Ok, so this wasn't a complete take 2 of the Luray weekend for me since I only relayed the swim of the sprint this year...but this race will always hold a special place in my heart since the sprint was my first triathlon 2 years ago...so instead of writing a full "race" report, I'll just share some highlights from the weekend.
1) Having the crazy Kiwi's voice in your head is NOT always a good thing. Shocking, I know. But Mary had been teasing me all week about taking full advantage of recovery weekend and only swimming 750m. So as we joked around on Sunday morning...we kind of stopped...and said maybe this isn't such a good idea. Karma will come back to haunt you. About 2/3 of the way through the swim, I thought "yeah, I could really puke right now." I didn't, but there were definitely times I wish I had.
2) I have officially been racing open water swims long enough that getting a love tap in the face by someone's foot, or getting elbowed in the eye doesn't really shock me any more. Not to say that it can't hurt. Or won't swell. But it definitely didn't throw me off course.
3) I need to buy a new tent. Let's just say, I'll be drying stuff in my apartment all week long.
4) Cheering can be as exhausting as racing. And definitely more traumatizing to your vocal chords.
5) Even after 2+ years with Team Z, I am continually amazed by the love, support, and friendship we have to offer one another. To be able to see Misha post DNF, smile, and say "it's ok" was awesome. And to know that even if you're having a bad race day, and getting down on yourself, there are about 25 people lined up to kick you in the ass and tell you to learn from the bad day, and move on, and keep having fun (or something similar to that).
6) For those of you that chose this years race as your first tri, my hat is off to you. Especially if you actually had any idea about what you were getting in to. 2 years ago when I signed up for the Luray Sprint, I had absolutely no clue about what this course was about to do to me. The bike course especially. It's definitely not the hardest course around, but I have seen great racers have not so great days here...and this bike course is no joke. But I'm pretty sure this is always going to be my favorite run course, in my opinion, it's pretty much perfect.
7) I felt a lot better about myself Friday evening after dinner, as we were all sitting around, and I realized that I wasn't the only one that had completely slacked off the week before and basically not worked out at all. Not to say that I am recommending this behavior, because my legs pretty much hate me after this morning's run. But I at least know I'm going to be in good company.
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