My Big “A” Race-IM 70.3 AUGUSTA

September 27, 2015

RACE DAY!!!!

I actually did not sleep well, mostly because I was concerned that I would oversleep. My alarm

sounds at 4 am, but I was already awake. Brandi and I chat for a bit and finally get up to start collecting our things. I realize that I had not applied my “tri tats” so I grab wet paper towels and apply the “44” and the M-dot (the Ironman brand) to each calf. As I check my handy work, I realize that I applied the “44” vertically and not horizontally…don’t judge, it was 4 am…lol I begin to laugh at myself and shared my blunder with Brandi, she offers to apply my arm tats and I agree to apply hers.

Tat blunder #2, I forgot to remove the backing from one of Brandi’s sets and it stuck to the paper. I actually cried about that one, I felt so bad. I apologized profusely and her reply “we’re TriTwins, so since your shoulder is taped and you have to write your bib number on the KT tape, just write on my arm.” Reason number 1, 345, 298 why I have the best TriTwin ever.

We head down to meet Richard and Carlos to head over to transition; I could not shake the feeling that I was forgetting something.  As we got closer to transition I see a lady take a drink from her water bottle and boom… ALL OF OUR BOTTLES were in the refrigerator at the hotel. I immediately share my revelation with Brandi and Richard and he reassures us that he will get our hydration…no worries. He returned with bottles before I was satisfied with my transition set up.

 The Start

The Best. Husband. Ever!

I was very emotional as we headed down to the swim start and very happy that my family was there. I hug and kiss my husband, hug my father and stepmother who flew in from Indiana to watch me race, and hug my daughter, Tiara. They were all wearing the shirts I designed with my bib on the front. We snapped a few pictures and continued our way to the start. Dorian took so many pictures and captured some candid moments, many of them caught Brandi and me crying.

The Swim:

I line up with my wave and see Veronica Wright; she has such a sweet spirit. She shares that “everyone” is there and she will point them in our direction so we can see them before we start. Before I know it here comes a portion of the Black Triathletes Association Support Crew-Valerie, Tasha Mack, and Tony. We hug, take pictures, and I line up with my swim wave. Janelle, my soror is volunteering! Dee, is racing and is in my wave. I was really happy to see them too. BTA was rolling deep in Augusta!

As we walk to the dock, I am really having a good time, just being silly. We make it down to the dock and I get into the water to fill my wetsuit and wait for the gun. Some chick says to me “move over.” I reply “no, I was here first, you walk down and find a spot.” She scoffs and stands there. I shrug and I inform her “you better not jump on me.” She walks away. The gun goes off.

I hang back as my wave starts and allow others to go, I still am not comfortable swimming with the pack. Once things clear a bit I start my stroke; after about 8 strokes I suck in water, panic, and flip on my back. “Okay, get your shit together, Elle.” I flip back over after a couple of minutes and hear Carlos say “buoy to buoy!” I nod and begin to swim…buoy to buoy. I finally settle in and all of a sudden something I feel something touching my foot. Shit, it was the wave behind me…the men! I was so afraid of them swimming over me that I kicked a little harder when someone touched me and my stroke was a little wider. I did that for a while and the rest of my swim was uneventful. I exit the swim. Yes!!!

Goal: 41:00 Actual: 44:25

I'm Out!!

T1: Swim to bike-8:49

OMG, the run from the swim exit to transition was so long. My legs felt heavy but I felt good. I spotted the wetsuit strippers and they had my suit off in seconds…that was fun. I run to my bike and change into my gear. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. My helmet felt weird, it was on backwards. My hands were shaking. I begin sipping on Infinit and head towards the bike exit. Oh shoot, my Garmin was still on my wrist. I take it off, put it on the bike and off I go.

The Bike:

I LOVE THE BIKE. LOVE THE BIKE. I felt so good. I had a strategy for my nutrition and how I would tackle this 56 miles. I set my Garmin to alert me when it was time to drink and I would take it easy on the hills. I had an idea of the course, I rode it during the summer. I had reviewed the YouTube video of the course, and I reviewed the course sheet Brandi made for us.  I slowed down my pace; I knew what was waiting for me…DISRESPECTFUL HILLS!

Mentally, I clustered the 56 miles into 5 sets of 10…plus 6. After every 10 I would say out loud “Elle, you have 4 more sets…3 more sets…etc.”  I was passed… a lot. I passed… a lot. I got tickled when I called out “Elle on your left.” I cursed the hills, I remember crying around mile marker 44 as I rode through the Wounded Warriors memorial, and I remember smiling as I saw Janita around mile marker 50. I had a good time.

