Memphis in May

This weekend marked my first back-to-back racing attempt at Memphis in May.  This is the 4th race in the 5150 Triathlon series - professionals earn points at each race in the series to qualify for the championship race later in the season at Hyvee.  Memphis in May (MIM) is a well known race throughout the country, however this year Start2Finish Events moved the course to a new venue in Tunica, MS. 

This race is unique as participants are sent off in a time trial fashion (leaving one at a time, every few seconds) rather than a mass start (everyone participating leaves at the same time) or wave starts (people leave according to their race division or age group).  At MIM the age groupers begin their race at 7am, while the pros start at 10:30.  Or so we thought...

Thunderstorms cut our warm-ups short and landed us in the nearby tent for an hour while we waited to see if we'd be racing.  Race directors saw a break in the weather and quickly got us started.  No warm up- let's race!  (Truthfully, I'm just thankful the race directors made the decision to keep the race as a triathlon rather than eliminate the swim portion or cancelling the entire race, which were the 2 options we were told.  Changing the race to a duathlon seems to be a trend in the recent months for various reasons.  My opinions on the subject another time...)

The pros were sent off every 10 seconds; men and women mixed amongst each other.  This kind of start adds the element of the unknown- you have no clue what place you're in since everyone left at different times.  You have to wait until everyone is finished to compare times. 

The lake was perfect temperature and since the rain clouds blocked the sun, the buoys were easily spotted.  Great swim course!  No wetsuit this time, but my Aquaman speedsuit was perfect.  swim = 20.39  There is nothing else to be said about the bike course except that it is flat.  FLAAATTT.  Except for the series of reflector strips and paying attention to the stagger rule, this was the type of course you could just put your head down and push the pedals.  bike = 59:38  The run course was the same - flat - but long.  Racers wearing GPS watches measured the run at 6.68 miles, nearly .5 miles too long for my taste :)  run = 42.52

Total time = 2:04.55.  I ended up in 9th place (8th place beat me by a fraction of a second -grr!  Note to self: don't run around the mud puddles next time).  My past 3 races have been consistent in that I know how to focus my training over the next month.  I am enjoying this distance in racing- I've raced 4 tri's this season already, am improving each race, and it's not even June! 


8hr drive home after race.  Recovery
snacks in the car: almonds, cherry
craisins and chocolate milk.  MMM :)

Big thanks to Gayle Minard, my homestay in Memphis (who also happens to be a surgeon, nutrition specialist, IM triathlete, dog lover, and...and...and... I couldn't keep track of her resume.  Very interesting lady).  Was glad to see you made it through the thunderstorms and back pains-  whew!  It was great to meet you and I wish you the best of luck at IM Louisville this year! 


back to training - hope everyone has a fun, safe Memorial weekend! 
miss