Normally I wouldn't devote a whole blog post to the single transition in an event, but since I took nearly 12 minutes to complete it, it was like a separate event unto itself!After my happy dance for completing the swim, I nearly ran into a volunteer standing directly in my path, but it turned out he was trying to hand me my correctly-numbered bike gear bag. Then I took my bag with me into the women's side of the changing tent. I hadn't ever been to a triathlon with a changing tent before. Neither had I been to one with a little semi-circle of chairs set up inside (as if they were about to hold a little encounter group meeting) with a head table set up with water and two flavors of sports gels arrayed on it.
And HELPERS! I never imagined that there would be helpers in the tent! I didn't know how to act! One kind woman took charge of me and helped me take things out of my gear bag, asked me what I needed, and gave me two cups of water and a gel upon my request. The gel was much-needed since I was a little shaky after emerging from the long swim effort!
The helper woman also helped pack up my things again, which isn't so simple when it's a bulky dripping wetsuit. I asked her her name and she said that it was Tracy, but that I wouldn't remember. Oh yes I did! Thank you, Tracy, you were an angel!
I started blabbering about how I thought I was last out there in the swim and was so glad to be done with that leg. She looked outside and said there were still men finishing, and that if I beat any men in the swim I must have done pretty well! That was nice to hear, since I really had no idea that there were actually at least 17 swimmers that arrived after me.
I asked her the temperature outside - I couldn't really judge, in between wearing my hot wetsuit and being soaking wet from the swim and warm from the exertion. She said it was about 60 degrees, so I was happy to put on my cycling armwarmers and full-fingered throwaway gloves over my fingerless cycling gloves. I also pulled on a cycling jersey and dry cycling shorts.
Just as I was finishing up with putting on my cycling shoes Ellie came in the door! I was truly surprised! I really thought that she would be long gone by the time I got to transition. We had a cheerful little encounter group session after all, and then I ducked out the opposite door, headed for the porta-potty, and peed like a racehorse, which probably took at least 3 or 4 minutes right there.
Then it was time to get my bike Buttercup! I checked the tires before I unracked her (after my bad experience riding out of Eagleman transition in that very location with a flat), but all was well this day. I trotted out of the teensy transition area, which amazingly still held a dozen bikes, mounted up and we were on our way.
"Hurrah! I get to ride my bike now!"
5 comments:
You post makes me smile, remember my day as a transition tent volunteer at the Great Floridian. People were so tired they would get stuck in their clothes as they tried to change. I'm glad to see you had your own transition angel to take care of you.
It was worth the twelve min. for you to make a new friend, and mention her, and to talk to Ellie. Now you know what you CAN'T do in IMFL...be so darn friendly! It's all business from here out! :-)
i'm awaitin' the rest of this cliff hanger!
There were helpers at the Redman, too, but only for the full. As usual, the halfs were treated like losers.
You thought I would be long gone? Sheesh, after all my posts about how my swim style has gone to the dogs?
I thought YOU would be long gone and was tickled to see you!
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