Imagine a nice lagoon (with big buoys and safety paddle boards of course), palm trees and the sun coming up in the distance. Then please add the unique atmosphere that only appear at a race and mix in extra feelings of excitement + a bit of nerves to start the season. Now you know what my Sunday morning on 15. Marts 2015 was like! I’m happy to be able to say that I finished 4th in IM 70.3 Puerto Rico and now has started the season, a season where the big goal is to qualify fore IM 70.3 Worlds in Zell am See in Septemper.
Please let me talk you through my race in bits.
Swim:
Now I’m starting in the Pro field and starts 5min before the first AG wave my first goal was not to be court up by any of them in the swim. I stayed on feet in the back of the group for about 200m but even though I felt like I was swimming as hard as I could I didn’t manage to hold it, the gab got bigger and bigger, and in the end I couldn’t even see the arms of the girls infront of me. With Bella Bayliss voice in my head “just throw those arms around” I kept pushing, and had my own saying “ reach the next buoy, before anyones catch you, reach the next one” . I made it all the way in. Ran the long way to transition -3 bikes incl mine left at the pro rack and no girls in sight. I had no idea about time, jumped on my bike and started the hunt.
Bike:
5miles – all on my own
10miles – still no girls in sight “Just stay patient Maja, mind your own race and dont expect to see any before they turn”
15miles – “YES, that looks like a girl in the distance anyway, and I’m coming closer”! I over took her, and then another 2 just after the turnpoint at mile 20.
The course was out and back, but with an extra tour out and back in the far end. meaning that just as alone as I felt the fist 15miles just as crowded was it on that 2nd loop. I haven’t told you how crazy it was to drive a car around in San Juan but for a “small town girl” in a little rental Mitsubishi it was wild! Anyway, this crowd of enthusiastic triathletes gave rush hour a whole new meaning …a very cool thing though, big roads where all closed for us meaning that we had more than one lane available in each direction. Never the less it was nice to turn off the loop and head back to T2 riding alone again but with a girl in sight up in front. I caught her with about 5mile to go, and felt like I had pulled off a good ride.
Run:
Just as you ran out of T2 you had to climb over a bridge, doing that I did’t really feel like I would be able to run. But as I came down and into the 2loop out and back session I saw a girl not that fare up the road witch made me find my rhythm. I was told that I was in 6th meaning as I caught and past her I would be no 5. Not long after I realized that 2 girls was running close together and that they where in a distance where they should be manageable to catch. I past the first one as we turned to do the 2nd loop. Did also pass the 2nd of them, but she was hanging on me and we ran together most of the way to the turnpoint in the far end. I have to say, this run course is SO COOL, but hard! -ups and downs, turns and a bit of cobble stones (you just need to be in in a physical and mental place that allow you to run with power!) to be fair it has more elevation then we climbed on the bike, it goes along the sea and through the old city of San Juan. I do not know if I got too excited and got carried away with the opportunity I suddenly saw for a podium and ran too hard in the beginning. But I was suffering big time at this point. Completely burned out! I couldn’t do anything but let Jackie Hering run away. When I reached the aid-station I walked my way through and drank all the coke I could have. Knowing the fastest way to get more water and coke (and get home) was to run, made me do it and I was very pleased to keep my 4th to the finishline
Big congrats to follow Skechers Athlete Sarah Haskins for the win
Done!