Team Bonding in the City of Brotherly Love

Contrary to my review of the race on Travelete, I had a great time at this race!  The difference between this and that review is this one is about me and that one is about the race.  Any race, all races are always amazing when you are with a group of people that you love being with on a daily basis at the butt ass crack of dawn!  TriRocks Philadelphia was this past weekend and the first Team Lipstick race of the season - there is simply nothing better than racing with a team or training with a team.  If you aren't on a team, I advise you find one and get on it.  My goal for this race was to "Do Well" - I usually want to have fun and finish but I really wanted to push it and see how fast I could finish.  My goal was a 2:00 finish.

Race morning I showed up to a sea of orange - the team had a few first timers which is awesome.  I'm almost jealous of them as you never have your first race again and it's so fun, you'll always remember it - the nerves, the excitement - it was great to be apart of and enjoy their experience with them (see my first race here).  The swim was spectacular, calm, warm - at the end I was a little too warm which has never happened to me.  It is amazing how every time in the swim I think to myself, "I need to get in the pool more, I need to do more swim training - I swear I'll do more before the next race".  Does that happened to everyone or does everyone else actually train?

The bike was a little harder than I expected but still nice - it was a little boring but was way more exciting by looking for other teammates.  I found Roni but of course she was on her 2nd lap and then she sped right past me - seeing her speed is simply inspiring.  I love that she's older than I am as that gives me great hope that I can work hard to become her!  Kevin gave me a bike goal to maintain 17 MPH for the race - my watch read 16.9 average at the end, so damn close!

I've been working on my run for awhile - trying harder and harder to get faster, it's certainly not easy but when I started with a 12:00/mile pace there is really no choice but to get faster.  I can't possibly get slower.  I was hoping for a 30:00 5k but off the bike I knew that wouldn't be easy.  Since the run was out and back I was able to see every single teammate either going or coming with each hand slap it gives you a little extra pep in your step.  A little ice would have also given me a little more pep as hot water on a hot day doesn't make me all that happy.

The night before we decided Kevin would stay at his brother's house with the kids - the parking and walking to the race is such a hassle with the kids, they complain the whole time, it was hot, yadda, yadda, yadda.  I figured since the entire team was there this would be the race for the kids to stay home.  As I ran through the finish shoot (which was awesome!) I heard Charlotte screaming for me and I turned to see my whole family!  They are so damn cute (5 minutes after I finished they were whining to leave, they were hungry and then complained the entire walk back to the car...but as I finished it was cute for a whole 2 minutes!) and I have a picture to prove it:

As for my goals: finish under 2:00, actual finish time 1:55!  Goal run time was 30:00, actual was 31:38 - you win some, you lose some!  I was really happy with my overall time and can finally see that work in training it starting to show - finally.  

Can't wait for New Jersey State Triathlon in 4 weeks - time to get in the pool and do those training swims I promised myself!