IRON GIRL SANDY HOOK RACE REVIEW 2014

Iron Girl Sandy Hook 2014...a race filled with AWESOMENESS!  Of course there is no such thing as "perfect" and Iron Girl did have a couple of minor flaws. But even with its minor flaws, I still thought it was a great day and a fun race.

This was the first time my daughter Caitlin and I competed as a team. My job was to get us through the 1/3 of a mile swim and the 15 mile bike. Caitlin's job to complete the 3 mile run and secure our finisher medals.

Packet pickup was at a high school in the Highlands and was very well organized. They had a small expo where you could buy Iron Girl gear and gave lectures on course details.  If you wanted to rack your bike the day before, you could.  I decided against racking my bike the day before because of pending thunderstorms and strong wind gusts.

RACE DAY:
Caitlin and I were out the door by 4:00 am and arrived at Sandy Hook by 5:15.  We were directed to one of 3 parking lots and had no issues securing a parking spot. I took my bike and MOST of my gear figuring that after transition was set up, I could go back for the rest.

Bad idea!!! This where things take a turn for NOT so awesome!

With most of my gear in hand, we began our journey from the car to transition. It was dark as night outside and there were absolutely NO lights anywhere along the pathways.  The walkways varied between old, uneven cobblestones (great for breaking an ankle) and paved roadways with several deep potholes. We're talking big potholes!

At this point, I had NO IDEA how far the walk was from the parking lot to transition.  And let me tell you...it was far...very far...like over a mile away far! Now I'm not complaining about walking, but had I known it was that far I would have NEVER considered leaving anything behind.

So after our long march we finally made it to transition. I set our gear up and dreaded the long walk back to the car, but I had no choice.  And for the record, I wasn't the only one grumbling about the distance between the parking lot and transition. Others made the same mistake as I did. A heads up on Iron Girls FB page would have been greatly appreciated.

SWIM:
The swim heats were broken down by age groups, starting with older women going first and working down to younger women.  Because I was in a relay team, I was in the last swim heat along with the twenty-four and younger crowd. Personally, I was thrilled to be in the last swim heat.

The swim was a straight shot from one beach area to another.  There were 6 buoys lined up in a row and a LOT of lifeguards to support us.  There were lifeguards treading in the water, on paddleboards and in kayaks.  Iron Girl even provided a floating dock.

Iron Girl Sandy Hook Swim Start

Since it was a bay swim, getting into the water was easy...no large waves to contend with.  A wind was blowing off the ocean and the water had a chop to it.  Not huge swells, just choppy.  I took note that we would be swimming against the current. I reminded myself that I had practiced in worse conditions and I needed to keep moving forward.  Stopping and bobbing for too long meant the current would push me back, so I needed to focus on CFP (Continuous Forward Progress).  I was ready for this swim!

I had some anxiety at the start but I got over it quickly.  I stayed on course, counted strokes and sighted.  Several times as I rotated to take in air a wave washed over me and filled my nose and mouth with water. Don't panic, remain calm, blow the water out, continuous forward progress (CFP).

Before I knew it, the swim was done and I actually enjoyed it! It was a little challenging but not overly challenging.  I saw a handful of women struggling during the swim. I think the current and chop took them by surprise. If you hadn't practiced in the ocean, you were definitely in for a surprise. Rule 1: Respect the race!  Rule 2: See rule #1

T1:
Completely uneventful. I did dawdle a bit to wipe the sand off my feet. Why I did this, I still don't know.  Probably because Coach Tom wasn't there to yell at me. I got my cycling shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on...it was time for the bike course!

BIKE:
The bike course was two loops, out and back.  It was advertised as flat and fast course, which it was (for the most part).  I stayed on the hardest gear, peddled as fast I could.  I wanted to make up as much time as possible.  I noticed most of the cyclists stayed to the right except to pass.  After they passed, they moved to the right again. No one hogged the left side of the road...awesome!

I finally made it to the turn around and let me tell you, that was some narrow turn around! I still can't believe I didn't fall off my bike.  As I headed back in the other direction, the wind was tough. There was a nasty, unrelenting headwind that pressed us back.  Everyone dealt with it the best they could. Suck it up buttercup.

On my second loop, I knew I had to take advantage of the wind at my back so I peddled as hard as possible. After surviving the second turn around, I went into an easier gear and peddled against the wind for the last time.  I knew I was heading to transition and it was Caitlin's turn to finish the race.

IMO the bike course was very nice and scenic. At certain points I forgot about the headwind and simply enjoyed the ride.  It was nice to look around and soak it all in. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the scenery.

T2:
I racked my bike and ran to find Caitlin in the 'Relay Team' area.  I threw the timing chip on her ankle and boom, off she went.

RUN:
Caitlin did the 3 mile run which wound its way around the lower part of Sandy Hook.  Since I wasn't there for the run, I can't comment much about it.  She said the run was flat and nice.  The other women on the course motivated her along and were kind to her in a motherly sort of way.  I saw her heading for the finish line and made sure I was there to video tape her.

She threw up her arms when the MC yelled out "Caitlin, you are an Iron Girl"! She was so thrilled to get a personal shout out.

We are Iron Girls!

I saw a decent number of athletes cross the finish line and the mixture of emotions was fantastic! I loved their facial expressions when they heard the MC say their name along with "You are an Iron Girl".  A group of us cheered at the finish line and high fived the athletes as they came through. I lost count of how many happy faces I saw that day but there were a lot.

Iron Girl Sandy Hook was great! The race was well organized and lots of fun.  The volunteers and staff were all very nice.  And, I love competing in all women events.  Somehow I didn't even mind the VERY long walk back to the car.  The pretty medal around my neck made it all worth while.

"We are Iron Girls"!