When Saturday, June 22 rolled around, I was already onto my third triathlon of the month. This time it was Epic Races’ Tri Goddess Tri, a women’s race that took place at Big Portage Lake State Park at the Waterloo Recreation Area in Grass Lake, MI. I really enjoyed the race in 2021 when I did the sprint distance and this time I signed up for the Olympic distance. In the days leading up to to the race I wasn’t even sure if I’d show up though.

I’d been chatting with a few people about this race, trying to ease their various worries and tell them that they would be just fine and to go for it. Yet I was in a funk about actually doing it myself. It was mostly because I was worried that my body wouldn’t cooperate. I didn’t feel great a day or two beforehand and after suffering through stomach pain at the Bayshore half marathon last month, I was really wary about feeling miserable during another race. As usual, I should have reminded myself of my favorite Tom Petty lyric, “Most things I worry about never happen anyway.” Of course I was fine and built up a bunch of unnecessary stress. It didn’t help that a big storm knocked my power out for 24 hours from Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon while we were in the middle of a gross heatwave. I didn’t get a planned run in because I was dealing with cleaning up some of the mess, helping a neighbor, and shuttling all of my food to my mom’s fridge so it wouldn’t go bad. It felt like I barely slept Thursday night and I got to waste more time playing the food shuffling game again on Friday afternoon after my power came back. I was all thrown off, wasn’t excited about the hour and a half drive in the morning, and didn’t feel much like racing. Surprisingly, racing in the heatwave wasn’t even one of my bigger concerns. I knew I would feel guilty if I had encouraged others to do the race but didn’t show up myself. I debated switching down to the sprint distance. In the end, I stuck with Olympic knowing that I always like to push myself and I need to work toward a half Ironman next month. I also knew that I’d need to get a workout in anyway so I should just go do the race.

Leaving the house before 5am on Saturday was a little rough but the long drive was just fine once I got some of my favorite music going. I got to the park around 6:15 which gave me an hour before the transition area would close. That was more than enough time and I felt better about things once I was finally there.

Since I’ve done a triathlon every other weekend this month, things felt pretty routine as I set my stuff up in transition. I was surprised to find that the Olympic athletes only had one row of racks and everyone else was signed up for the sprint or mini-sprint. The woman next to me had forgotten a race belt to hold her bib during the run so I was glad that packing more than I need finally came in handy and I had an extra one in the car that I could lend her. 

I had a little more time to spare than usual since I didn’t have to deal with my wetsuit. The water was 83 degrees! Wetsuits aren’t allowed over 78 degrees if you’d like to be eligible for awards. Once it hits 84 degrees, they’re not allowed at all. The water was warm enough that we were on the verge of that. I got down to the beach five minutes before transition closed to do a warm up swim. The water definitely felt comfortable and there was no shock to the system when it was that warm! My friends Jeff and Jenni were there so it was fun to see them. Jenni and I found each other in the lake and hung out on the beach together when the pre-race meeting started. It had been 17 years since Jenni’s last triathlon so it was pretty exciting that she was jumping back into it. We parted ways when it was time for the Olympic athletes to start since Jenni was doing the mini-sprint.

Just over 20 of us were doing the Olympic race and we tried to line up based on pace. A woman said she was around 1:50/100 yards and no one lined up in front of her. I guessed that I could be around 1:51-ish and was up near the front which didn’t feel right to me. I’m not exactly one of the leaders in any swim event I do! No one seemed to want to move up though. We started in pairs every few seconds and I started just behind the leaders.

Pretty quickly it felt like everyone was passing me which reinforced that more people could have moved up to the front. Oh well, at least they didn’t swim on top of me. I felt like I was at the back of the pack after so many people went by!

The wetsuit always helps my speed thanks to its buoyancy so I missed it during this swim. The water was definitely warm enough that I wouldn’t actually want to wear it though. Olympic athletes did two loops of the swim course and I noticed that I felt a bit warm by the time I got back near the beach to start my second loop. Sometimes it’s not so bad when the water is cool and refreshing. It was pretty calm near the beach when I warmed up but it got a little wavier farther out. It was still totally manageable though.

