May 17, 2015
Typically you don't get good sleep the night before a race but I slept pretty good. I tend to toss and turn continuously through the night. This was pretty typical of my sleep the night before the race. Because I was extra paranoid I set double alarms for 5am. Like most athletes, I woke up and checked the time to make sure I didn't oversleep. It was about 4:21am. I went back to sleep and literally 2 minutes later both alarms were going off like someone had broken into the house LOL. I started my race prep. I ate my typical morning breakfast of peanut butter and bagel. My appetite was off as normal so I decided to go ahead and head to the race. Car is packed, bike loaded and off to AE Finley YMCA I go. I get to the race site about 5:40am, oh yes it's early. I see a few of TIFL sisters pulling up. I unload my bike, check my tire pressure, unload my bucket and head over to transition. I actually only make 1 trip this year, woo hoo. My race number is 41, I'm all the way in the back of transition like 2 shakes of a lambs tail from the bike start. I rack my bike and set up my transition area.
I head back to my spot in the transition area and I see more ladies have shown up. I'm surround by my TIFL sisters, Kelly Truncer, Trina Burkett, Sherry Johnson Vann and Tracey Brown Burton. I guess I wasn't the only one who registered EARLY.
We head over to the gym for the pre-race meeting. We meet up with the rest of our TIFL sisters. Our cheer captain AKA social committee co-captain Sharon Johsnonleads us in our TIFL cheer. Who are we? Triathletes What do we do? Finish Strong. We are loud like a white linen suit on Halloween. I just came up with that lol.
The swim portion of the race is here, the 10s AKA the female Michael Phelps head in first. I was marked as a 6. My partner in crime AKA my amigo Julie Reed is a 7. I go with the 7s. As we line up we meet another TIFL sister Clar Raynell Ty DeVane who tells us she is doing Beach 2 Battleship in the fall. My jaw drops to the ground. For those who are unfamiliar, this a HIM(half iron-man) 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 run. Yes the words BadArse and crazy come to mind. We head into the pool, I'm directed to swim on the left. I love swimming but I don't know what it is about race day that I get shook in the pool. I was inhaling water like a smoker. I got in under control and got 225 yards done. Out the pool and walking back to transition and I'm wishing I would have brought my flops because you walk through some type of sod or grass outside the pool which hurts. I make it to transition, sit on my bucket and have a little talk with Jesus because it's about to get REAL on the bike course. Helmet on, gloves on, socks and shoes on, iPhone in case and sunscreen has been applied. I head out for the HARD part, the bike ride. The course has changed twice, lovely. I had just taken a Test Drive on the course the day before so I knew where I was going. Lawd have mercy the heat was on and so was the humidity.
The beginning of the bike course goes downhill. You have to remember what goes down must come up. I'm doing pretty good for the first 2 miles. Then we get to the last street before the turn on six forks and this thing is a steep hill. I look ahead and see Amigo Julie is in front of me walking her bike. I get off and walk as well. I get to six forks and see Julie has dropped her bike on the grass and sitting on the curve. Our TIFL sister Barbara Ferrell is at the turn. She is checking on us as well. You leave no amigo behind. I stop to see what's going on. She's felling nauseous. Heat, hills and humidity are not joke. She refuels but is thinking about doing DNF. When I heard her say DNF I almost decide to call it myself but there's bling waiting for me at the end. Another TIFL sister Harvestine is coming up to the turn. She checks on us as well. Julie is feeling better. I head out with Harvestine. At this point you are still at an in incline, I ask the cop can I walk across. The cop tells me "you can do whatever you want. You are doing better than me because I wouldn't even be out here" I'm on six forks and I get back on the bike. North on six forks and left onto mount Vernon church road. I am familiar with this road, it was on the course last year. They have warned us about the downhill. Downhills are my friends. I LOVE downhills. I FLY down hills. There is no fear on downhill. I will SMOKE you on a downhill. What goes down, must come up. I walk up the rest of mount Vernon because it's a hill. Once it flattens I get back on and turn left onto Kinsdale. I know exactly where I am. Turn onto Countrywood. I know what is coming up next, Carrington AKA the devil in disguise. Who do I see at the top of Countrywood and Carrinngton, 1 of my fav people in the world, Brett Friendlander, my TIFL sister Karen Friendlander's better half. He tells me "Johanna you were booking up Countrywood" apparently I haven't run out of fuel yet. I turn onto Carringtn. Carrington and I have an understanding. I will fly down and I will promptly get off my back about 100 yards from the "pot holes in my lawn" section and walk the rest of the way. A Carrington resident tells me "it gets flat once you past the for sale sign" he must think this is my first rodeo because I know for a fact it doesn't get flat until you turn at the stop sign. I pass a family at a house on the right and I ask them "where are the mimosas" the mother tells me "that's the house next door, they're out of town" FYI the house next door was handing out mimosas last year. By the time we got to them they were out of orange juice. Amigo Erin Kenner asked them what else they got to drink. At the turn I see a TIFL sister Lauren Herring telling me "come see me jo" I get back on the bike and continue on the course. I really know I'm almost there. Turn turn and I am riding across the 540 bridge and I really know I'm almost there. I make that left onto Baileywick and I head back to the Y. there is a hill to get back to the Y. My body tells me to go ahead and walk. I walk all the way back to bike finish. I'm worried about Julie. I see my TIFL sister Lillie Ebron at the bike finish and I ask them have they send Julie. They haven't. I'm thinking she is ok. I head to rack my back and prepare for the final piece, 2 mile run. If you know me I have never ran on the run course. I use it as my recovery. Apparently I was doing too much as I removed my iPhone from the bike mount with the Otter box pieces in the same hand and my iPhone falls out my hand and onto the ground. It literally takes me a minute to realize that was my phone that just hit the ground. Let's take a moment of silence for my phone. As I am recovering from the bike and my cracked iPhone, who do I see coming into transition JULIE REED. She made it through the bike course. She tells me "jo let's walk the run together" I'm like oh yeah this is going to be a straight up walk.
We head out of transition and hit the run course. We see fellow TIFL sisters who have finished rooting us on. We are strolling on the course.
I love my #TRITribe
