general.

I did this triathlon in 2017 while prepping for my first full Ironman, so I was excited to do it again!

When I arrived to set my transition area up, I was blown away by a change.

First, a little backstory. Traditionally when you go and get your body markers applied, they put your race number on your arm and then your gender and age on your calf. This has always been difficult for me because I would go up to the volunteer to get marked and when they put my gender on my calf they always put a ‘M’ for male. I would then correct them that I was Female, so the volunteer would blackout the ‘M’ and put a ‘F’ above it. So I raced with a ‘F’, followed by a big black dot, and then my age.

Well, this time around I was surprised! The race organizers decided to not put gender markers on your calf. I was really happy that these local races are finally learning and evolving with the times and acknowledge that gender can be so many different things and you can't risk assuming a persons' gender. They removed the potential of a very awkward situation for the athlete and the volunteer.

Good on your Lake Meridian Triathlon for making that change. I like to hope they stopped putting gender markings out of respect for the LGBTQ community. Regardless of their intention, it was a solid move and should be recognized for taking that step.

I'm also impressed that the number of female-identified participants seems to be taking an upward trend, which is always great to see.

results.

Female overall: 51/79
Age group (Female 35 to 39): 14/16

Swim
Gender: 68/79
Age group: 15/16

Bike
Gender: 28/79
Age group: 9/16

Run
Gender: 49/79
Age group: 16/16

It was a strong field this year, especially in my age group. I felt really strong in this race and when I found out my results didn't match up with how I thought my performance was, I felt a little bit disappointed. But at the end of the day, it's not important. I felt strong, I had so much fun, and that's all that matters. It just means I have to work stronger and when I'm recovered from my surgery in October, I'll be back!

the swim.

Time: 00:40:04

I never hide that I'm not a strong swimmer and always honest that I train to simply survive the distance, haha! I own it and perfectly okay with it as well. I'm not racing for the world championships.

But, I felt really good in the swim. Generally, I take a few breaks to catch my breath and gather myself, but I was impressed with myself that I never really stopped swimming. Sure I had to stop because other swimmers would swim on top of me or flat-out run into me while they were doing the backstroke. Yeah, I can't even talk about that whole thing right now, haha!

Not having to stop during the swim showed that I paced myself right, I stayed in my box. I didn't allow myself to go out too hard like I usually do. I was proud of myself and shows that I'm finally learning how to control myself and pace.

I was expecting the result that I had, so no disappointment or feeling defeated there.

the bike.

Time: 01:19:32

Going into this race I was a little worried about the bike. For some reason this year my bike fitness just wasn't there. I was constantly having issues with hydration and nutrition which hindered my long-distance riding. The entire season I was trying to understand why my bike fitness was nowhere near where it was in 2016 and 2017. So, I didn't know what to expect.

Setting out on the bike I was completely caught off guard. I figured the course would be the same as the last time I raced here, well, I was wrong. This course was a bit more challenging compared to last time. There was a lot more climbing. They were short and very steep climbs. Not entire suited for my Shiv which isn't configured for climbing in the first place.

Regardless, I was pretty happy with the ride and results.

Next time I won't assume the course is the same.

the run.

Time: 01:05:57

The one thing that didn't change was the run course. It was the same course as the last time I ran it. Because of this, I wasn't expecting much from the run. It kicked my ass in 2017 and it kicked my ass in 2019. There's not much to say really. The course was hilly and most of them being quite steep.

One of these days this course will become easy and I can shred right through it... That might take a while, but it'll happen, haha!

Photos.

takeaways.

Don’t assume the course is the same from previous years.
Stay away from people swimming the backstroke. They aren’t watching for anyone and don’t care if they cross in front of you, smack you in the face, and will hog the racing line. They’re super awesome people! I’m totally not bitter about them at all ;)

lake meridian triathlon (olympic)