Kure Beach Race Report

The morning started at 5:15 am from a knock on the door from
Freeze! A group of tri-friends stayed at her parents house at the beach for this race. Jessica's mom was very sweet and saintly and made a wonderfully tasty lasagna dinner. Her Dad was very calm and cool, her entire family was great! Her parents have a nice spread on a golf course! That's southern talk for a very beautiful home, it looked all "interior decorated" and perfect. No vomit stained carpets or animal fur to be found. (like our farm house!)

When I woke up, I realized my period had come. Last month it came Wood Lake race morning, then again today. Can't I get a break? I'm freaking fertile myrtle or something. I'm not in any serious pain. It just makes me more dull, quiet, agitated and more hungry. Meg told me this morning that I was acting nonchalant, I probably do act differently during this time of the month. I sipped my coffee and looked at the beautiful window treatments while other's chatted about the race and ate breakfast.

Don asked me if I was excited about the race this morning.

I said, "Guess so, it will be a new experience; swimming in the ocean and all.(Little did I know I would almost aspirate ocean water in about 3 hours from this statement) Could we please go to the gourmet fudge shop in Wilmington after the race?"

You do not know how much I love this chocolate place. It's called
scrumdiddlydumciousness, you can watch them make the fudge. I must go every time we are around Wilington. Kilman's

He informed me my mind wasn't focusing in the right direction, I would be racing in 2 hours! I need to focus on racing! Like I didn't already know, honey? I had been talking to my other tri friends about this chocolate factory last night. I wanted to stuff myself with the yummy lasagna last night but I didn't want any problems this morning from gorging on goodness. He thinks he's the smartest coach in the world. His award for me winning novice would be $40.00 to spend at the scrumdiddlydumcious store. Now you're talkin'! :)

He took a smiley picture of me with my tri friends after that news.


Then, I started to focus on actually swimming in the ocean. Start time was about to blow for the elites. I watch this boat struggling to put out the buoys. It looked like a toy boat bouncing around on the waves ( It actually was a 50 ft Coast Guard Cutter!). I watch the buoys come crashing back to shore. I started paying attention and heard strangers talking about the rough surf conditions. I thought maybe I should stop thinking about chocolate.

I start listening carefully to directions:
The coast guard cutter can't get the buoys anchored because the waves are pushing 10 feet high. You can choose to do a dualathon, but you will not be awarded points. The lifeguards were going to take the buoys out on surfboards, and hold them in place for the entire race!15 lifeguards total.(The life guards deserve major props for all their hard work!) Race director says to start far to the right of the first buoy because the north pushing current was so strong .

Elites.. 15 seconds.. Beeeeepp!

I watched the elites sprint into the surf far, far right of the first buoy. Some decided to try to cut toward it too fast and got pulled left of the buoy. The elites looked like they were fighting and struggling, the finesse had be forgotten. I saw a few turn around. I saw more and more caps turning around after fighting with the waves for a few minutes-pink, blue, green, yellow and then me. White egghead-



that is naively smiling because I'm still blissfully unaware about trying to swim out in the ocean with waves being push by high surf.

I decided after I watched so many others' quit and come in that I would not turn around and look back at shore. Once you did this, it seemed you were done. Off I went, promising not to look back even if it took an hour to swim 375 yards.


First, I am thankful I wore my goggles under my cap. They would have gotten bitch slapped off my face for sure. I am thankful I don't panic easily. At times, I was afraid of the waves crashing on top of me and crushing me. I felt so out of touch with the "Little Mermaid" feeling I thought I might have had. I was delusion to think ocean swimming was so fun. I felt like I was making no progress trying to swim out to the first buoy. I would swim so hard and kept getting sucked toward shore. It was 2 strokes forward, 8 back. The breakers were almost impossible to get beyond.

I'd try to go under the waves and they'll pull me under. I started way too far right of the buoy but I saw so many people getting sucked away, I played it safe. Once you got out and swam parallel to shore, you felt like Speed Racer. I swam too far past the last buoy and did not make my left turn toward shore. The lifeguards were screaming at me, "Turn. Turn! TURN!!!"
Because I was "One" with the current, I felt like zooming and got carried away. (little did I know that about 20 yards past the last bouy was a dangerous rip current!)

The turn back to shore was humbling, you'll get the shit knocked out of you. I saw a man in front of me panicking and screaming during the second swim leg. I have never heard someone scream, "Help, I am going to drown!"

I saw and heard him because moments before, I almost aspirated ocean water. So, I started treading water because a wave had hit me so hard, I became disoriented with up and down. Then, another wave it me. I thought I would suck salt water down my lungs because I needed to breathe. I stopped thinking about chocolate.

This race was all about the swim for me- that is all I pretty much remember right now. I will update more when the splits are posted. I'm not thrilled with my time. I came in first novice and got the chocolate but thought I would be faster. I feel like I trained hard. I think it was the ocean but it will be interesting to see. Was my ocean swim bad or did it shake me so much I couldn't recover on the other legs? I really hope I don't suck goat balls on the bike.. I have Falcor and I'm blessed to own him. I want to rate owning him!

Oh yeah, on the run the photographer dude told me I had big teeth.
Better to eat you with dude! I made this picture extra large so you can see them if you read my blog. Chomp! Chomp!


Today, was the first time I felt like I had to fight to live for a long time. I didn't quit because I chose not to look back.