Goal time: 4:15:00. Actual: 4:07:22

T2: 4:41

I was still feeling so good; I was diligent with my nutrition and finished my bottles (Infinit Custom Blend). My legs felt heavy, but I wasn’t concerned, the feeling was familiar. I changed my shoes, grabbed my hand held water bottle, and visor.

The Run: 3:22:20

I am not a fan of running, but I am happy because this is the last leg. I see Richard and Carlos; Richard shouts out words of encouragement and shares where my family and BTA are located on the course. Richard also shares my time and that Brandi is about 15 minutes ahead of me. I ask Richard and Carlos to get away from me because I don’t want a penalty, they drop back.

The run course feels flat and it is lined with spectators, everyone is cheering. It was amazing. I start my 3:1 intervals and they lasted all of 4 miles, after that, the fun was gone and the misery began shortly thereafter.

Mile 7sh, I check my time and I am on pace to finish in about 8:20:00ish, but then it happens, “The Gush” happens. The freakin’ Gush of urine. I pee on myself. I am mortified because I did not feel the urge to go. I run to a port o potty, struggle with clothes, the flood gates open, I struggle with clothes again. I feel so relieved. I can’t believe I didn’t know I had to pee. I continue on my run and grab water at the aid station and douse my girl bits. Shoot, now my shoes are wet. I am worried about the time I lost.

I see my husband and he calmly says, “baby, you need to pick up the pace” (or something like that). I reply, “okay, it’s time to finish this shit.” I remember Melana, Diana, and several other BTA folks began to chant, “finish this shit! Finish this shit. I smiled. I love my BTA Family.

I change my watch to the time of day vs. elapsed time; this gave me a better understanding how much time I had. I remember thinking “Elle, you have to keep a 15 min/mile.” I pray. I actually beg for strength to push.  I remind myself “you need to finish by 4:36pm. You can do this. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Don’t DNF.” I see my dad and Jessie; they are ringing the cowbells and cheering. I see Carlos and I ask him how much longer until the finish. He explains the last bit of the course and I yell for him to get away, I cannot afford a penalty. He moves…I think.

I finally pass the finish line…again heading into the final loop. I pass the Marriott…the aid station, turn the corner, and another, then I see the finish chute. I look at my watch. I run a little faster. I give high 5s. I begin to cry. I cross the finish. I see Brandi and she puts my medal on. I am done. I am done. I see my baby girl, T’Lai, my son, Christopher, and Lai’s friends. I cry more. I am so excited. So tired. I am finished. This is how my story ends.

Goal finish time 8:29:59  Actual: 8:27:37 (I actually had to finish the entire course 8:30:00 or I would have been received a Did not Finish...DNF)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my Infinit custom blend is the best. Other than sucking on an orange slice to taste something different and a couple cups of water, Infinit was my only source of nutrition once I got on the bike. Prior to my swim, I used 3 scoops of UCAN. The only issue I had was a side stitch heading into the final couple of miles on the run.

THE RACE!

If you missed my post detailing the events that leading up to "The Race" please check it out.

THE SWIM: (goal: Under 20 minutes and I did not want to float on my back UNLESS it WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY)

As Frances and I were waiting for our wave to start, a gentleman approached us, we learned that this was his first open water triathlon. (I will not share his name, you will understand why in a moment. I will refer to this gentleman as "Sir"). Frances and I were both excited for Sir and talked about how he should join Black Triathletes Association and offered him encouraging words.  Sir reveals to us that he has never swam in open water; my stomach turned a bit for him. With this knowledge, Frances encouraged Sir to go talk to Derrick since Derrick learned to swim last year. Sir walks off and heads to Derrick. They appear to chat and Sir made his way to the back of the women's start wave. I thought that was odd since the men's wave was to start before ours. Anyway, I stopped with my concern for Sir, and said a prayer. 

No, we were not discussing "Sir."

As the women's wave inched closer to the start, I happened to turn around (I don't know why) and I see Sir standing with our wave, I say to him "Sir, are you starting with us, your wave is gone?" He replied "Yes." I shrug and smile. However, the race director signals him to start. Sir makes his way down to water. He steps in. He steps out. He steps in. He lunges forward into his stroke, arms flailing about. I gasp. He stops. Stands up. Goes underwater. I hear the race director yell "Hey!" Sir starts swimming under water and next thing you know he is coming out. Praise God. I'm happy Sir was okay, but I'm sure he was emboosticated getting out of the water with the entire women's wave watching him. However, I'm happy he checked his ego and got his butt out of that water.

