The See Jane Tri is a sprint triathlon (400 yd swim / 11 mi bike / 3.1 mi run) put on by See Jane Run, the women's fitness store with outlets in Noe Valley, Oakland and ... Boise. Yes, the one in Idaho. Their stores are great because not only do they have great gear (i.e. apparel, yoga wear, wetsuits, running shoes, accessories), but they specialize in helping women, especially newbies. That means, among other things, you don't have to feel embarrassed asking things like, "How do I keep my boobs from chafing when I run?" They also have a training program so you can train for your first (or 51st) triathlon without the added pressure of all that testosterone.
Although this was my second year participating in this race and my fifth triathlon, I was still apprehensive. Would it be freezing cold like last year? Will I get a flat tire? Will the nagging pain in my instep come out to torture me? Read on...
On Friday night, I had my bike checked out by the nice people at Sports Basement, then rode it home and put it in the trunk of my car. That's right - little Fro Fro's bike is small enough to fit in the trunk of a 4-door sedan. No unsightly bike racks for this girl.
In the morning I made the drive to the race site at Shadow Cliffs Regional Park in Pleasanton, about an hour East of my Pac Heights pad. Though my wave wasn't due to start until 8:20, I'm glad I arrived at about 7 am. There were already tons of people there and the transition area was almost filled to capacity. However, I was able to snag a great spot close to both the Bike and Run exit points. Set up my transition area with the following*:
- Nike super-absorbent chamois towel on top of a bright yellow terri towel
- Amphipod for See Jane Run number belt. This one is self-contained and has little plastic clips - so there are no extra straps or cords sticking out like my Zoot one had.
- Oakley Sunglasses
- Giro bike helmet
- Cannondale bike gloves
- Camelbak hydration pack
- Chocolate CLIF Shot
- Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water
- Pocket Pack of Kleenex tissues (With the cool temps, these came in super-handy two years in a row.)
- Asics GT-2110s (I've been wearing the GTs for years - starting with the 2010's. Great for stability.)
*No promotional consideration was provided by any of these manufacturers. I just hawk their brands out of the goodness of my heart.
Picked up my chip and got body marked with my bib number on my arm and the big 4-0 tattooed on my leg for the first time. At the Danskin Tri in Austin, they put your age on the back of your leg, so you can competitively gawk at everyone else behind their backs. At the See Jane Tri, it's in front, so everything's out in the open!
At about 7:45 I ate my customary CLIF Peanut Butter Builder's Bar and decided it was finally time to take off my nice warm fleece and join the other racers to make our way over to the beach to get ready for the Swim start. Brrr... it was cold. But the sun was coming out, which I don't think ever happened last year. I chattered and chatted with a woman doing her first triathlon, and tried to allay her fears as I answered her myriad of questions.
The race waves began, and my Wave 6 took off about 8:30. The Swim leg of the tri is not the nemesis it once was for me, although at one point I caught a huge wave with my mouth and had to cough it out for several strokes.
Out of the water, into the transition area. Throw off the cap and googles, dry the feet, throw on the socks, shoes, shirt, number belt, sunglasses and bike helmet. Take a big swig of water. Decide to forgo the gloves and the Camelbak and head out to the Bike course. Hopefully that wasn't a knucklehead move because a) I don't want to get dehydrated and b) my tire tools are in it and I saw at least three women along the course with flats. Luckily neither was an issue for me.
Back in the transition area again. Did a shot of CLIF with a water chaser and started the Run. This is the point at which I'm most excited, because I've gotten through the more nerve-wracking first two legs and I'm in the home stretch. The See Jane Tri run course is among the prettiest of any of the races I've done, and the Janes punctuate it with signs carrying inspirational quotes from folks like Eleanor Roosevelt, Madonna and Vince Lombardi. My favorite was from Anais Nin: "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." A wave of emotions rushed over me and propelled me toward the finish.
Official Chip Time: 1:23:11 - not bad, especially since my goal was to do it in under 1:30.
After the race, I engaged in my favorite rituals -- a manicure and dinner at a restaurant I haven't tried. Last night's venue was Skipjack (see separate Skipjack post).
I'm now in the home stretch of my year of monthly races. Nine down, three to go. Looking forward to finishing strong!
Congratulations Miss Fro Fro. As always, you are my inspiration. The Danskin seems so far off but as always I'm excited about our annual triathlon tradition. :)
Posted by: Jo Jo | September 30, 2007 at 07:17 PM
I didn't see anything on the video?! does it work on a mac?
Posted by: Ilana | October 11, 2007 at 08:35 PM
Hi Ilana - yes - works on a Mac (and was created on one too). Try clicking on play twice. Also, it's not a video; it's a slide show of 3 photos.
Posted by: laurafrofro | October 11, 2007 at 09:14 PM