That time my bike tire fell off in the middle of a Tri.....

[woowoo]

I did my first Olympic distance Triathlon on Sunday, and
had been prepared for an absolutely stellar race…and it turned out to be
anything but.  However, it was meant to
just be a training race on the way to my Half Ironman so I’m chaulking it up to
an excellent learning experience??  

The morning was
gorgous, upper 60’s and sunny, but once we arrived we realized it was heating
up FAST.  The high was supposed to be 74
but by the time the opening ceremonies rolled around it was already almost
there.

 

This Tri is a fundraiser for a few different military
support organizations which is one of the reasons I wanted to participate in
this race (my Dad is a 37 year veteran of the National Guard, serving two tours
in Afghanistan, one in Desert Storm). 
Out of the blue, my Dad decided to drive 90 minutes to surprise me at
the race that morning!    I had no idea
he was coming and I almost cried when I saw him.

 

And forgot to eat my picky bar.  Lesson #2: Don't let distractions keep you from fueling

Anyhow…the swim portion of the race went great.  A few challenges with spotting, my wetsuit,
etc, but nothing that won’t get worked out with a few more OWS this
season.  I finished that in 35:25 and rocked
into T1.  Would have been out of there in
under 3 minutes EXCEPT when I picked my bike up out of the rack my BACK TIRE
FELL OFF MY BIKE.  Just fell off.  Was hanging by the chain.   Never in my life have I said a string of
cuss words so fast.  Thankfully I got it back on
pretty quickly but then was totally paranoid so I went through my bike and
checked everything…chain, gears, tires, breaks, etc.   Left T1 at 5:41 seconds.  Lesson #2: Check to make sure your tire is attached before leaving transition before the race

The bike portion also went great but it was HOT and I was
feeling dehydrated already.  I hadn’t
drank much water that morning before the race and had greatly underestimated
the heat and my body’s reaction to it.  I
was sweating badly on the bike, and even starting getting salt crystallization on
my nose.   My water and my electrolyte mix was already
warm (almost HOT) and it was hard to get down, and I barely managed to get down
two of the chew blocks.  While I finished
strong at 1:29 (considering the incredible headwind) at 16.5 mph, I knew I had
failed myself in fuel and hydration for the run.

   

Lesson #3:  Freeze your hydration bottles the night before a hot race.   And HYDRATE

Sure enough I couldn’t even run the first mile.  I heard the announcer say it was 98 degree
heat index and I was SO not prepared for the heat.  The hottest I’ve run in since last August has
been about 70 degrees.  There was also a
2.5 mile block without water (the station had run out) and then finally someone
came by in a golf cart handing out bottles of water and I stupidly chugged
almost an entire bottle, then almost was sick on the side of the trail.  If my father hadn’t been waiting at the
finish line I probably would have let them pluck me off the course.  I walked over half the 6.2 miles and it took
me a miserable 1:21.   MUCH MUCH longer
than it should have (I could have easily finished that 10K in 1:05 at the MOST. 

 

I’m crazy disappointed but need to keep reminding myself
(over and over) that it was a training race and a learning experience. 

My Dad on the other hand thought it was the coolest damned
thing he’s ever seen me do…so there is that.  

[woowoo]

Sorry about the weird formatting!

[G22]

Way to push through all the elements you weren't expecting! I know its suck to feel like you didn't perform the best you could have, but coming away and learning those lessons you mentioned means it wasn't a total loss. And running in 98 degrees would slow down pretty much everyone.

[sassystace]

Great job! So the run wasn't ideal, but you were dealing with awful conditions and I think it sounds like you learned a lot in prep for the big race. So cool your Dad could come and watch (and be proud of you)--that would make it totally worth all the sucky parts for me.

[bostonmichelle]

That sucks about all the issues you had but it sounds like it was a good run thru for the big thing coming up. That's awesome that your dad came out to watch you! I'm guessing that was great motivation for finishing and pushing on.

[gt7301b]

I'm convinced that bikes are the devil.

[sadlebred]

Great job!!

[kams]

Brutal day! You're right though - this is the time to work those kinks out! Way to keep your head up and finish!

[clseale]

Ugh, I'm sorry. The heat is such a relentless bitch. There's really not much you can do other than to slow down, and once you start feeling sick from overheating, it is a fast downward spiral. The part about your dad's excitement made me smile.

On to the next one! It will be better!!

[coconutbug]

Aaah, how unexpectedly challenging! But way to stick it out and finish!

[libbygrl109]

Such a sucky day. Congrats to you for sticking with it and powering through to the end.

[thom]

Wow; congrats to you for not giving up & still finishing! That heat sounds brutal when you're not used to it. (Or even if you are used to it!)

I love it that your dad came. So fun & special. I think in our parent's generation it was so much less common for "average " non-pro people to do any sort of race. Probably even more so for women. I'm sure he was super proud & happy to share the day with you!

[shorewife]

I'm still thinking about your tire falling off your bike! I guess at least you weren't on it at the time but I'd still be pretty horrified too.

[reginaphalange72]

Oh my goodness! That's crazy! I'm glad it happened when you took it off the rack and not later in the ride.

Way to stick it out!