Seafair 2010

This is the sprint race of the year for Seattle and our tri team showed up in full force. I have done this race, um, for YEARS now and each year learn a little more and try to go a little faster. So I went back, did a little research, and as you can see each year something improves, or lacks, or I place lower with faster times. Racing is about fun and learning and you can see by way of time that each year provided a different race, a different result and all on the same course!

In consecutive order from 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.

Swim: 11:27, 11:07, 9:53, 10:05, 10:10

T1: 1:25, 1:08, 1:04, 1:14, 1:12

Bike: 37:30, 32:44, 33:43, 32:36, 32:25

T2: 1:24, :55, :1:05, :58, 1:05

Run: 24:12, 21:40, 22:25, 22:21, 21.19

Overall: 1:15.39, 1:07.35, 1:08.11, 1:07.15, 106.08

2005: obviously a little new to the sport!

2007: was a transition fool! Need to get back to that and was super ambitious with track workouts!

2008: no fat salmon swim the day before...hmmm, training for first ironman.

2009: Consistent, but uber tired!

2010: one step closer to putting it all together!

This year I made an honest effort to fuel better post Fat Salmon event in an attempt to not be starving within 10 strokes of the swim. Amazing what the power of food brings! I have been working on my swimming and although the time says slower than previous years, I truly believe the course was a tad longer with the top guys (who are always the top guys here being over 30 seconds slower). Backing up a tad, you guys think an ironman start is brutal, try a SPRINT start with testosterone ridden men...YIKES!!! I battled it out with the best of them until the first buoy and then finally made a little room for myself. There was a lead pack, then two guys in another pack and then me and a few fiesties on my feet. After the last turn buoy I caught up to pack two and we all swam neck and neck in for the last 100 yds. Note to self, their dolphin dives are way faster than my swimming, I need to master that! Hence, they hit that timing pad right before me.

Back to the race and it was a mad dash onto the bikes. These guys were all doing their flying mounts as I graciously did my ever-so-not-so-speedy, scooch-scooch-kick one leg over the seat ballerina move. The bike was the bike. I gave all my legs can give going from ironman training to sprint triathlon. On I-90 we do an out and back, unfortunately the tunnel is DARK so it was super challenging to see teammates and buddies, but we all knew were were cheering for each other in spirit!

To the run, I felt great and truly believe the slight change in run training this year is making a big difference on how I feel running off the bike. A little side note though, the national speedster Kim Pancoast was racing and I knew there needed to be a ginormous gap with her running me down (and Johnna was hot on her heels too!). So going into the race I was just hoping to move as fast as I could and better my time from previous years, especially the run, which you can see from above was not my best performance last year. I held that girl off as long as my legs could and she passed me right at the beginning of the downhill at the turnaround. I tried to copy her beautiful gait as she passed and just sense that I was her running, minus the 5 steps I take to her one! I saw Johnna too close behind and another girl who trailed her by 15 yds the whole race, talk about pressure!

(Stellar gals in every way! Johnna, Bridget, T, Kim)


I crossed the finish line in my best Seafair time to date!!! Kim Pancoast was waiting at the line with the win, we were both anxiously waiting to see Johnna round into the final stretch as TNM swept the girls overall landing in at 1-2-3!

This race is a blast for a few reasons, #1 it hurts, but it is a quick painful hurt, #2 all the local fun triathletes come out so everywhere you look you have a buddy by your side, #3 to race and train with these amazing girls makes it even more bittersweet especially whom we know are all in the middle of some heavy training blocks and just digging deep to make this race happen! And Bridget Jones our other training buddy placed in the top 10 too! It was an amazing race all around.

Thank you so much to the amazing sponsors of TYR, Rudy Project, Base and my team of doctors for all your support!!!!

Until 2011 Seafair, thanks for the memories!