Tugaloo Recap

Raced Tugaloo yesterday. (1.5K swim, 42K bike, 10K run up at Lake Hartwell.) Had a really fun time. Enjoyed the day, great weather, loved having Mike and Ella there (thanks for coming, guys!) Still not sure how I did as far as times and age group place since results are not posted, but I am happy with my day.

Alarm starts buzzing at 4:30. Ugh. We're out of the house and on the road by 5. Get up there. Get transition set up. Head down to the lake. Ella tells us she's going swimming...tries to take her shirt off. Very cute. So nice to have a distraction...no times for nerves when she's around. Was nervous about the swim since I haven't had a real swim workout in a few weeks due to a very sore rotator cuff. The time trial start (2 people going every 3 seconds) ROCKED! No contact, but also no one to draft off of either. I was pretty tired by the end of the swim. I forget that Olympics have a pretty serious swim, no 400 meter dip in the water this AM. I think I ended up around 28 or 29 mins. for the swim. Not so great.

Bike
Fun, fun bike. Lots of hills, but lots of descents, too. I took Jill's advice (who killed her bike last year at Tugaloo) and hammered on the descents. SO much fun. I passed so many people who were just coasting...love it. I kept trying to guage how I was doing based on the numbers of the people I was passing (I was #160 and the people who started the swim ahead of me all had lower numbers). I think I ended up around 1:18 or so on the bike.

Run
More hills. No break from them pretty much the whole 10K. Legs actually felt pretty good right off the bike. Guess all those extra runs to replace the swims I was missing paid off. Got a big yell and wave from Mike and Ella in transition. Ella was yelling my name. So cute. Mike told me that when I ran away from her she said "Momma....where are you going???" Aww. Sorry, E....I've got a race to finish! Kept vacillating between feeling great and feeling pretty bad...all relating to how steep the incline of the inevitable hill that I was climbing. Kind of a funny run, part was through a trailer park with people outside with their grills. Always nice to have something to look at while you're in pain. Finish the run in 45something. I think.

Total race was around 2:37...I think. Will post the real numbers when I have them.

So, once again, am totally happy that I raced and had a great time...as usual.