Season Opener kind of like the Fishing Opener but more painful....Oakdale Du 2013

It was a cold cold day for the first race, super windy too!! I have done Oakdale a few years in a row and have always singed up for this race pretty early. This year has not only been cold, but I've also had some hiccups with my ankle. After contemplating if I can do this race with my ankle surgery being March 22nd, I decided to go ahead with it, with little run or brick training under my belt.

Unlike last year I started with the correct wave this year. There were only 3 women in the Elite wave this year, most likely due to the weather conditions. The wind was like nothing else I've ever raced in before especially on the bike. I ran the first run feeling pretty good, and not feeling much or any discomfort in my ankle. The bike was a bit of a disaster as I decided that it was too much to mess around with my gloves after the first run, so instead of taking the extra few seconds to put them on I left them off. I knew this was a mistake pretty quickly as winds were 20 to 30 miles per hour and the weather was in the 40's. I was being blown pretty good on the bike, and my hands were so numb that's all I could think about. I got pretty frustrated on the bike with the wind, and very very cold. I couldn't drink any water the whole race also because I was just so cold. After coming in first on the run, I was in 3rd into T2. At that point I was not able to do anything with my hands, so I had a nice guy un-clip my helmet, and then somehow got my shoes on all by myself! The second run was pretty painful also, mostly because I felt out of shape with running and bricks...All different parts of my legs were sore and in pain. Kirk passed me with about a mile to go. I didn't have much in my legs, and it really did feel like the longest 2.5 miles ever. I came in 4th overall, not super happy with the race, about 5:30 slower then last year, and mostly on the bike. The runs were also slower but the majority of time lost was the bike. I guess conditions didn't help and coming off the surgery was also a factor. As I write this a day later I can be a little more realistic with myself and just think...On to the next race, Apple Du...

Results:
51 20:22  6:48 
T10:49   41  
40:36 20.7 
T21:03   59
17:38  7:03
Total Time 1:20:26