That was an interesting race!  Ocean swim, point-to-point bike, obstacle-course style run.  And those are the aspects that were planned!

The challenges of this race start with the logistics.  Because we’re relatively local, it was not so bad for us.  We drove down to Providence on Saturday, registered, hit up the race briefing, and dropped off our T2 bags.  Then Sunday morning, Mr. & Mrs. Snow made sure that we had a ride to and from the race without hassle.

It was supposed to rain all night Saturday and most of the day Sunday.  Not even close!  Sunday was warm (beautiful, but warm) from dawn to dusk.  We pulled up to the beach as the sun was coming up, and tackled the challenge of setting up T1.  With the exception of one bike wheel, everything had to be off the ground.  To avoid fumbling around with the plastic bag they gave us, I took the risk and hung my shoes on the brake levers and balanced my helmet on my aerobars.  I crossed my fingers, hoped my gear would maintain its position, and hit the beach.

I love the ocean, but I did not have a spectacular swim.  It was not so much the swimming as much as it was the not-so-hot start and poor sighting on the way back in.  My shallow-water running is not quite up to Baywatch standards, and ends up being more of a plow and flop.  I did my best, though, and swam hard to catch up to the second group.  Once there, I settled in on a strong set of feet through the second turn buoy, at which point I decided to try to pull ahead.  That would have been great had I not mistaken the orange “in” buoys for the yellow “out” buoys.  I kept thinking I was cutting left, so I’d pull right only to realize that I was now swimming away from the course instead of right on track.  I ended up coming out right in front of the pack I’d been swimming with earlier.  Doh!

Got through transition pretty quickly, and hopped on my sweet new P2.  Love it!  I was a bit nervous with this being the new ride’s race debut, but I felt great and rode stronger than I ever have.  The reports were that there tends to be a tail wind heading north out of Narragansett, making the first section of the course pretty fast.  Not so on Sunday.  We had a head wind right out of T1.  Oh, well!  Everyone’s in the same boat.  Just get low and keep the cadence up. For the most part the roads were really smooth, especially for New England.  Then we hit Providence.  Yikes!  Not only did course get silly-technical, but there were pot holes and railroad tracks jumping out all over the place.  Let the obstacle course begin!  Kept the cadence high, the grip tight but the joints loose, and managed to make it to T2 without launching any equipment.  Phew!

Yeesh!!  Another detail to work on!  Once I got myself disengaged from my bicycle, I made quick time through T2, and headed out on the run.  Right away the spectators were plentiful and loud.  Thank the Lord!  I had not seen the course, so was trying to be prepared for the worst, but Holy my goodness!  People said that the was a tough hill, but this was insane!  The first time we hit it I couldn’t help but laugh.  Somehow I made it over the top without having to stop and catch my breath, and descended into the technical side of the run course.  ”Obstacle course” really is the best description I can give.  We cut around a tight, blind corner, ran up a hill, crossed a bridge, maneuvered three switchbacks, ran over cobblestones, hopped off and on curbs, and then did it again!  At the same time, it was beginning to get quite warm, and the urban setting did not offer much shade.  I think I’ve made clear that it was a very challenging course, but the spectators made it so fun!  I was rockin’ my new, neon orange Kinvaras – they got themselves quite a bit of attention!  People were shouting all over the place, “Nice shoes!”, “I LOVE those shoes!”, “Go orange!”.  It was great!  It was even better because they’re not only flashy, but they’re super-comfy and light.  I’m thrilled with my run, especially because I rode harder than I am used to.  I was nervous that this more aggressive tactic would fry my legs, but they actually felt great.  I felt stronger and stronger as the run went, and was able to hold my pace throughout.

This race really has me psyched up for LP – 10 days and counting!