It was helpful that swimmers in the other races waited to start until after the last Olympic athlete finished the first loop. That helped me avoid any congestion other than when I got pretty close to a couple of women as we approached the end of the swim.

Then we had a bit of a jog up a grassy hill to get back to the transition area.

The official results messed up my swim time but my Garmin shows that it took me 36:33 to cover somewhere around 1500 meters of swimming plus the run to transition. There were plenty of bikes still on the racks, so as much as I felt like everyone passed me at the beginning, a bunch of people were still behind me. I got through the first transition in 1:34 – much faster than if I had a wetsuit to get out of! Then I started my ride of just over 24 miles.

Like the swim, the bike ride was basically two loops of the course for the Olympic athletes. We went out a couple miles longer on our first loop then turned around at the same spot as the sprint and mini-sprint athletes during the second loop. I was relieved that we only did the extra stretch the first time around because that’s where the road got a bit rough in spots. There wasn’t much traffic and few people riding around me so I could go a bit wide to avoid some of the bumps. After doing a number of races from the same park I knew from experience that some of the roads in the area could use some work. We had a pretty smooth ride for a majority of the course though. Rolling hills slowed me down in spots but considering my lackluster bike skills, I still did just fine.

A couple of women passed me on my way out during the first loop and one commented that she had started to wonder if anyone else was out there. We were spread out pretty good at first and I started to see more people after coming back past the turn around point for the other races. It made me feel more secure being out on the roads after that. There were so many of us that any vehicles coming through were certainly extra aware. A few men participated in the race too, but it was fun to think about how all of us strong women had taken over the roads that morning. The women’s races feel extra supportive to me with people rooting for each other. I told people they were doing a great job most of the time when I passed on the bike, and sometimes people on the opposite side of the road would shout out cheers for others. There’s some of that at other races too, but it feels like an extra welcoming environment at these “Goddess series” races.

I didn’t think about the temperature much while I was out on the bike. I think it was in the mid-70s to start the ride around 8:00 and I drank a decent amount from my two water bottles. I ate a Picky Bar after starting my second loop and my energy seemed fine other than the moments when I climbed any hills! My Garmin tracked 24.4 miles and my official time for that segment was 1:29:35, good for an average of around 16.3 mph.

I got through the second transition in 40 seconds and groaned a little bit as I headed out to run. We started on the grass then went on a short stretch of a trail through the woods. That lead us to a slight climb on one of the park’s main roads.

Like the bike ride, we had a little extra distance to add on for the first loop of our Olympic run. We went out and back on a stretch of a dirt road that had another slight climb. Of course any kind of climb felt major to my legs that had just ridden 24 miles. We ran along a main road briefly before taking on a single track trail segment that was just under a mile and a half long. 

The trail wasn’t super technical but I still needed to watch my footing to avoid any roots. There was one quick downhill stretch where I probably allowed momentum to carry me faster than I should have the first time so I made a point of slowing down the second time around. I didn’t wipe out at all but that hill was the one spot where I worried myself for a moment! Some people were out there walking and some were running, and aside from one steep uphill climb, I was able to get around people easily enough just by communicating that I was coming from behind.

The temps were climbing into the 80s by 9:30 when I started the run so I was thankful that the majority of the run took place in the shade. Still, it was a little humid and warm enough that it kept things challenging. I feel like I haven’t had much running speed lately and that I ought to be working harder to “race” the run segments of triathlons. As that thought crossed my mind I reminded myself that it was a really warm day so I was doing pretty good for the conditions. Training through the heat in the week or two leading up to the race certainly helped me get acclimated. It still didn’t exactly feel easy though. When I got through one loop of the run I really wished that I didn’t still have a second loop to go!

I was strong enough to pass some people during the run which helped me feel good about how I was doing. Whenever I got a bit of a flat or downhill straightaway it felt especially good to pick up my pace. When I knew I just had a mile or so to go I was determined finish strong.

