It’s always nice to get a win at home!  There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed and waking up less than 5 miles from the race site!  Nashville is home and today the Music City Triathlon welcomed over 1000 athletes to our “honky-tonk home.”

The alarm went off at 5:45 (and I was actually in a dead sleep, which NEVER happens the night before a race!) and I was out the door by 6:00.  One thing that I forgot to do was take my salt tabs and that would prove to hurt later in the day…

The transition area was staged in the parking lot of the TN Titans football stadium, a very cool venue in and of itself.  The sprint distance race was starting first followed by the Olympic, but everyone went off in time-trial format.  The swim had to be shortened from 1500m to 1000m thanks to a super fast current in the Cumberland River.  I was set to start in 67th place. I am not a huge fan of time trial starts, but oh well it was time to race.  My number was called and I pushed off the dock to head up stream.  My swim felt exceptionally good and it went by very quickly.  The last turn was a 90 degree toward the dock and the current here was at its strongest.  I finished the swim in 16 minutes and bolted up the hill to T1.  By this time it was about 9:15 and the humidity was as thick as a wools sweater!

I jumped on my bike and absolutely laid the hammer down.  I have been racing 70.3 this season so I found it very difficult to pace.  I killed myself on the bike as sweat was pouring off my entire body.  My lungs were burning but I just kept pedaling.  I finished the 25 mile bike split in 1:05 and quickly made my way through T2.

Now the day was really getting started.  As soon as I started the run, I realized I forgot to take my salt tabs. I was so dehydrated that I was starting to see black spots.  Less than .5 mile of out T2 is a pedestrian bridge that goes over the river and the slope has to be 10%.  In other words, before anyone has a chance to get their running legs under them, they are faced with a wall.  It wasn’t as if my heart rate was already pushing 90%, but the first mile of the run sent it sailing over 95%.  My heart was about to drop out of my chest, it was 200% humidity and there was no ice on the course to speak of.  I just kept running, but I was miserable and felt very weak.  The second loop of the run was not much better and I actually had to walk through 2 water stops at mile 4 and 5.  I finished the run in 44 minutes (not pleased to say the least) and nearly took out the medical tent!  I was completely spent.

After I was able to come to my senses, I walked over the food tent and glanced at preliminary results.  I saw my time of 2:10:21.  That was good enough for an age group win and top 10 overall.