It's The Little Things

Augusta 70.3
1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, 13.1mi run
9/29/13

The morning of the race, I was waiting in line to get on the shuttle to the swim start. I ended up talking with this super nice lady that also happened to be from Pennsylvania. We exchanged smiles, engaged in small talk, and up we went onto the bus. 

I made my way towards the swim start, sipped on some water, and got all situated. We were given 10 minutes for warm-up, so I waited until the very last minute to get my wetsuit on...it was pretty brisk outside at 7am. After I suited up, I started to look around for the morning bag drop-off area. Turns out, it was further down from where the floating dock and swim start was. I had a little panic session for about 30 seconds, until I saw a familiar face...the nice lady I met while waiting to get on the shuttle. We made eye contact and smiled. Seeing that I was a little flustered, she agreed that her husband would be able to take the bag down for me. At this point, I've already forgotten her name, but I knew that I was very grateful and appreciative. Her husband took my bag, they wished me luck, and off I went. Perfect timing, I was happy...it's the little things. 

The swim was stupid fast. We swam in the Savannah River going downstream, so it was no surprise. The race organizers had us dive off the floating dock for the start; since I don't race ITU races, this was my first dive-in start…pretty exciting! I've had better days on the bike and I've had worse, but I tried my best to stay focused when things got rough. That is all. 

Having the third fastest run time at 1:24 (6:28/mi pace), the run was the best part of my race. I usually don't throw out numbers, but I was particularly proud of this one. How I managed to do that is beyond (except for the fact that I've been burying myself in track sessions) me because I usually have one of the faster bike splits and slower run times. My legs felt great for the run, my splits were consistent, I didn't get any side stickers, and the crowds in Downtown Augusta were amazing. When a spectator spends her entire day on a megaphone shouting, "Work that sexy body," you can't help but smile and have a good time...it's the little things.

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I started the run with no one in sight. That can play with your head a little, but I decided that I wasn't going to give up and settle for the position I was in at that point of the race. I kept going hard in hopes of catching a few women. I knew I couldn't catch the eventual winner of the race, Melissa Hauschildt from Australia, because of her reputation of winning 70.3's back-to-back like it's a walk in the park…she's also our current 70.3 World Champ. I was able to run down three women; I was really close to catching 4th place, just 30 seconds behind. Bummer! I crossed the line in 5th, just making it "in the money." 

Being the biggest 70.3 on the calendar, this race needed tons of volunteers. To spend hours and hours in the basking sun to cater to 3,000+ strangers, is very taxing on the body and makes for a very long day. Without the generosity of these volunteers, the race wouldn't have been possible. After I crossed the line, volunteers swarmed the area to make sure I was okay and able to walk on my own. One of the volunteers poured cold water down my neck and boy...did, it, feel, good. I smiled and said to the volunteer, "Thank you so much, you're the best." She smiled…it's the little things. After my massage, I saw a gentleman sitting down with one of his buddies. He must have been one of the city workers because he wasn't wearing one of the volunteer t-shirts. Regardless, I could tell that he needed some excitement in his day, so I offered him my finisher's hat. He was ALL over it! He smiled, I smiled...