It was roughly a 10K run and I ended up with 6.37 miles in 56:33 according to my Garmin. My official finishing time was 3:04:50. I was a little surprised by that considering how I tend to be in the neighborhood of 2:45:00 for most Olympic races, but the courses, distances, and conditions can vary so much that it is hard to compare one race to another. Racing on a warm day seemed a little daunting, so getting through it successfully regardless of time was an accomplishment.

I was warm by the end of the run but seemed to notice it even more when I came to a complete stop after crossing the finish line. It was only after the race when I had to deal with sweat dripping into and burning my eyes. I was pretty wiped out and one of the volunteers offered to pour water down my back. I took her up on her offer and that cold bottle of water definitely felt good.

It was great to be greeted by Jeff and Jenni at the end of the race. Jenni had finished at least an hour before me so I really appreciated that they had stuck around. I was glad to hear that her race had gone well and that she’s already thinking about doing more! 

My stomach held up during the race but didn’t feel great when I was done. I took my time recovering and eating some treats and eventually I felt better. It was especially helpful when someone brought a cold can of Waterloo Sparkling Water to me. That was especially refreshing!

I’m usually slow to get going home after these races and took some time to chat with people. I had talked with Mary, one of the other Epic Races ambassadors, online a bit and we finally met in person. I talked to some of the other Epic people too and had someone check my results since I barely got any phone reception at the park. That’s when I learned that I had won my age group – I was number one out of two. At least there was one other person in my age group this time, unlike Island Lake Triathlon where I won by default because I was the only one! After collecting awards at both that race and the Mother’s Day race, I didn’t even bother to see what I could have taken home for an age group prize this time. By then it was late enough that they were pretty much ready to tear down anyway and it was time for me to start my hour and a half drive home.

For as much as I dragged my feet a day or two before this race, of course I was glad I followed through and showed up. I ended up having a pretty solid race and aside from the temps being a little warm, it really was a good day for it. Like I said earlier, I’d be training in these conditions anyway so I may as well show up for the race. Epic always makes it a great experience.

After racing three times in June, I think I will actually take a break for the next month. A “break” is relative though – I don’t think I’ll be racing but of course I will train hard to prepare for a half Ironman in Ohio later in July. Right now it seems like that’s what comes next!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

Apparently my first experience participating in a half iron-distance/70.3 race in Grand Rapids didn’t scare me away because I returned to the race again this year on Sunday, June 9. It took me just over six hours to complete last year and I was pretty beat up by the end, but I did it. As soon as registration opened in the fall, I committed to doing it again this year.

It seemed like a great idea at the time, but just like last year, reality started to kick in after the Boston Marathon in mid-April when I only had eight weeks to get ready. Swimming isn’t a problem because I maintain that year-round. Subtract at least one week of running for post-marathon recovery time, plus I needed more time this year to allow my angry Achilles to get better. I found myself slowly rebuilding my running with six weeks to go and basically just starting to ride the bike again since I totally neglected it by the end of marathon training. Although I seem to pull it off somehow, I’m not exactly setting myself up for success with this approach. Both times now I’ve felt like I didn’t take preparation seriously enough and a few weeks out I started to question if I should even do the race. I committed to it though and decided to follow through. At the very least, this race would serve as a good “training session” for my third 70.3, which I’m scheduled to do six weeks later.

With plans in Ann Arbor earlier in the day on Saturday, I got to packet pickup at a park in Ada at 5:30 which was half an hour before they’d wrap up. I grabbed food from Firehouse Subs, checked in at my hotel that was within 10-15 minutes of the race site, and got my stuff situated the best I could for the next morning.

I left the hotel before 5:30 on Sunday morning and got to downtown Ada early enough to find street parking that was a mile from Ada Park – the main grounds of the race. I got an awesome triathlon backpack for Christmas (thanks Mom!) that holds everything I need, so I strapped that on my back and rode my bike to the park. 

