Chicago Tri
This is the first race this year that I am repeating form last year. My goal for this race was to improve from last years results and of course improve my bike 
!
Race Day 24th August:
Women’s pro-wave started at 11:04AM, with 18 women on the start line, small field but good. This was nice since we got to sleep in before the race for a change.
It ended up being a wet suit swim (barely). The water temperature the day before was 76 degrees, the morning of the race was 70 degrees and right before we jumped in it was 71.5 degrees. Talk about cutting it close, 72 degrees is when the pros are not allowed to wear wet suits.
- SWIM:
It was a one loop swim that was along side the edge, so it was very spectator friendly! Allow there was a few times I thought I was going to get creamed into the cement wall that we swam next too, because of the stupid boat that decided to make some waves……very dangerous!
Needless to say the swim was uneventful; this is good last year I kept getting punched in the head the whole swim. This year I swan next to one girl the entire swim and didn’t get punch………perfection! I did get quite warm during the swim and wished I didn’t have my wet suit on. I came out of the water with my non-punching friend in 10th/11th.
- T1: Last year my T1 was the slowest; I couldn’t get my stupid wet suit off. This year I had the FASTEST T1 (I improved by 21 sec.!!!!!)
- BIKE:
The bike was 2 loops, rolling hills and a head wind going out. I started off the bike
in 10th place and saw a few girls in front me that I wanted to catch. I caught both by the time I was headed back in to finish the 1st loop, I was in 8th. My dad was at the turn-around telling me that 7th was 1 min. in front, I wanted to catch her. At this point in the race I eat my gel, and then throw it away as in every race I have done this year…….at the exact moment when I threw the gel away a motorcycle comes up to me and tells me to “STOP!!” I got slapped with a PENALTY for throwing trash, NOT cheating and DRAFTING but throwing TRASH!!!! For a penalty you have to come to a full complete stop and unclip both shoes and when both shoes are on the ground the clock starts ticking for 60 sec. SIXTY SEC IS A LONG TIME IN A RACE! And to make sure everyone knows you got a penalty they put slashes through all your numbers. Example:
62
I was a little upset (mainly because I knew better and should have remember they give penalties in non-drafting races), but mainly because with all the momentum lost I believe it is more equivalent to 2 minutes (…at least 90sec). As I got started up again, obviously I was passed back by the two girls I had already caught, I was back in 10th position. “I just wanted the extra challenge!” And “I can still get 7th”, were the only thoughts in my head for the rest of the bike. I rode myself back into 8th well before I got off the bike.
- RUN:
The run was an out and back. I couldn’t see 7th place, I was hoping she was still in range. I felt pretty good, not great, but better than I thought. I realized 7th was pretty close after we went around the turn around and slowly reeled her around mile 4. I was excited I was able to still run myself into seventh. But after I went around the turn around I saw the girl in 9th and knew she could run. She passed me with 800 meters to go. I tried to hand on but it was going to be everything I had, and I didn’t have a kick.
I still got 8th with the penalty and ended up riding 20sec. faster then last year WITH the penalty!! That’s good right!
Things to remember…….DONT THROW TRASH!