The day started out a little cloudy and overcast, but quickly cleared up and heated up. They changed the swim course this year which was a much needed improvement and instead of starting on the beach, we started in deep water off of the pier. When it was time to go, we all nervously and excitedly made our way down the pier to the spot where we would be jumping off. They used a time trial start, so we all lined up based on our race numbers and entered the water one after the other 3-seconds apart.
I have mixed views on the time trial start. On one hand I like it because it takes away the stress of starting in a big wave and fighting for position all the while getting battered by everyone else around, but on the other hand it can make it a little more difficult to judge where you are in relation to other competitors during the race since you start at different times. If the athletes are seeded accurately, which this race seemed to do a pretty good job of, though that isn't much of a problem.
The course was pretty simple, just one turn which made it easy to navigate, other than the fact that once I made that turn bam, the sun was right in my face and I couldn't see a single bouy. Thankfully there were a couple of flags at the swim exit that I could pick out so I was able to sight off of them and make it in without any issues.
After a quick stop through T1, it was on to the bike course. I had racked my bike in one of the easiest gears and if any of you have ever been to the Fairhope pier, you'll know why. As soon as I left transition, there was a large, steep hill waiting to be tackled. Once up that, the course goes a short ways through downtown and then out into some of the farmland with some rolling hills and then back along the water. The course is one big loop, so there were no chances to see where I was in relation to any of the girls in front of me, just had to ride my race and see where I ended up. I didn't feel great on the ride, for some reason I just felt a little flat and like I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to.
Once off the bike it was on to the run and you guessed it, the big hill again. This is a pretty tough run course with the big hill at the beginning and a couple more throughout and I had a hard time finding my stride until the last mile where it flattened out. There is a turnaround at mile 1 which was the first place that I got a chance to kind of see who was in front of me and where they were. I think there were 4 girls in front of me at that point, 2 of which I was fairly confident that I would pass soon and 2 of which I knew it was a long shot to catch. Jacqueline was in front and even with the fact that she had started several minutes in front of me she had a sizeable enough lead that I didn't think I could make up. Jules was the other girl in front. She had started a minute or so before me and I knew our gap was pretty close to that. Jules is a tough competitor and I enjoy the chances I get to race with her, she is such a gifted athlete and yesterday I was able to just barely edge her by 30 seconds to finish as the 2nd overall female.
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