It was helpful to do a triathlon the weekend prior to this one to refresh my memory about things I could tweak. I realized it would be helpful to put my backpack in a garbage bag to protect it from my dripping wetsuit once I hung it on the rack after the swim. Plus, the grass was wet from rain the night before too. Other than that, it was a pretty standard setup. First thing in the morning I’d had a protein Picky Bar and at 6:00 I had one of the regular bars, allowing an hour for it to settle before I started racing.

Knowing that I’d be racing for six hours, I was hoping I could last that long without any bathroom stops. I hit a porta potty before leaving transition then was glad to see no lines for the few placed by the start of the swim. I figured I may as well make one more last-minute stop. I heard guys discussing their techniques for peeing on the bike and I had no plans to do the same!

Athletes could do a warm up swim from 6-6:30 but I got to the start just after that timeframe. I’m not sure I would have wanted to stand around for half an hour waiting to start while wet anyway. Since the swim took place in a river and we had to go down a ramp to get in the water, it’s not like some beach starts where I could have just wandered in. I’d just have to warm up as I went and maybe my jog from the transition area was enough to get my body moving a bit.

One thing I love about this race is the use of pace signs for the swim start. It’s common to see in running races and extremely helpful for swimming as well. I placed myself somewhere in the middle of the 1:56-2:00/100m group which worked perfectly. We entered the water in pairs every few seconds.

Because of the ramp start, I only got a few steps into the water before “diving” in. The water was 69.5° and I wondered if it would be shockingly cool but it was totally fine, even with my sleeveless wetsuit. A couple of strokes in and I was good.

Then I “just” had 1.2 miles to swim. It was a beautiful morning in the high 50s and the lake felt great, other than moments when I snagged a few pieces of seaweed along the way. Nothing too bothersome though and no real waves or current that I noticed. I had plenty of space around me and even found myself mostly on my own at times. Seeding ourselves based on pace really helped. I felt good during the swim and enjoyed being able to let my mind wander rather than keeping track of laps like I do in the pool.

When the sun is out it makes it challenging to spot the buoys at some point during basically any race. We will head toward the sun eventually and this time it was on the way back. There was a stretch when I couldn’t really see where I needed to go and just kept moving forward, at least staying between the lifeguards in kayaks until I could spot the next buoy. I finished the swim in 38:16 which was an average of 1:58/100m.

When I approached the ramp out of the water, two awesome guys were ready to grab my hands to pull me up. One of them even unfastened the neck of my wetsuit to make it easier for me to get out of it.

Then more wonderful volunteers were ready to yank my wetsuit off in a quick motion. Based on how much time I usually spend fumbling to get out of it on my own, the wetsuit strippers probably saved me a minute or two!

Since the transition area is more than a quarter mile from the river, I’m thankful that the race sets up a shoe corral area. I took advantage of it because that allowed me to get a solid run in on my way back rather than tenderly stepping on the pavement in my bare feet.

Of course that bonus jog alone added three minutes to my first transition time which contributed to it taking 7:17. I also took time to spray sunscreen on myself, eat a Clif Blok, drink, stuff my tri suit pockets with bars and chews, and try to get bike gloves on my wet hands. Eventually I ran my bike out to the mount line and started the 56-mile ride.

For the first 15 miles heading east I felt pretty good, ranging between 16.2 mph to 18.4 mph. I enjoyed the pretty ride by farmland and felt grateful that I am able to do things like this. I slowed down for the next few miles when I hit some rolling hills. When we headed south for a stretch of five miles, a crosswind got to me.

My average of 17 mph declined pretty quickly as I racked up a bunch of miles going 14 mph.

It was an out-and-back course so when I saw the leader coming back the opposite direction I calculated how far ahead he was. Oh, only 16 miles. He had a good hour on me! It just made me laugh and think about how I clearly don’t do this to be competitive because I don’t stand a chance!

I thought that crosswind was tough until we headed west for four miles. At that point I dropped just below 14 mph for a couple miles. I was glad the wind hadn’t been around during our swim to create waves but it had clearly picked up quite a bit while I was out on the bike. When I got to the turn-around point of 28 miles, life was suddenly amazing again for four miles when I had a lovely tailwind. I even made it up to 19.8 mph for one mile! It told me just how significant the wind was that I could go from 13.7 mph in one direction up to 19.8 mph on the same flat stretch.

