She's a Mainiac!

I crossed another one off the bucket list this weekend: I swam in the OCEAN. The big, bad Atlantic, no less. And guess what? I had a wonderful time. And although it was challenging, the swim was both thrilling and immensely satisfying.

But that's not all I did. The OCEAN swim was just the first part of my final race of the season: the Mainiac Triathlon in Biddeford, ME. Perhaps one of the most scenic courses on which I've raced, the Mainiac proved to be a delicious cherry on the top of my very first triathlon season.

So now, onto the recap...

4:45am - My alarm went off and I got up to finish packing and take a shower (don't ask me why). I made a decent cup of coffee this time and made it out of the house by 5:30 so I could get to Beckie's house (travel and tri partner) by 6:00am.

7:30ish - Beckie and I arrived in Wells, ME, to pick up Kimberly, a friend who drove all the way up from JERSEY to do this tri. I'm so grateful to Kim; she introduced me to Beckie who lives nearby and is a great training partner.

8:30am - Beckie's TomTom got us to our destination with time to spare; we were able to check in and set up transition before most of the other athletes arrived. Kim and I snagged end caps, which gave us plenty of transition space.



The downside to arriving so early? It gave us plenty of time to worry about the impending OCEAN swim. We took a walk down to the beach to grab a look at the course, but they hadn't set the buoys yet. But we saw the swells...and the waves...and just watching the water made me dizzy.


10:20am - I put in my ear plugs (great tip from cold water swimming article Kim gave me), donned two swim caps and dived into the OCEAN. I knew I needed to warm up; my last swim in cold water was tough and my lungs seized. I didn't want to make the same mistake twice. I swam out past the breakers and made it 2/3 of the way to the buoy before I turned around. The water felt like ice on my neck, feet and hands; it was THAT cold.

10:30am - Back in transition, I found Beckie and Kim and made final preparations. After a few race announcements and a sweet rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by a young girl (maybe 10 yrs old?), we were off to the beach. The course was a 1/4 mile counterclockwise swim with two main buoys and several smaller markers for sighting. With only four waves, it wasn't long until Kim and I were up. Beckie was in the Wave in front of us - the youngster that she is - and we got a good look at the swimmers as they plowed through the breakers and rounded the first buoy.

11:15 am - And then, we were off. I ran into the water about as far as I could manage and then just dove in and started my stroke. I sighted the first buoy but swimming through the mass of bodies and fighting the OCEAN waves made the race challenging at best. I struggled to stay close to the buoy markers for the first half but still seemed to drift out toward open water. And since many of the women in my Wave chose not to freestyle, I had a difficult time weaving through the breast- and backstrokers. I even had my goggles knocked to the side when I got kicked in the head. Thankfully, it happened with fewer than 100 meters to go.

Thinking back, I realize I stood up too quickly at the finish and had to wade through waist high water to reach the shore. I should've taken a few more strokes. And next time, I'll start closer to the front to avoid the mid-pack tangle of bodies.
Swim time: 10:18

11:25-ish- T1 went well. I threw on Beckie's Starter performance shirt, donned my bike shoes with new comfy shoe caps (purchased on-site) and raced out.
T1 time - 2:00 min

11:27-ish - I mounted the bike and took off. Best thing about the bike portion? I managed to keep my seat intact. Seriously, I consider that a major victory after Pumpkinman. The course was relatively flat, but the headwind was a major factor. Still, I maintained a nice pace throughout. As usual, I passed a few people and got passed by a few women from my swim wave; that's nothing new. My bike sensor had slid down too low so I didn't have my computer for cadence, MPH or distance. I felt like I was riding blind. But I finished the 14.85 mile course without any major mechanical mishaps, and for that, I am grateful.
Bike time: 52:46 (16.89 MPH)

12:20-ish - I made it back to transition and threw off the Starter shirt and kicked off my shoes. As I put on my running shoes, I felt both calves cramp up. I was clearly dehydrated, despite taking in plenty of liquids on the bike. Perhaps the dent I made in the Atlantic had something to do with it? No clue, but I started the run with cramped calves and BRICK thighs.
T2 time: 1:43 min

12:22-ish - I started down the run course and immediately began to worry. My legs were in bad shape and I couldn't get a good rhythm going. An initial steep hill compounded the problem. I really thought I was going to have to walk the course, but refused to stop.

Somewhere around mile two, my legs loosened up and I was able to open up my run a bit, but it was too late by that time; I was tired and couldn't pick it up enough. With 1/2 mile to go, I passed another woman in my age group and used a downhill to pick up some speed. And then with .1 miles to go, I hit the gravel and raced to the finish line.
Run time: 29:19

TOTAL time: 1:36:04 - good enough for 8th in my age group.

So that's it, I think. I don't have another tri on deck until next May. I'm considering an October duathlon and perhaps a few 5ks, but this was officially the end of my first tri season. Yes, I had my ups and downs, but overall, it was enjoyable. Best of all, I made some new friends through TriFury and was able to reconnect with a friend from the past who inspired me to Tri. Thanks, Kim.

Photos courtesy of Kimberly G. and Beckie M.