Race officials decided to cut the Olympic distance Hy-Vee Tri down to a sprint to try and get it started and finished before a very bad storm hit the West Des Moines, IA area, and, they just barely did it. 2,000 athletes got in and out of the water - 600 yd. swim - and on to the course before it cut loose. I had just crossed the finish line when the heavens opened up - thunder, lightening, pouring rain, cold, mud, etc. made it miserable.
They said the swim was 400 yds. so I skipped the wetsuit. Probably would have used it if I knew it was more like 600+. The transition area was a mud pit. Black mud/goo squished between my toes running in and out of T1 and T2. I had a pan of water for T2 ready to rinse my feet off before throwing on my shoes. Averaged 6:23 miles I think for the run. I ended up getting 2nd in my age group out of 57 finishers, missing 1st place by 2 SECONDS - ouch! That hurt. But, I was/am very thankful to the Lord for a clean race and a good result.
Still dealing with a bruised heel which hurt on the run but not too badly. I've been restricted to grass running only or deep water running because of the bruise. Pretty sore today - day after. We had an FCA-Endurance / Step Up To Life booth at the two-day expo and had great opportunities to talk to a lot of folks and give out a bunch of literature.
So...I've thought of about 10 different ways I could have gone 3 seconds faster and won my age group, but, at least I made the podium. Last year I missed it by 13 seconds, dealing with a bone problem in my foot. Always something it seems to keep me trusting the Lord, which, is a good thing!
