Acworth Women's Tri...

The day started out with a 3:30 AM wake up call so I could get in the car and head out to the Acworth Women's Sprint Triathlon. CR was initially going to go with me and then we realized what time we would have to get up to go and, well, the desire to sleep in was greater than his desire to see me for brief seconds here and there. I have to say I can't blame him! Given the choice, I would rather he come cheer for me at Beach 2 Battleship or Augusta since those are possibly once in a lifetime things.

Back to the story... Quite a few people from my training group were in the race. Two of the people I had been working on their swim so it was a morning full of nerves and excitement for them. I was suprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. I honestly don't have that many tris to my name at this point so I guess it is just the confidence of having some actual training going into the race (as opposed to a few previous times where I would ride the bike for about half mile just to remember how to change the gears).



We all corraled up by the swim start. The waves were done by age with the oldest age group going first and the youngest going last. They allowed about 6 or 8 minutes after the first wave then started sending every other wave off 3 minutes apart. I didn't have a particularly great swim time. The swim was a rectangle with 2 right turns. I can't really put my finger on why the swim was so crowded but I swam in churn for the entire 400 yards. If sardines swam inside their can, that was what it was like for me. I have never been in a swim that crowded all the way to the end, it was odd. Not sure if it was because we were over taking the previous waves so quickly or that the kayaks were too close in not allowing a lot of space or just my inability to get to the left and out of the churn. Most likely, the latter I would assume. I was estimating about 7:00 for the swim and ended up with 9:02. Oh well.

Swim: 9:02

I was happy with my transitions as they were fast compared to my previous races. It always varies from where you run in and where your bike is but I felt like I was very organized, got what I needed and was out of there.

T1: 1:14

Off on the bike! The ride felt great. It was a nice mix of flats and hills so not a super easy course. As per usual, I got passed by some but this time I passed plenty of people as well which is always a confidence booster! I swapped spots about 10 times with one girl who chose to wear a sports bikini as her tri outfit. I really only wanted to get past her because I was tired of looking at her booty - ha ha! Every time she passed me back I was cursing her... I finally got her in the last half mile. It is the little things :)

Bike: 44:27 (17.6 mph)

T2 felt super fast as well. Throw off the bike shoes. Throw on the running shoes. Grab hat and number and I am off.

T2: 1:09

The run was a point to point run which resulted in a 5k that was uphill from start to finish. Luckily, the weather was overcast and almost cool so it wasn't as torturous as it could have been. It was a pretty run that winded through some neighborhoods leading to downtown Acworth and the finish line party.

Run: 29:10

Overall: 1:24:59

I always feel good about my races until I see everyone else's time and then I start comparing. I must learn to stop doing that... The race felt good. Honestly, the only thing I could improve on was the swim which cracks me up because that is my strong leg. Next time, I just need to do a better job of locating some space so I am not banging elbows, legs and heads with each and every stroke.

The finish area was super nice. Lots of massage tables, free Yankz shoelaces, Mix1, Muscle Milk and clothing vendors. The food was like a catered event. All sorts of salads, chicken salad sandwiches, cookies and a chocolate fountain. My goodness, they know what we ladies like!

If you are in the area, I highly recommend the Acworth Women's Tri. Very low key race and lots of fun!