Thanks for the love yesterday guys! I did see you encouragement, even if I didn't respond.
We finished! I'm so proud of H. A week ago during a bad swim he said he wasn't going to race and he ended up doing great. We stuck together the whole time. We were a bit slower then I would have gone had I run solo, but that's okay by me. The swim was a deep water start and a deep water swim the whole way with no ability to touch until the boat launch dock we climbed out on. We went out in the last wave and there was only like two other people left in the water when we finally got out, but that's okay. H insisted on using the bathroom during T1 which cost us almost six and half minutes. It was a lot of me standing and holding my bike and starring at him, haha. I'm so competitive, it took all my energy not to take off without him. We made up a lot of time on the bike course. It was pretty hilly, but I get pretty in the zone on the bike and H had to work hard to keep up with me, but the downhills worked in his favor (and so does his much better bike). But we passed a ton of people. We were a bit slower then I would have liked, like wise on the swim, but this race was about us doing it together. T2 went much better, and we only spent about 3 minutes there and I plan to be much quicker there for my next two. Our run was spot on for time. My only complaint for the whole race was that our time chips came on those plastic amusement park style bracelets. By the time to run came around I was retaining a fair bit of water and it was cutting into the back of my ankle. By the time it got cut off after we finished I was bleeding pretty good. My last half mile or so was painful. So H ordered us our own neoprene time chip things. I got seriously spoiled since Irongirl uses those.
On a sad note,
this happened (clicky). Apparently, this guy had his head down while he was pedaling and not looking where he was going. An SUV had pulled over onto the shoulder riders were using because he ran out of gas. The rider, they estimated, was going about 25mph when he ran right into the back of the SUV and he went right through the window. One of H's spin instructors we head to head with him when it happened and stopped to help. He pulled his shirt off and tried to wrap the guy to stop the bleeding while EMT's showed up. The rider ended up dying in the hospital and H's instructor dropped from the race because he was so shaken up, and understandably so.
Anyways, back to happy. We finished in 2:17:04 total. Not too bad. Next up we have the Chubby Chase 5k at the end of the month, then I have the Iron Girl on August 4th which I'm hoping to be under 2 hours on. I'm pretty sure I can do if I focus and pace myself appropriately.
Me and Griz watching the Micro Mussel Super Sprint Friday night
The finish line at this morning's Half Iron Man
Our finisher medals, made by a local residential program for kids with TBI. So cute.
H getting his complimentary bottle of Belhurst wine for being in the novice swim wave
He getting his medal from the Belhurst owner/president (his spin instructor's hubby who sponsers the novice wave)
Me with my wine and medal, hanging out with said spin instructor (whose house we go swim at. She's the cutest thing, I swear)