When I made the turn to head back north, I did better than I expected, averaging around 17 mph. After getting through 40 miles, my speed was stuck mostly in the 14-15 mph range as I headed back west and I cursed the wind the rest of the ride. I tried to talk myself through it knowing I had roughly an hour left. I wasn’t especially comfortable on my bike seat and didn’t enjoy battling the wind, but maybe having done it once before helped me keep a good enough mindset. Still, at my slow speed I felt like I was just “tooling around” out there.

My countdown continued when I hit the 50-mile mark and had six miles to go. At 53 miles I visualized one of my normal training rides and where I’d be with three miles left. I came across a few people who were doing the Olympic race in my last couple miles, and I was especially excited when I had a mile to go. 

While I had finished the course in 3:23:47 last year, it took me 3:31:19 this year. I was just glad to be done. Now I ONLY had a half marathon to go. Craziness.

I think I fueled enough between eating two Picky Bars during the ride and drinking from one bottle with water and one with Skratch electrolyte mix. When I got back to transition I ate a Clif Blok and drank a sip of electrolyte drink before heading out for the run. I swapped from my helmet to a hat, put my race belt on, and sprayed myself with more sunscreen. My second transition took 3:18.

When I finished this race last year I remember thinking that it felt like one of the hardest half marathons I had run. A half marathon feeling hard after 56 miles on the bike? Imagine that! Because it had beat me up so much I was determined to take it easier this year in hopes of getting through it a bit more smoothly. After having my side cramp up and seeing how much my heart rate skyrocketed at the beginning of the run during a triathlon the week before this, I knew I didn’t want to do that to myself again.

While the wind had felt brutal on the bike, it was fine during the run. I didn’t notice a headwind and it felt like the breeze probably helped keep me from getting too warm.

Even after struggling through some cruel hills on the course last year, I went ahead and signed up to do it again this year. I knew what I was getting myself into. Somehow I didn’t walk at all but I felt like I was barely moving faster than a walk on one of the hills…and we got to do two loops of the course. There were some stretches that were a slow-go and other parts that didn’t feel as bad. I tried to remind myself of that when I went through the hard parts – it would get better after that.

I had some weird tweaks from the back of my ankle throughout this run. It wasn’t the same as the Achilles thing that I’d dealt with recently, but just something to keep me a little on edge. I’m thankful it didn’t turn into anything more than twinges and it didn’t stick around after the race.

I ate a Clif Blok every couple miles, drank some of my electrolyte drink, and made a point of grabbing water from nearly every aid station. I saw one of the leaders go by a few times and he was huffing and puffing like crazy. Maybe it would have been nice for me to end up with a faster time, but pushing that hard just didn’t look fun. It seemed more ideal to not to pay attention to my pace and just go with what I felt like I could maintain. 

One spectator said to a couple of us, “You ladies are beasts!” Even when it felt tough I told myself that we were all badasses. Plenty of people were walking which made me feel like I was doing pretty good. We were all going to cover the same distance though! Since we kept going out and back on parts of the course and passed the same people multiple times, I would often exchange smiles, thumbs ups, and “good job” wishes with those who were receptive. It was hard for all of us and it was nice to feel like we were rooting for each other. 

I ran six of the miles under a 9:00 pace and seven of them over. My third mile was the fastest at 8:38 and my eleventh was the slowest at 9:29. The slowest miles definitely corresponded with the placement of the hills. After that 9:29 mile I knew the course got easier again, and surprisingly, I still had energy left. With two miles to go I decided I could pick up my pace. Taking it “easy” during this run paid off because instead of dying by the end like last year, I felt pretty good. I finished the run in 1:57:27 and completed the race in a total of 6:17:34.

Over six hours of going non-stop – crazy. When I came to a complete stop after crossing the finish line I went straight to a folding chair to sit for five minutes or so. I chatted with a kind volunteer and recovered enough to feel like I could go check out the food. After burning over 3,000 calories it was time to eat!