Just a word of friendly advice to all who are considering tri-ing, please don't let race day be your first time swimming in open water. 

Out of the water

The women’s wave finally starts and I hang back and to the right of the others, although the start did not appear as chaotic as I thought it would be. I immediately begin my "stroke, breathe, sight rhythm"-1.2.breathe.4.5.breathe.7.8.sight. (Repeat) I feel good and actually catch and pass a few people. As I get closer to the first buoy I pause, there is a kayak stopped because a male athlete had started to panic. I felt bad for him, but I started swimming again and made my way around the buoy. "Yes, 3 more to go" I thought. As I continued my way to the second buoy, something strange happened, I started catching mouthfuls of water every time I turned to breathe. "WTF??!!" I thought. I didn't panic, I stopped and started doing the Tarzan drill (swimming with my head above water...thanks Coach Richard) just to try and relax, but keep moving forward. I try to get back into my rhythm and again, a mouthful of water. Finally, I say to myself "turn your head more towards the sky, dummy..." During all of this drama, I was either pushed a bit off course by the current OR I don't swim straight because I had to change directions slightly. I correct and settle back in to my rhythm, buoy #3 was on my left. My heart was beating with excitement and I could feel myself fighting the urge to smile. "Stay focused, Elle. Keep the last green buoy in front of you.” I was so excited because I could see the finish. I could see the volunteer in the yellow shirt. Next thing I knew, I was passing the 4^th buoy and shortly after, he was telling me to stand and extending his hand to help me up. I declined. I felt strong and trotted out of the water to cheers. I smiled all the way to transition.  I was so excited. I did not float on my back! I finished that damn swim.

SWIM TIME: 00:19:48 (12 seconds faster than my goal.)

Transition (T-1)

I was very emotional finishing that swim, I cried, but no one knew because my face was wet. lol My legs felt like they had cement blocks tied to them but I trotted. The spectators were ringing cowbells and cheering. I saw Andre, one of the volunteers who encouraged me prior to the race, and gave him a high 5. Then it happened, I saw my husband in transition, what a welcomed sight, I was smiling …big time!!! I successfully got myself out of my wetsuit, changed into my cycling gear, and it was time to ride. T-1 00:02:40

THE BIKE: (goal: 1:00:00)

The bike is my favorite of the three sports, although it does give me a little anxiety because I worry about mechanical failures like a flat tire. In addition, I had a dream a few nights prior that I mounted my bike before the mount line, this caused me a little anxiety. BTW, I didn't mount before the line. Anyway, I said a prayer in transition and kept it moving.

I felt good once I started and I remembered what Coach Mari taught me and my Irons In the Fire teammates about the importance of taking in our nutrition on the bike. She also had us perform a “sweat test” to determine how many calories we needed to take in per hour. With that knowledge, and the fact that I have trained using my nutrition, I felt confident that I would be in good shape on the bike and made a plan to drink every 10 minutes. Although my plan to drink every 10 minutes was was a solid one, I did not consider how I would keep track...hmmm. Yes, I had my Garmin 920XT and I’m sure I could have changed it where I could view the clock, but I did not dare touch any button (other than the “lap” button when I reached transition) out of fear of messing with my data. Lmao... whatever...lol  With that, the only thing I could do was guess, not perfect, but it was something. 

Off the bike

The ride course was nice, I really enjoyed it. Although I thought the description "rolling hills" was a bit misleading, I enjoyed it. (SN: one woman's hill, is another woman's mountain.) I felt great and passed a few folks and got passed by others. I started to get a little bored around mile 7 and started playing "pick a target." Pick a target is a game I play with the voices in my head. The object is to catch the person in front of you. My first target was "Orange shirt" simply because he was the only person in front of me. I inched my way closer to him, the hills slowed him down a bit and I was able to catch and pass on the down hill. I stayed in front of him the whole time. He drafted for a bit and I noticed this maroon PT cruiser slow down next to us, I think it was a referee and he may have gotten a penalty. I think he believed the same thing because he backed off and I did not see him until he made it back to transition. I passed a couple more folks and then there were the yellow shirts telling me to dismount. As I make my way back to transition, there he was, my husband. 

BIKE TIME: 1:05:01 (5 minutes, 1 sec slower than my goal).

