Keystone Triathlon 2017 Race Recap

If you remember way back in January, I talked about my fitness goals for 2017. And one of them was to race another triathlon. I did my first way back in 2015, and I loved the training, and I loved the race. 2016 was crazy busy and I didn't get a chance to race another, so I vowed that 2017 would be the year.

In June, I hit a little setback, when I fell off my bike, broke my hand, and cracked a rib. And, after 5 weeks in a splint, plus additional pain afterwards, I knew this race wasn't going to be earth shattering.

Let's briefly recap my training, shall we?
1 swim
0 rides on a bike that moves (I did do some work on the spin bike at the gym)
18 runs - totalling a whopping 62.5 miles

All to say, I was wildly underprepared and undertrained for this race. In fact, I hadn't even managed to ride my bike post accident. So, I wasn't even sure I could ride pain free. Let's mark that down in the #DumbShitJessieDoes category.

I raced the Sprint version of this race, which consisted of a .45 mile swim, 15.1 mile bike ride & 5K run. The "benefit" I believe I have in the tri world is that I'm pretty average at all 3 things. I swam in middle // high school, biked cross country, and have 10+ HM's under my belt. While I wouldn't say I'm fast at any of the disciplines, I'm far from being bad at any of them, which seems to mean I can hold my own.

I picked up my packet day of, and while my maps app took us to the totally wrong place, we made it with plenty of time to pick up my packet, get marked, and set up my transition area.

The fog on Sunday morning was super thick, so much so that the buoys on the swim course were 100% not visible from shore. They had to push back the adventure (kayak) race, because the kayakers couldn't see the buoys, and so the sprint race started right at 9AM.

SWIM // .45 miles
Despite the water being wetsuit legal, I didn't wear one. They set off everyone doing the sprint distance in a massive start, with a few kayakers in the water to help guide us in the right direction. I couldn't see a damn thing, and so did my best to stay with the other bobbing heads I could see, hoping someone actually knew where we were headed. Results aren't live as I'm writing this, but Mr. Sass tells me I definitely finished in the first half of people. Which, as I take a closer look at this picture, all the white bobbing heads in the water make me think he was right.

BIKE // 15.1 miles
I was nervous going into this leg for several reasons. Not only was I not sure if I could ride without pain, but I was afraid I would forget how to ride my bike. Luckily I did not forget how to ride my bike, but holy moly have I lost some strength. The bike course was not easy by any means, and it didn't help that 2 sections had fresh tar & chip. One included a downhill stretch with a sharp right onto tar & chip, eventually leading into a hill. And the other had a steep downhill section on tar & chip with a turn onto a main road at the end - which, honestly, I hopped off and walked down that steep descent.

To say I was riding scared was an understatement. There were dozens of hills on the course, and while none were truly big, because I didn't know the course well beforehand it was hard to know how sharp some of the turns would be. I braked hard more than once and slowed to a crawl in order to be sure I could make the turn. I definitely need some more easy miles on roads I know before I'm ready to be back out again.

RUN // 3.1 miles
T2 was quick. Tossed off my cleats, slipped into my running shoes & I was off. Said a few words to Mr. Sass in between. I ran out of water on the bike course, so I was grateful there was an aid station almost immediately on the run. I passed a few people, and was shocked to see my first 2 miles both come in at 8:XX.  Before I knew it, I was rounding the corner and could see the finish line. I pushed it for the last little bit, and Mr. Sass was standing there right as I crossed.

I downed a bottle of water before grabbing a taco with all the fixings & a Mike's Hard Lemonade from the post race spread. Mr. Sass thought there was a chance I had won an award, and said not too many people finished before I did. So we stuck around for a few minutes. Turns out, I won 3rd in my age group! A welcome surprise!

Overall, I thought the race was run well, and I liked the small field, it made for an uncrowded course. I paid $20 to register with a coupon code wayyyy back on Valentine's Day + another $15 for a 1 day USAT membership, so $35 total, and I more than got my money back.

Also, Mr. Sass coming to a race with me was pretty much the best thing ever. Personal photographer, shit holder, confidence booster, and DD once I got ahold of a Mike's Hard. His work schedule doesn't often work out for him to come to my races, which makes this one even sweeter.

What is your favorite post race food - what race is it from so I can sign up?
What's your favorite race award?
{This mug I got is pretty cool}

Linking up with :Holly & Tricia for Weekend Highlights + Marcia x Patty x Erika for Tuesdays on the Run + Steff