I was glad they had chocolate milk in a cooler so I could get some protein. I figured I could use the salt from Fritos, and went for plenty of carbs with pieces of bagels and muffins. I stopped by the food table a couple times then went to the awards table to collect a medal for placing second (out of five) in my age group. 

I finally returned to transition to pack up my stuff and casually cruised a mile on my bike back to the car.

The two-hour drive home wasn’t so bad but getting up after sitting that long didn’t feel great. I stopped at Culver’s on the way home for more replenishment of calories.

It was an accomplishment doing my first 70.3 last year and now having done it twice confirms to me that I can legitimately do this. I was 15 minutes slower this year and it’s always nice to believe I can improve, but I’m totally fine with the results. I was 2.5 minutes slower on the swim even though I felt good this year. I peaked with a 42-mile bike ride during training this time while I did a 56-mile ride last year. I knew I hadn’t put in as much time on the bike to prepare and that was the part that had me the most concerned going into the race. The wind this year was the real killer for me and I ended up 8.5 minutes slower. I had to take more time to recover from this year’s Boston Marathon and feel like I haven’t rebuilt my mileage enough and don’t have any running speed at all. My run definitely felt better this year but I was also four minutes slower. 

Although I like to look back and analyze how everything broke down, I really am not hung up on time at all. Just getting through this kind of distance is a big challenge and finishing was my only real goal. I did pretty darn good considering how much I questioned my level of preparation! Tris4Health does a really great job with this race and I’m glad I returned to do it again. 

This year I decided to try two 70.3 races, so the next one comes up in July in Ohio. I chose that one because of its flat course. At the very least this race served as a great training session to work toward possibly improving for that race. I took a couple days off to recover but luckily this race didn’t beat me up like marathons do. I have over a month to keep building up my running and to get more long rides in. I do not have ANY ambitions to try a full Ironman at this point and am still kind of questioning what I think of the 70.3 distance. Plenty of times I’ve wondered if I ought to stick with the more reasonable Olympic distance. I like to challenge myself though and there’s definitely a feeling of real empowerment after completing this. I hope the weather will cooperate enough next month to see if I can improve with my third attempt at the distance.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

As I have done so many years in the past, I kicked off another triathlon season with Epic Races’ Island Lake Triathlon on Saturday, June 1. This was my sixth time doing the Olympic distance race at Island Lake Recreation Area in Brighton. Returning to a race that is so familiar is one good way to ease any nerves about getting back into the triathlon routine for another summer.

I also helped myself feel prepared by doing my own personal triathlon at Stony Creek Metropark a few days before the race. I knew it would be wise to get in the lake with my wetsuit once prior to this race. That’s when I refreshed my memory about things like keeping the wetsuit neck fastened as loosely as I can so it doesn’t chafe. Since I knew I needed to get a bike ride in too I figured I may as well do all three triathlon segments and run as well. It helped me gather all of my gear and reassure me that I know what I’m doing.

I got to Island Lake just after 6am and collected my stuff without any wait at the packet pickup table.

It was in the 50s first thing and I was a bit cold so I prepared some of my stuff in the warm car before heading out to the transition area.

Triathlon rules sort athletes into age groups based on their age at the end of the year, meaning I’ve moved on to the 45-49 age group this year…even though I’m not quite there yet! There were racks for my age group in two aisles so I found a free spot and started sorting my stuff. My biggest concern was that it still felt cold so I wondered how I would feel catching the cold breeze on the bike after swimming. I debated using a windbreaker then decided I’d just brave it. That was really the only thing I stressed about which isn’t too bad!

Sometimes the sun can make it hard to spot the buoys that mark the swim course and it always looks a bit confusing to me at first. Once we went through the pre-race meeting it all made sense though.

I got in the lake for a couple minutes to warm up before the meeting. The water was said to be around 72° and I didn’t struggle with the temperature at all. My sleeveless wetsuit was perfect. I like having more range of motion for my arms, but the buoyancy of the full legs is a game-changer. As usual, Greg Sadler and his team of photographers got some awesome shots.