Transition 2 (T-2)

Dorian is cheering me on...well talking shit. "C'mon Martindale, speed it up." Me-in my head: "What? Shut up!" I rack my bike, toss off helmet while kicking off shoes. Stop. Sit down and I hear Dorian say "What? What are you doing sitting?" Me-in my head: "what the hell does it look like, putting on running shoes." Anyway, I get my shoes on,  get up, stretch, and grab hand held bottle. I’m out. T-2: 00:01:50

THE RUN: goal 00:42:00

Heading out for the run

Bike legs. Lawd have mercy, bike legs. My quadriceps were burning, I swear they were bleeding. Just imagine your thighs being on fire. Now imagine those fiery thighs with cement blocks wrapped around them with plastic wrap. Yep, bike legs…lmao

I felt really good as far as my energy, but those legs...oooh.  I started off with intervals for the 1st mile, it took that long for my legs to feel better. While I ran, I heard Coach Mari telling the Irons group to try and "clear the peg" when we ran. So, in an effort to distract myself from my fiery, cemented thighs, I focused on form and clearing the peg. Yeah, that worked for all of 5 minutes...lol

Overall, I really did like the run course, it was flat (flat for Georgia) and it was nice to see all of the athletes that offered so much support during the swim. I saw Derrick and he said something like "go get it" or something and I replied thank you. Lol. I saw Frances and she said "you look strong." I saw Tiffany and the other ladies that were in my transition area and they all were so excited for me and I was excited for them. I received several compliments on "THE KIT" and complimented others on theirs. Everyone just seemed to be having a great time, I know I was even if my thighs were internally hemorrhaging...lol

I finally reach the turn around and for some reason I experienced this rush of energy, maybe it was my "runner's high" because I felt good running. Maybe it was because I knew that I had less than 15 minutes before I would see the finish line. I'm not going to say that all the stars aligned and the burning in my thighs resolved, but it was not as intense and I was comfortable. I wanted to finish strong, so I did not push until I heard the sweet sound of music and cowbells. I picked up my pace, and made sure I "cleared the peg." Next thing I know, there was Andre the volunteer. Andre shouted, bring it on it, you look so strong! He seemed genuinely excited to see me and ran with me for a bit, just before I crossed the finish line. RUN TIME: 00:40:02 (00:01:58 faster than my goal)

The Results:

I make my way over to transition to see my husband so he would know I was finished. He got stuck volunteering in transition so he did not see me finish. We chatted as I gathered my things so we could take them to the car. As we were headed to the car, I looked for Derrick and Frances so I could congratulate them on their race and to take a few more pictures to share with the BTA group. I saw Derrick first and he shared that Frances won 3rd place in her age group and asked if I had checked my time. I wasn't really concerned, but I went and when my name finally scrolled by it read "LAWANDA MARTINDALE 1/3." Huh? Wha? I went over to Derrick and whispered "I think I won first place in the Masters Athena." Although I was planning to stay and watch Frances get her award, I had even more reason to stay. 

Frances-3rd place 35-39

1st place Athena-I still can't believe this happened.

I quickly headed to the car to find Dorian, he was loading "Big Daddy" (my bike) onto the car.  I was so excited and shared with him the news of what I thought to be 1st place in my category. (I continued to say "think" because until they called my name, it was not official to me.)

It is finally time for the awards, and it was official, I won 1st place. I was happy that Derrick, Frances, and Veronica stayed to watch, we took a few more pictures and wrapped up the day. 

Overall, I was pleased with my performance and thought the race was well organized with AMAZING VOLUNTEERS, I thanked everyone of them each time I passed by. However, I was

extremely disappointed with Georgia Multisports and how they handled the awards for the Athena category. According to the event site awards would be given based on the criteria below. Georgia Multisports honored this until they reached the awards for the Athenas, the 2nd and 3rd place did not get awards! WTF?!!! I was a bit confused and extremely pissed. I plan to write a letter. I know the 2nd and 3rd place winners were disappointed, because we congratulated each other while viewing the results. It is my hope that they contact Georgia Multisports. It is not fair that every other group received awards (actual awards) for top three, but I was the only Athena. That shit stinks...bad!!!

So, there it is, my first Open Water Swim triathlon. 

Now, time to write that letter...

• Overall top three finishers.
• Masters top three.
• Athena (165+) top three.
• Clydesdale (220+) top three.
• Relays top three.
• Age group awards will be given three deep in the following categories: 15 and under,16-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+. 

