I did my first tri of the year. I signed up through work to do the Corporate Challenge but it was the same course as Wendy's Triathlon, a sprint distance tri and I was definately not prepared for it. This isn't really all that surprising since I keep skipping my morning swim class to sleep in and my longest run since April had only been 6 miles up to this point!
The day started out in the 70's and it was already very humid. Possible thunderstorms are in the forecast, but fortunately it is sunny for the swim. I really debated on wearing the wetsuit for the swim, but ultimately decided that whatever time I would make up from it would be negated by how long it takes me to get out of the dumb thing. Being with the YMCA group allows me to start in the first wave, which is nice. As I am waiting in the water for the race to start I spot two of my friends who have never done a tri before, give them a little pep talk and wish them luck (yeah Kyle and Katie)! The race only starts a little late but eventually we hear the horn and get started. I can tell I am being passed by a lot of people, but my stroke feels pretty good, I am able to keep swimming the full distance without taking a break. I passed alot of people, but also got passed myself. Fortunately I didn't see too many people pass me that were in the waves behind. I can't help but thinking how much better I feel now, compared to a few years ago when I did my very first tri! Out of the water per my watch at 16:15, not my fastest time, but I feel pretty good. We have to run a bit up the beach to get to the transition area.
Transitions are my downfall, I need to work on these. This one took me a little longer because I got my shirt caught on my bra and couldn't figure out how to wiggle it down. I guess next time I will just wear my full tri outfit in the water and not worry about putting the shirt on in transition. Putting a tight fitting shirt on isn't easy when you are soaking wet . . .After a few minutes I finally got it and headed out on the bike.
This is the first year that I felt really comfortable on the bike. The sun had gone behind the clouds so it wasn't too hot. Just got the arrow bars put on, which is a big help. Once out of transition, I drank a bit then settled in for the ride. By the time I got done, I was pretty sure it was a PR bike split for me.
My second transition was a bit faster but still I got caught up. The bike rack was all messed up and I almost knocked it over trying to put my bike on it. Fortuntately I realized it before I knocked everything over. I stopped to take the time to reposition it before putting my bike on it. Once that was done, my transition was quick. Out to the run. . .
The run course was different this year and I really liked it. It was really humid though which doesn't help the whole asthma situation. So, I didn't push it as hard as I would have liked but it was all breathing related. My legs actually felt really good. At about the 2 mile mark I spotted my friend Rocco. That kept me going for the last mile, all I wanted to do was beat him back to the finish (which I did)!
Special thanks to Susan and her parents for cheering us on at the race, she was also my key and inhaler holder and did a fabulous job! Also happy to report that everyone I know finished their races. Congrats to Katie and Kyle for finishing their first and Rocco for his great 1:31 finish!
My stats:
Overall: 1:48:52
Swim: 18:01
T1: 3:52
Bike: 55:16 (18.5 MPH avg)
T2: 2:17
Run: 29:28 (9:31 avg)
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