Triathlon results
I arrive at the site about an hour early and set up my stuff in the transition area. I am no pro on transitions, but I am not a rookie either and I feel comfortable with my setup.
I go for a 1-mile ride, 1/2 mile run and 50 yard swim to warm up. In retrospect, these were not nearly long enough. I will increase the bike to 3 miles and the swim to 100 yards next time.
The first wave starts. A swimmer signals to be rescued after 100 yards. Then the 2nd and 3rd waves begin in 3-minute waves.
Finally, my wave starts. I position myself on the inside, away from the commotion. I start off for the first 100 yards in good shape, but then I start dealing with anxiety; the water is green and cold, and I am thinking of the elevation and I begin to struggle with breathing. I struggle to swim 25 strokes (25 yards) before I am struggling for air. I finally get to the first buoy at the 350 yard mark and realize that I am not exhaling underwater consistently - the same problem I had at my last tri! I try to relax and focus on proper breathing and counting my strokes. I get off course on the home stretch and end up swimming about 50 yards farther than I should because of my weak sighting. But, the swim is over and I even beat some other folks out of the water, including a few from a previous wave. I am real dizzy from the swim but manage to jog to the transition area.
I have a quick T1 and am on the bike. I start off a little slowly and am still woozy. I am making good progress, passing about 10 riders, when the biker in front of me turns left, the police officer directs him and I, like a lemming, follow. I go about 1 mile, realize there is nobody else around, remember the the race director saying "there are no left turns" and turn around. I get back on the road after a 2-mile detour that cost me about 7 minutes.
I motor on the bike, passing about 40 - 50 riders and not getting passed by anyone. I average about 19mph and do not hold back like I did in Silver Springs.
I get back to the transition area, put on my shoes with the new Yankz that I just bought - very cool and gives me 1 less thing to not have to worry about - and take off. I sprint the last 100 yards and feel good but totally fatigued.
My brother says he timed me for the 4 mile run in 35 minutes, but that sounds too fast.
Overall assessment: Taking into account the bike ride was not "flat and fast" as advertised, it was actually quite hilly with long, slow climbs and fast descents (40 mph on 1 descent, 30+ on 5 others) and the elevation (5300' versus the 100' where I live), I am pleased with my bike and run. If I can get over the anxiety of swimming, I think that will be much better too. At least, I ended the swim strong and on a positive note. Oh, and I need to follow the route better
And, I need to lose 10 - 15 pounds to improve my running.
I think my total time was 2:43, but I'll post the official results once posted. The tri was 750m, 26miles (although I went 28) and 4 miles.
