The inaugural TRI CLE Rock Roll Run (2nd AG)
Not exactly sure what I was thinking when I signed up for this race. It's the weekend before the fall semester began and I was super stressed out as I revamped 75% of one of the courses this semester.
The purpose of this race was again to practice race strategy and nutrition. I was very glad that there was a race in Cleveland/Northeast Ohio after HFP sold their races to another company based in Columbus and they moved all the races (including the ones that I already signed up for) to central Ohio :( So, it was a no-brainer to sign up for a race close to home.
Except for that, the race was two days before the semester started....
The inaugural Tri CLE Rock Roll Run was very well organized and the communication was very clear (if you took time to read the athlete packet that they sent out before the race). The race took place in downtown Cleveland and T1 & T2 were in different locations. This was the first time I did a tri that the transitions were not in one place. The swim started at Great lakes science center near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We swam in the bay there then biked from there to Edge Water Park. Then, we ran around Edge Water Park.
Pre-race: The race required mandatory bike drop-off a day before the race day. So, I went to pick up the packet and drop off the bike on Friday afternoon after I was done with my work. Packet pick-up went smoothly and I saw many CTC folks at the packet pick-up. I also attended the athlete meeting at 5pm before I drove to Great Lakes Science Center to drop off the bike and other gears.
Swim: I woke up early on Saturday morning. Had my traditional pre-race meal (pb&j + coffee) and drove to the finish line. All athletes had to take the shuttle from T2/Finish line to T1 to begin the swim. I set up T2 on the race morning and took the shuttle to T1 where I unpacked and put on the wetsuit. The swim started with Oly distance athletes, then sprint, then super sprint. My age group/distance did not start until 7:50am. So, there was plenty of time to stretch and get mentally ready for the swim. The swim was a time start where 3 athletes jumped into the water at a time (my most favorite way to start a triathlon). While I was waiting to start the swim, I saw J. and B. who biked from Edge Water Park to cheer us on. It was so nice to see them.
The bike course was amazing as they closed down the road for us to race! So, passing people was easy as we did not need to worry about open traffic. Because the race took place in downtown, there were many turns, which was totally fine with me. There were some long climbs up the bridges but they were very manageable. I was glad that it was only 12 miles tho LOL
T2 went fine. This time I did not forget to drink water before I started running (made that mistake in the first spring tri this year). I took the first mile slow and walked up the hill (also used that time to take another gel). I knew it was an out-and-back and I could run down the hill on the way back. Along the way, I saw friends and CTC members and it was great to have people cheering you on during the race. I managed to do negative splits on the run (thanks to the downhill finish LOL).
I started this race with no expectations. In my head, I was thinking about the classes and lesson plans for Monday. However, the weather was perfect and the crowd support was amazing. I managed to come in 2nd in my age group! I had to admit that I was pretty worried about the transitions and the overall logistics of the race but they managed to do it REALLY WELL. I'm very impressed with the organizer team, especially since this was their first rodeo. Will definitely do this race again this year!
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