Newfoundland Race Report

6:54:47 Total
Swim 54:19
T1 2:43
Bike 3:17:45
T2 3:17
Run 2:33:52

I AM GOING TO THE CLEARWATER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but, I digress...............................

Newfoundland Race Report – July 27 – Lynda

Before I start the report – I want to say that this is probably the friendliest place I have ever been to.

When we went to get our race packs – the 3 ladies working the table all remembered us from last year – 2 guys in the local bike shop remembered us. Where do you ever go that they remember you from the year before?

Also, the race was about 300+ people. It lacked the normal hysteria of the big crowds.

The environment is beautiful. The lake is clear and about 66 degrees. The Trans Canadian Highway is a beautiful route and the payment is smooth. It is a great place for a race.

The Race.

Lake was like glass. I actually swam beside others the entire way – very unusual for me as I am usually dead last or close to it. I was out of the water in 54 minutes and out on the bike at exactly 60 minutes.

I thought – this is great – I am headed for a good day.

About 10 minutes into the bike when I started drinking my feed bottle – I started to get bloated and knew that my nutrition may be questionable – although it worked fine last year…………..ummmm

First aid station on the bike – half of the feed bottle is being chucked and replaced with water – the watered down feed bottle and GUs seemedn to work and within about 1 ½ hour my system was somewhat back on track.

So, there was the nutrition malfunction and then the head winds – UGH! These lasted for the first half of the first loop – coming back was mostly down hill with tailwinds – that was nice!!

Second loop – not as windy – and there was a tail wind that was almost the entire way back to transistion. Also – about the last 10 miles or so are mostly down hill – the legs are rested, kind of – when you get off the bike.

Not too long in transistion – then it is out and up a hill, a small hill, but still! Once on the road – it leveled out. The sun was shinning bright but there was a good wind for the first 3 painful miles – this is the part of the race that I really have to keep my attention on the goal, FINISHING, and off how completely and utterly miserable I am!! It was not until mile 5 when I started to feel a bit better. I was having issues with the heat and was walking the aid stations to drink, get sponges and gels and that seemed to work. All in all – it was a bit of a rough race for me. The bike was an effort, I did not feel as strong as I would have liked to. The run was a complete effort.

In the end – I was 2nd in my age group and I am QUALIFED FOR CLEARWATER!!!!!

Sweet.

At the end of the day……..you do feel like you have accomplished something of note!!!

You forget how you have suffered when you come across that line with people cheering and that medal goes around your neck -- you enjoy being able to SIT DOWN and it is not too long before you are looking at doing it again!