Puerta Vallarta - my first ITU race! My race did not go as well as I would have liked. I learned a lot from from the experience, however, and I am glad I opted for the south of the Border trip.

My father and I arrived in Puerta Vallarta on Friday. Our hotel was not far from downtown (which was where the race was going to take place), so we decided to take a walk and check out the local attractions. We were quite surprised to find that all of the streets were made of cobblestone! I could not believe that we were going to have to bike on the cobblestone during the race. My Dad quickly reminded me that, furthermore, the run would be on the round 17th century stones as well! The idea of having to run on the cobblestone made me very nervous because I did not want to reaggravate the stress fracture in my lower shin which had recently stopped hurting. I did my best to put aside my apprehensions about these inconveniences, and I hoped for the best.

On Saturday (the day before the race), I did a short run at a dirt track across the street from our hotel. It was a wonderful place to run, and I was optimistic about the race the next day. I also did a short swim in the ocean and was surprised at how calm the water was. There were, however, large rocks all over the beach, which added one more thing to my list of concerns. I did not even try to bike on Saturday as I did not want to risk hurting my wheels on the cobblestone!

Sunday was race day, and I woke up feeling nervous but very excited. I was a little disappointed to find out that it was much hotter and definitely more humid than it had been the day before. I set everything up in transition, warmed up, and before I knew it it was time to race! The race directors introduced the top contenders first and then they told the rest of us to walk to the start line on the beach. As soon as the buzzer sounded, we took off sprinting down the beach and into the ocean. I thought I had gotten a pretty good start, but as I dove into the ocean, my lower leg came crashing down on one of the huge rocks that I had seen during my swim the day before. Adrenaline kept me going, and I settled in with the lead group for the remainder of the swim. The swim consisted of two loops. As I came around the first time, I felt a sharp sting and quickly realized that I had been stung by a jellyfish. I was pleased to finish the swim with the lead group of three and was feeling pretty good about myself until the same three women (Sandra from Brazil, Carol Montgomery and Jennifer Gutierrez) left me in the dust during the run to transition. I quickly learned that not only do I need to learn how to get on my bike faster, but I also need to sprint like crazy as soon as I get out of the water! Needless to say, I missed out on being able to ride with that first group of three.

After I finally got on my bike, I hung on for dear life as I rode the first mile over the cobblestone. I was soon caught by two girls in the chase pack. The one benefit of getting caught was that I had people to work with on the bike. One of the girls was from Canada and we worked really well together on the bike. We were not able to make a dent on the leaders, but as we came around on each loop, I saw that we were building a good lead on the groups behind us. I soon realized, however, that my sports drink bottle had fallen off my bike (probably as I rode over the cobblestone). I had some water with me, so I didn't think much of it until I began to feel very dizzy on the fourth lap of the bike. I guess the water was not enough for that heat. I tried to stay calm because my group made up 4th, 5th, and 6th place and we had a big gap over the next group. As we rode on to the cobblestone to head back in for the run, the two girls I was riding with pulled away. I could not understand how they could possibly ride so fast on the cobblestone. My hands felt like they were going to fall off from holding on so tightly.

I finally got into transition and headed out for the four loop run on more cobblestone. I knew I was in trouble because the dizziness that I had felt on the bike came at me in full force when I tried to run. I made myself stay calm and tried to take in the fluids that they were handing out, but nothing seemed to help. I continued to feel worse. I was really not sure I was going to finish, but I told myself to keep running until I either fell on my face or until I got across the finish line. I have never dropped out of a race and I did not want to start in Puerta Vallarta if I could help it. My run became more of a walk and a stumble, but I kept plugging along. As slow as I was going, I could not believe I was still in the top ten (I later found out it was due to the fact that some of the other athletes were dropping out). I do not remember a lot of the run, but somehow I did finish in tenth place overall.

I was helped to the medical tent where they placed me under a cold shower and gave me fluids. It took a long time before I began to feel better. Normally, I would of been pleased with a top ten finish in an ITU race, but I felt too bad physically to be happy. I also found out later that I did not get any ITU points (which you normally get when you finish top ten) because I was too far behind the winner. To get points you have to be within 8% of the winners time. Thanks to my run/walk/stumble, I did not meet this criteria. At first, I felt like I had suffered through my dehydration problems for nothing, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had learned lot from this bad experience. To name a few, I learned the importance of transitions, the importance of proper hydration/ caloric intake on the bike (water is not enough), and that I really like the draft legal style of racing! Even with my problems on the run, I realized that I had still really enjoyed the race. I was disappointed with the outcome of my race in Puerta Vallarta, but I actually think I learned more than I would have if I had had a great race. I am not sure I will choose to race the in Puerta Vallarta next year, but I do not regret going this time. Overall, it was a good learning experience for me.

Next race - Memphis In May - next weekend! I will have to take care of myself to make sure I am fully recovered and ready to race so soon after Puerta Vallarta!