I really wasn’t too anxious as we went through the pre-race meeting and got ready to start the swim. All Olympic athletes lined up together from fastest to “less fast” and I’m always a little iffy about where to line up when there aren’t any kind of pace signs. I’ve learned that I tend to place in the top quarter of the swim so I didn’t want to start too soon but didn’t want to start behind slower people. I kind of gauged based on the looks of people. I could just sense that some of the guys looked like they could be fast and tried to line up behind them!

Swimmers started one-by-one a few seconds apart which really helped avoid congestion. I must have seeded myself appropriately because I had plenty of space nearly the whole time – no worries about swatting someone else’s feet or having the same done to me! I was a bit winded to start and it took a few minutes to settle and get more comfortable.

One amazing thing about the race this year versus past years is that seaweed levels weren’t an issue. Sometimes there has been enough seaweed to affect how the swim course was set up. In the past we’ve had to do a couple loops for the Olympic distance and run around a buoy on the beach between loops. We always get a head start, but once the sprint and mini sprint athletes get in the water, there can be congestion by the end. The lake was nice and clear this time so we got to do one loop which worked SO much better.

I was able to spot the first couple buoys without a problem but struggled to see the third one that marked our first turn. I knew I could keep following the people in front of me and just hoped everyone was on track. It took a while but eventually I saw it. Once I made that turn I didn’t have to worry about swimming toward the sun and everything else was easier to see. I had to watch for other people a little bit at the two turn buoys, but I didn’t face any real congestion and was able to keep moving smoothly the whole swim. It ended up being a great swim and my time for around 1500m was 24:53. That was fast compared to what I’m used to swimming in the pool and I’m convinced that the wetsuit works magic for me!

When I practiced with my wetsuit a few days earlier I got it off over my ankles fairly smoothly and was relieved because that usually costs me time in transition. Unfortunately I was back to my old ways during this race and although I got the right leg off smoothly enough, I really struggled to get the left leg off. I hung my wetsuit on the bike rack only to realize it was dripping on a bunch of my stuff that I’d need later. I took a few seconds to shift my stuff around so it wouldn’t get soaked. I went to put my helmet on and realized I hadn’t taken my hair out of a bun yet and still needed to do that. I finally got it all together and started to run my bike out of transition when a volunteer noticed that I had dropped my chews out of my back pocket. She knew I’d need those later and went to grab them for me. That was very kind of her and cost me a few more seconds. My first transition time is never very good but it felt like I was especially scattered this time. It seemed like my swim was fast enough that I still had a little head start going out on the bike.

While I had worried about being cold it wasn’t even an issue. I’m glad I didn’t add an extra layer that I could have regretted!

After doing this race so many times and always doing two loops of the course I’ve gotten familiar enough with the bike course. I know that there are a few rolling hills and spots where I have to work a little harder but it’s all manageable enough for me even when most of my training occurs on pretty flat routes. The course was a little different this time due to road construction just east of the transition area. Usually we go out to the west, turn around, then go past transition and add some distance to the east. That part usually wears on me because there must be a gradual climb, plus there can be cars heading in and out of parking around there. This time we just added more distance out to the west. It included a hill but it wasn’t anything too bad. I still think I preferred climbing the brief hill versus what I usually feel on that other segment of the course.

One loop down, then back out for a second loop. There are always a few people who like to whiz by a little too closely without giving any warning but the ride was all good otherwise. I had some songs stuck in my head that kept me distracted a little bit. Watching riders on the opposite side of the road helped too. In the few situations when I passed people, I often liked to give them encouragement. Usually it’s ME getting passed though!

I had a Picky Bar halfway through my second loop and struggled a little bit to get it out of the wrapper. I managed to eat the whole thing though and drank a little water from one bottle and Skratch electrolyte mix from the other.

All went well until I was just outside of the parking lot that took us back to transition. The roads are open to traffic and a car was in front of me. It was crawling along because a couple bikes were in front of it and we were coming to the closed part of the road. I didn’t want to try going around the car not knowing which way they would head from there. I had to just coast along and wait it out until I could finally go. I was kind of annoyed but what can you do?

