›LUNA All Women’s Sprint Tri

Blue Lake Park, Troutdale, OR
Race date: August 5, 2006
By: Abby Caram

I chose this race as my first for a specific reason. I had heard a rumor that the swim was warm and calm and both the bike and run were fast and flat. Now I have heard all this before - sometimes it seems like my definition of “flat” is a bit different than other peoples! However, after beginning my triathlon training with earnest this past spring, I felt about as ready as I would ever be to give it a go.

The afternoon before the race, I took the advice of Wade and Gina and did a short 10-10-10. This was the first time that I had attempted the swim/bike transition and the first time swimming in a wetsuit! Boy am I glad I decided to get a wetsuit for the race. Considering that Blue Lake is pretty warm this time of year, it was certainly not a requirement, but after my inaugural swim in the suit, I was convinced. The fact that I could stand up and float in the middle of the lake was very comforting. I at least knew that even if I panicked during the race, I wouldn’t drown!

After my practice run, we were on our way to Troutdale, opting to stay in a hotel instead of a tent. I didn’t want to have any soreness before the race - I knew there would be plenty to come as a result of it. I set the alarm for an early rising and managed to get a pretty good night’s sleep...

I awoke feeling refreshed and we were on our way to the park arriving early since I still needed to pick up my race pack. I arranged my pile of gear in the transition area and proceeded to struggle my wetsuit on - all the while consuming carbs and calories throughout the morning. By this time, my adrenaline had started pumping and I was getting nervous. I tried to remain focused and calm as best I could and made my way down to the water...

As they started the women before my heat, I entered the water to check out the temp. As predicted, it was pretty warm, however, I was still glad to have my wetsuit on - some of the other ladies looked a bit chilly! After a short warmup, they were calling my heat and I made my way to the edge of the middle of the pack. I felt that this would keep me from getting trampled immediately...

Three...two...one...and I was off on my first triathlon and first open water swim! I knew better than to go out too fast, but I also didn’t want to lose too much ground. After the initial scramble of feet, arms and adrenaline, I found a spot and tried to get into a groove. At first it seemed as though I would never reach the first buoy, but I made it. After that point the swimming seemed to get easier. I settled into a nice steady pace - I wasn’t really passing a whole lot of people, but I also wasn’t being passed. I was comfortable with this! As I turned around the last buoy, I picked up the pace and got to shore...

Surprisingly, I felt pretty darn good coming out of the water. I jogged the long grassy path to the transition area and was actually able to get the top of my wetsuit down around my waist as I had hoped I would. I took my time at transition to make sure I didn’t forget anything, and before I knew it I was running my bike out of transition and I was on my way...

As promised the bike course was flat and fast. I found myself passing people almost immediately and I felt good. Usually, I am the one being passed! I maintained a good pace around the halfway mark and enjoyed the view of the inlet as I sped on by. On the trip back, I hung with a woman also doing her first tri. We chatted as we cruised along for a while. About two miles from the end of the bike, I backed off a tiny bit, had a gel and prepared for the run...

I felt good coming into the transition and make it to the exit quickly. As I was passing through the exit gate, a volunteer handed me what I thought would be water, but what turned out to be Glucose. This may sound like it was a good thing, however, I had just had a gel and I was looking forward to a cool glass of water. At least this is what my thirsty mouth was telling my brain. I had trouble shaking this feeling and the sugary taste for the first half mile or so...

As much as I trained for the run, it was still my weakest leg. By this point of the race, I was tired and the sun was getting hot. I couldn’t wait to get to the turnaround point, so I could carry this momentum through to the end of the race. I pushed through the last section and was happy when the course went into the trees and down to the lake. At least the scenery was nice. When I saw the beach where the swim started, I knew I was close. I willed my legs to move faster and they did (at least a little bit). As I crossed the finish line and heard my name called, a wave of happiness came over me - I had done it!

After I visited the porta potty, I went to refuel with some fruit and other goodies from the athlete tent. Sitting felt good and after not too long, the results were posted. I was hoping to break the 1:45 mark and ended up with 1:34:41, placing 130 out of 290 women! This means that I was in the upper end of the middle and I was super excited with this.

While this was my first tri, it certainly won’t be my last. I have my sights set on next year’s Pacific Crest - Olympic distance. I think I need to pick up the run training a bit!

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