Diamond in the Rough Triathlon, Perryville, MD, 7/7/2012 

Well, back to beautiful Maryland for another triathlon.  The Diamond in the Rough Triathlon (DITRT), an international distance, which breaks down to a 1 mile swim, 27 mile bike ride, and 5 mile run.  Not the standard distances, but I’ll take a shorter run at the present time!!!  Piranha Sports organized this event, and I must say they do a great job!  This was my third PS event and each race was well organized, with great support before, during, and after the event.  They also have great post-race food, which is a big plus! 

The race was held at the Perryville Community Park in Perryville, MD.  The swim took place where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay.  The bike course took us through Perryville going north and then back down through Port Deposit, MD.  The description of the bike course on the race website was “hilly and technical.”  My friend and training partner, Kate and I decided to test out the bike course the week before.  Let’s just say that it was described accurately.  Plenty of hills, some technical downhills, and one long climb out of Port Deposit back into Perryville.  Once we finished the training ride we both said it really was no worse than riding in our area…..no need to worry!  The run was going to be an easy out and back flat course along the scenic Susquehanna River.   

In the week leading up to race day, the North East US entered into a heat wave starting at the beginning of the week.  I remember watching the news on Sunday night and the forecast for Saturday (race day) was described as “scorching heat….100 degrees.” Great, another excessively hot race, only this time the humidity was expected to be very high with heat index to be around 105-110.  I’ve lived in Arizona and let me tell you that there is some truth to the difference between humidity and “dry heat!!!”  Two days before the race I again watched the weather report and now Saturday’s forecast was described as “dangerous heat.”  Almost everyone who knew I was planning to race asked whether I was still going….I guess they really don’t realize how crazy I am because OF COURSE I would be there!!!  

Due to my recent experience at Eagelman and thinking that I did not take in enough sodium/electrolytes to finish strong, I started planning ahead for pre-race and race day nutrition.  I made sure to take in some extra sodium the few days before the race, as well as stay hydrated.  My preparations also included swimming with the Masters at the Y the day before the race and a 50 mile ride with David (another crazy training partner).  The ride included a pit stop at Achenbach’s Bakery for two long johns and a frozen chocolate chip cookie whoopee pie to go. YUM!!!  I also had a bike fitting scheduled at Loweriders the day before the race.  All of these are probably not the best idea to do the day before a race and are not recommended.  As of now, this race in my mind was a “D race” and I wanted to have fun with it!  I actually did not follow the adult beverage rule for the race this time only because of the possibility of dehydration.  I may be crazy, but I’m not interested in hurting myself J 

Fortunately this race was pretty close to home and a later start, which meant sleeping in my own bed and not having to wake up until 4:45am.  This allowed enough time for breakfast, coffee, and prep time.  As I said before, this was a “D race” and therefore I had my breakfast of champions…..leftover pizza (Thanks David)!!!!  In addition to coffee, I also drank some accelerade on the way to the race.   

I was happy that I was not flying solo for this race (as Ron was probably happy too).  Kate, my friend Noranne’s husband, Rick, and another fellow Y member, Laura were all going.  Kate and I had planned to carpool and at the last minute Rick also joined us.  Noranne was planning to go with Rick as SAG, however with the predicted temperatures and being 9 months pregnant we all agreed it would not be the best idea.  She ended up cheering from home and we could still hear her!!! Thanks Norannie!!! 

The ride down was uneventful….the usual talk of nerves, what to expect, and complaints about the heat.  We got there in plenty of time for packet pick up and getting set up in transition.  As I’m setting up I hear the race announcer say that the race will not be wetsuit legal.  I expected this since the area had been in a heat wave for the past week. However, I was not expecting the water temperature to be 87.5 degrees, by far the warmest water for a race so far.  After transition closed there was about an hour wait until the race started.  During the wait I was pleasantly surprised to see a friend from work and her husband (Laura and Chris) show up for the race to cheer.  What a beautiful day to stand in the sun and wait…..Triathlon is not the most spectator friendly sport.  Laura did make a fabulous sign:

Swim: Kate and I started our trek down two flights of steps to the dock and entered the water.  My main focus was to keep a steady swim and avoid side stitches.  Although the water was warm, it was very calm making the swim a great one.  Sighting was difficult at times, but overall the swim went really well.  I felt I kept a steady pace and halfway through I started to see a lot of blue swim caps around which means I caught up to a lot of men from the first wave that went out 5 minutes before me.  Nice confidence booster!!   

T1: After finishing the swim and climbing the two flights of steps, I head into transition and as I put on my helmet I hear someone yell my name.  Here it was Rick, he and I must have exited the swim about the same time.  I must admit that this led to the thought that I was already 5 minutes ahead of him….Nice!  (There seemed to be a friendly little competition going on prior to the race) 

Bike: Now onto the bike, the “hilly and technical” course.  As I headed out onto the course and hit the first hill I realized that riding 50 miles the day before may not have been a good idea and I was feeling it.  Also my bike fitting included some pretty significant changes in my seat position.  By the second hill I realized how freakin’ hot it was.  I had sweat dripping into my sunglasses and it started to feel like an oven.  Fortunately there was a pretty good downhill that helped to cool me down.  The course was pretty much what I remembered from the week before, although I admit the hills did feel a little bit harder today.  The climb from Port Deposit back into Perryville also felt a little more challenging.  Once I cleared the top though I knew that what remained was a great downhill and flat road.  During the bike I ended up drinking 1.5 bottles of accelerade and 1.5 bottles of water.  Probably a little more than usual for this distance, but definitely needed.  I also ate half a power bar during the race.   

T2: As I come back from the bike into transition I keep telling myself to just keep it steady on the run.  Transition went smoothly and I was out for the hot run.   

Run: The race support was great for the run.  They added some extra support, to include having cold wet towels to wrap around your neck. Aside from the heat, the run was actually quite beautiful, all along the water front and through the Perry Point VA grounds.  I noticed a parasail in the air and focused my attention to it, trying to imagine myself up in the air enjoying the ride.  As for my injured foot…..I felt it from the get go, but I wouldn’t describe it as painful, just a noticeable ache throughout the run.  I guess it could have been worse, like the Devilman race where I ended up running 4 miles on my toes to alleviate the heel pain.  I also decided to have fun during the run.  I made sure to talk to all of the volunteers out there in the blistering sun and thank them for their help.  If it weren’t for all of the great volunteers most races would not be possible.  There was a great family out in their front yard just before the 2.5 mile turn around.  They had a hose and two super soakers, the water felt great!  Just after the turn around I noticed a few women just about a quarter mile behind me.  My goal…..try not to let any pass me before the finish, but yet still enjoy myself.  As I made my way back to the finish I had the pleasure of seeing my fellow triathletes, Kate, Laura, and Rick.  I love a race where you have the opportunity to see the other racers!  As I came into the finish I felt good….although I don’t think it was my strongest race, I do believe I managed to push hard in the brutal heat.  As it turns out I ended up placing 2^nd in my age group….what a pleasant surprise!!!! 

Kate placed 2nd in Athena!!!!

Laura placed 3rd in her age group!!

Rick finished strong in his second ever tri!!!