the race were crazy busy with packet pickup being at my store, Tru Tri Sports. We saw over 1000+ athletes in the matter of 8 hours, so the store was slammed and I was left exhausted and sleeping like a baby the night before.  Sometimes you wonder where you get the energy from race morning, but no matter what, its time to race-- and the body just knows what to do!

Ready or not, here I come!

The race was offering primes, and knowing who my competition was I knew my only chance at a prime would be in the swim. I took this seriously and when the gun went off, it was time to GO. I knew I needed to put as much time in the swim on my other competitors as possible, knowing that they would catch me on the bike. I just kept repeating in my head "its time to go, you gotta GO". It worked. I was first female out of the water, winning the swim prime, and surprisingly feeling REALLY good. I always wish we could swim longer, and to my luck the swim ended up getting lengthened from 550m to 600m. My swim time was 8:08 or 1:21/meter pace. I was very happy with this, because I can finally see the translation between my pool swimming pace and my open water pace. Post-race I found my swim coach Tim Floyd of Magnolia Masters, and he couldnt of been any happier. Big Thanks to Tim for teaching me to be confident with my swimming.

In no less than 1 minute, we are off to our bikes and I can see teammate Sarah trailing not too far behind. I try not to look and see where everyone is because in reality its just "Go-time". 13 miles ahead of me and the goal was to not be afraid to push a little harder, and also to not let Michelle and Sarah creep too far ahead. Sarah passed me around mile 3 and Michelle finally caught up around mile 5. I just kept them in sight and played my own game. No matter what the race distance, you still have to always Race your own Race. Michelle ended up almost biking faster than the guys, so considering the beast she is, I was actually happy with my bike split. ha!

The Run was BRUTAL hot. The humidity was thick in the air the morning of the race due to some fabulous rain storms the night before. All the times were much slower than usual, but we stuck it out till the end. My run time was not the best but I reminded myself to not back down just because no one was near. I was battling some cramps in the last mile and I know it was because of my lack to drink on the bike. After finally dialing in my nutrition in the half-iron distance, I now know my cramps are totally dehyrdration related. Luckily we only had to run a 5k today!

Me and my ladies at the finish line. Another ORR podium sweep!

I finished the race in 1:03:30 which is actually the same time I did last year. This year however the race was slightly longer due to a lengthened swim and a different run course, so technically my time is a huge improvement. I was very happy with my race and I am looking forward to the rest of my season, as well as next year. Its always nice to share the podium with your favorite ladies. My coach and teammate are some mighty fine athletes, and we help push each other to be the best we can :)

It was a great weekend and there is nothing better than a hometown race and getting to hang out with all your friends. It was really nice to meet so many of you who follow me and share with me your journey of triathlon. Congrats to all the finishers, the PRs, and the first timers! You all are awesome!