The bike route came up as 24 miles on my Garmin which was just under 17 mph in 1:25:26.

When I dismounted my bike and ran it through transition, I had that instant “oof” feeling. Running off the bike never feels great! I took my helmet off, grabbed a hat and my race bib, and got out of transition in 53 seconds.

The start of the run was rough for me. I felt like I was crawling and I developed a side stitch. I was really hoping that wasn’t going to be a problem because I had six miles to run. I drank some of my electrolyte mix from the bottle in my running belt and made an effort to try to breathe enough, hoping I could shake it. It stuck with me for a mile or so and luckily it began to fade after that. I ate one of my chews that has extra sodium in it and hoped it might help too.

Just like the bike course, I’m familiar with the run course after doing the loop so many times. We get one nice downhill as we head on the path into Kensington Metropark, but then we have to climb it on the way back. We get a steep downhill stretch on the grass as we head toward the finish line, but climb a little as we head back out for the second loop. That climb could be worse though – some years in the past we went up a steep grassy hill that was brutal. Now we head out on a path that is more manageable. Still, I realized there’s a gradual climb for the first half mile of the loop because it slowed me down each time.

I started to feel a little better during the second loop although I questioned how I’ve run faster other times in the past. It felt like so much effort and I wasn’t even going “fast” for me. Of course it’s harder at the end of a triathlon but I also haven’t had much of a speed mode for the last couple of months.

I was distracted by people running on the opposite side of the path and watched out for walkers, runners, and bikers on the Kensington stretch of the course where it got a bit busier. It made me smile a couple times when I crossed paths with Dawn, one of the other Epic Races ambassadors. We cheered for each other which was fun.

After cautiously flying down the grassy hill, I picked up the pace for the finishing stretch. Greg Sadler got a whole series of nice finishing photos.

I finished the run in 50:50 and my watch says I got just over six miles. I finished with an overall time of 2:45:29 which was right in the range of what I had guessed I might do.

When I saw the heart rate info after the race it definitely lined up with how rough I felt during the first loop! It seems crazy high considering how I wasn’t even that speedy, but now it’s pretty clear why I couldn’t go any faster!

My treats after the race included an egg and cheese wrap, pancakes, a cookie, and an ice cream sandwich. Good stuff!

I spent a while chatting with my buddy Greg Sadler when he was in between photographing finishers. It was nice to catch up and I was there to cheer for Dawn as she finished. Angela, who coordinates the Epic ambassadors, made the smart suggestion of getting a photo of the two of us together.

It’s been fun to share the Epic love as an ambassador. I felt like I was able to contribute even more with this race by reaching out to some of the first-time triathletes. A few of us took on the opportunity to check in on people who said this was their first race to see if they had questions. I connected with a bunch of people and was able to answer some of their questions and provide some advice. It was fun to connect with people who are just getting into this crazy sport and nice to feel like I may have helped a few of them feel more comfortable in any small way.

I stopped by the awards table before heading out because I had placed first in my age group. I wondered how I’d do in the new category and it turns out I did really well because I was the only one in it! Out of the two racks of women in my age group it’s hard to believe I was the only one who did the Olympic distance. The others must have done the sprint, mini-sprint, duathlon, relay, etc. Even though I didn’t have any competition, I was excited to place first because it meant I scored a pair of the new Epic sunglasses!

My first triathlon of the season was a great way to kick things off between the perfect weather and a solid race. Now that it’s happened multiple times I’ve come to the realization that the run isn’t my strongest segment in a triathlon like I used to think – I keep placing higher in the swim. I’ve actually been enjoying the swim segment the most as well. It helps that it happens first when I’m freshest. Running is still my favorite but it sure gets more challenging after time on the bike.

Just like last year, this tri was a good trial run before taking on the half iron distance in Grand Rapids a week later. It will be my second time tackling that distance and I don’t know that I’m properly prepared for the bike segment. It looks like I’m still going to go for it though and I’m sure I’ll manage to push through somehow.

– Janet

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