Spring Fling Sprint Triathlon-My First Open Water Swim

Sprint Triathlon-Eve

I woke up excited and carefully checked off each item I would need (or thought I would need) for my race. I noticed that my race kit was wet, so I quickly tossed it in the dryer...

"The Kit!"

I had a busy day. I cleaned. I studied for a test. I practiced my transitions. I helped with Dorian with a prom photo session. We drive to 1 hour to Lagrange. We drive to locate the park. We go back to the hotel. Oh, I forgot to post my pre race picture of my cute tri kit (tri top with matching shorts)*insert sound of record scratching here*  I can't find my kit. I know I packed it because I checked it off my list. I'm frantic. I ask Dorian if he had moved stuff around in our suitcase. He had not. I stop. I sit on the bed. I call T'Lai and ask her to check our bedroom. My workout stuff room. I asked her to FaceTime me so I could scan my rooms. "Oh F@#k...I remember...my kit is in the dryer!!! I cry. Yes, I cried. I simply could not believe it. When I cried out in utter disbelief of what I had done, Dorian would reply "shit happens, we're only 1 hour away. It could be worse." I will drive home, get your kit so you can rest." I could not let him drive home, I knew he was tired. I felt horrible. He had been awake since early morning preparing for and hosting his Saturday morning radio show (Check out the Grove Lounge on Orange Room Radio 9-12 every Saturday orangeroomradio.com), he had a prom photo session after that (Griot Photography) ,and he now he was fooling with me and my anxiety about being in town the night before the race. Anyway, We drove 1 hour back home to get my race kit. We drove 1 hour back to Lagrange. We go to sleep. I. HAVE. THE. BEST. HUSBAND. EVER!

THE. BEST. HUSBAND. EVER!

Race day-The morning-4:15 am

The alarm sounds and I got right up. Although I slept 4 hours, I felt refreshed and surprisingly calm. My "poo plan" was well executed. I took a shower and ate a banana while I filled my water bottles with my race nutrition/hydration. I checked my gear bag against my checklist several times to make sure I had everything I needed, I did. I was wearing my race kit, so I was not concerned about leaving it behind (I still cannot believe I forgot my kit).

Check In-5:33 am

We arrive at the park and head towards volunteer check in. Since Dorian volunteered, we were able to park right at the finish, which was also very close to transition. Dorian checked in and I grab my stuff and head towards transition.

I arrive at transition and the racks were assigned; I find my number and rack my bike. As I set up my transition mat I could hear Coach Richard saying, “Walk through your race. What are your swim needs? Transition. What are you bike needs? Transition. Then run needs.”  I set up my mat. I looked at the entry/exit points for the swim/bike/run. I change the set up. I was pleased. I head to over to body marking and went straight to Dorian, then off to pick up my chip.  So now what? 

Other people started arriving in transition and I struck up a conversation with “Ann” because she just looked like a nice person. She was and gave me some great tips. I started to see familiar faces, and thought, “I know her, she swims with Pete!” She must have thought the same thing because we started walking to towards each other like we were old friends. We hug and ask each other “what’s your name again?” It was Tiffany. Tiffany so supportive and shared with me “you looked strong in the water last week, you’re going to rock this!” Next I see Derrick from Black Triathletes Association, we hug and we finish taking care of our business before transition closed.  

0630

All of sudden I started feeling nervous and remembered that I did not complete my morning mediation and prayer; I head back to our very cush parking spot and took care of that very important business.

0640

I head back to transition feeling pretty calm, and begin the process of getting into my wetsuit. Now, if you’ve never had the opportunity to wear a wetsuit, let me tell you, it is like putting on Spanx that are two sizes too small. Yes, that tight. However, thank goodness for products that help you ease that sucker up. I got it on in 10 minutes, and guzzle down my pre race UCAN.

Hmmm, now I have to pee.

0650

I head towards the water to warm and I see another familiar face from the BTA Facebook page, it’s Frances. Before I could say anything, she asked me if I belonged to BTA, she said my name and we hugged like old friends. I also met Veronica who is also a member of BTA, she was volunteering. We all chatted and took pictures before Derrick, Frances, and I headed into the water to warm up. 

Veronica, Me, Derrick, and Frances #BlackTriathletes

0700ish

I head into the water and bob up and down to adjust to the water and fill my wetsuit. I set my sights on the first buoy and head out to warm up. I felt great. I did not feel restriction in my chest or arms, and my breathing was easy. When I got out, Dorian said, “You looked really strong, baby.” I felt really strong too.

Next up...THE RACE!