Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic

Coming into this triathlon; the one thing I wasn't nervous about was the swim! Wow, it was a different story when I got there and got a view of the swim course. Actually getting to walk along the swim course and see over 40 waves start the swim gave me some nervous energy. I was definitely complacent about the swim; nonetheless, I did ok to my standards.

I am in the 30-34 year old age group and there were some definite studs in my wave. I decided to place myself dead in the middle of the pack...bad idea, but also, not the worst. Right before the horn sounded and we were just bobbing up and down in the water waiting for our wave to start was a weird and foreboding feeling...everyone was just looking at each other, I yelled good luck, everyone else was saying the same...lots of good sportmanship before the swim started. I actually bumped knuckles with one guy wishing me luck...which I appreciated!

Once we started it was absolutely nuts. I was running into slow people, people were swimming over me...it was crazy! It was also very cool...When I attended the course talk the day before, the guy told us that usually the swim evens out and gets less "rough and tumble" after the first 40 or 40 meters...but it didn't seem to even out in my wave for a good 200-300 meters. (Maybe I am exagerating..but it was a difficult first half, in my opinion.)

I did fine though...I kept going...the only tme I stopped was to keep my sight-line and gather my bearings. I only had one problem with one swimmer. I was attempting to pass between two swimmers, one of which was doing the breast-stroke (which is perfecting fine.), but as I attempted to pass, he kept trying to push me back with each stroke. he was literally grabbing my head and pushing me back...he did it twice and that was it! I grabbed his hand and pulled myself forward and gave him a dirty look and just pushed ahead...very annoying, but I didn't let it get me discouraged.

I really felt like I had a good rhythm, but could have done a better job at drafting...Everytime, I found a pair of feet to follow, they ended up being slower than me or I lost them. Oh well...I found myself stray a little off course at times, but nothing major.

I also appreciated the volunteers at the finish. I noticed as I approached the finish staircase; the volunteers were pulling swimmers out of the water. So, as I swam to the staircase, I just held my arm out of the water and one of the awesome volunteers grabbed it and pulled me easily out of the water. Very cool!!!!

By the way, I was in wave 51.

Draft better. I also need to work on bilateral breathing. I only breath on one side.

Holy Shnikes!!! This T1 was a train wreck for me!!!! My wife bought me a balloon to help me spot my bike and I still couldn't find it...I ended up passing it a few times. I couldn't find my row. I was looking in the wrong area. I overshot my spot several times and was just in a state of confusion. I was just shouting, "where is the wave 51 racks!!!!" Luckily some nice people were helping me and I finally found it. At times during my t1, I was walking and looking for my bike...it was an atrocious T1.

I got my wetsuit off and gear on in no time. The only mistake I had on the way out was that I left my running visor on the pedals on the way out of the transition area. I ended up placing it in my back jersey pocket, but it was sticking out...I am sure it slowed me a bit on the bike, but I was glad I had it for the run.

Next time I do Chicago; which has a T1 area the size of Rhode Island, I will carefully map out my entrance and location of my bike. When I got there at 4:30 in the morning...it just seemed to easy to find, but with so many bikes there hours later, I should have done a check of where it was.

Wow...I had a blast on the bike. I felt really good almost the entire ride. I got to pass a ton of people and talked to a couple as well. The only negative was that my forerunner GPS/Heartrate monitor fell out during my first loop. I remembered to look for it during my second loop and found it! Bad news...it was broken! I will try sending it back...the screen must have been riden over about a hundred time, but it wasn't cracked...the numbers were all jumbled...

The wind wasn't too bad of an issue during the northern section of the ride. I kept in my aero position and felt like I had a good pace going along. It was soooo nice riding south with the wind on your back! I felt like I was going a 100mph! (I really was only going 25 mph at times...but oh well!!!)

I did run into one jerk during the bike. During the Chicago tri, you have to pass on the right and I am always calling out when I pass. They also told people to stay out of the right lane if you are not passing. Well, one guy was hanging out in the right lane and swerving left and right in that lane. I yelled ahead that I was passing and he didn't move..I then yelled again that I was passing and he then yelled back, "You have the entire f-ing lane!!!"...Well...no, I didn't. I kept verring back and forth. Very interesting to say the least.

I ended up having two power gells during my bike. I had one at 10 miles and another at 20 miles. I really think they helped. I also tried hydrating at least once every 10-15 minutes.

I almost overshot the first loop turn-around and had to make a quick cut to the left to get in the turnaround lane. I was glad no one was in the way, otherwise, I probably would have crashed into someone.

Towards the end of the bike, my back and legs were feeling a little tense, so it felt nice to get out of my saddle during some of the short climbs.

not lose my HR/GPS and have it destroyed!

Go at least 1 mph faster...I could have pushed it a little harder.

This went much better, but I did a little walking through the T2 area, because I didn't want to rush it. I found my balloon quickly and I was off and running.

Run!

What can I say about the run course other than how happy I was to be almost finishing my first International distance triathlon!!!! The first 3 miles seemed difficult. I didn't really feel a 2nd wind until the mile 3 marker. If my GPS was working, I probably ran a good 15-20 seconds/mile faster during the last 3 miles.

I was getting a bit choked up during the last mile. I was thinking a lot about all the training I had put in and hours I had sacrificed and how it was all coming to a close with these last few minutes of running. The spectators were super supportive and I was high fiving a lot of people!

At the finish line after I crossed the finish line, I broke down once the volunteer put the medal around my neck. I just put my visor over my face and wept for about a minute. I was soooo happy that I accomplished this goal. This was something I wanted to do for years!!! I was really happy that a lot of my family was there to cheer me on as well as my wife who is expecting our first child. (I thought a lot about her and the baby for the entire race...they kept me going, without stopping, the entire race!!!!)

I will work on my running in the off season. I would like to become a 7 minute miler instead of an 8-9 minute miler.

Just walked through the finish line, found some gatorade and water. It was a loooooonnnnng walk to the Transition area to pick up my bike.


I did the best I could. I am very pleased with my results.


What an end to my first triathlon season! The changes in me have been immense. Being a triathlete has been a life-changing event. I don't intend of stopping, but with a baby on the way, my options are in the air. My wife has talked of me doing some next summer, but we'll see.

This was the best summer of my life...I will never forget how much fun I had participating in these triathlons. It made me a better person. I cannot wait to start sharing this experience with my kid(s) soon!!!

My wife couldn't have been more supportive and encouraging. I found a note in my lunchbag today at work, congratulating me on my achievment...I almost got a little teary-eyed in front of my students!! ha! What an experience! I love triathlons!!!!!!!!!