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 Swim
Comments: Goooooodness...I knew the swim was going to be tough but this was nuts. I was completely unprepared for the swim even with all the progress I had made in the pool, along with swims in Lake Mission Viejo. First off the water seemed very cold to me even with the wetsuit on. We swam out to the start and I felt great. The horn went off, I counted to 5, than started swimming. I did good for a little bit but then fell apart slowly into more and more breastroke. I was keeping up with a guy and a swim buddy for about half the distance. Kicked myself for not getting a swim buddy myself! I was never worried about drowning, there was no panic at all due to the fantastic buoyancy provided by the wetsuit, but when I looked down course to that last buoy it sure seemed a long way off. I just kept plodding along determined to finish, freestyling when I could. The women's wave behind me caught up to me and mostly passed me which didn't bother me a bit but I was concerned about being run over and did my best to stay out of the way. There was some contact but nothing bad. As I came up to the last buoy to turn around it got crowded with folks and two guys from the wave after the women's came straight at me...they looked very strong and fast in the water! No issues there at all as they sailed right past me. There was a lifeguard on a surfboard near the end that asked if I was ok and joked with me which made me laugh and relax. I'd hug her if I could find her. Came into the beach and as soon as I could I stood up, damn happy to be on my feet! Walked for a few moments, then jogged into transition stripping the suit down to my waist. What would you do differently?: Lots more swim practice! That will be my focus over the winter. Next time I hope to remember to hit the start button on my watch to capture the split time too!  Transition 1
Comments: Well I was so excited/nervous/happy to be alive that I didn't hit my watch at all for the entire race! So I just don't know how long it took me. I do know it was longer than necessary as I had to fight with my bike shoes to get them on. What would you do differently?: Remember to loosen the straps on the shoes so I can slip them on, not fight with them while in a stupor.  Bike
Comments: The bike course was great. I got on the bike and just took it easy for a bit to get my breathing under control. After that I just tried to keep the pedals spinning and a good pace but didn't push too hard because I just wasn't sure how I'd feel on the run. Biking is new to me and I know that I'll learn a lot more as I do more races. Lots of folks passed me but I did pass a few myself which gave me some confidence. I liked the course...except for the bridge. =) What would you do differently?: More miles on the bike. Transition 2
Comments: Once again, too excited to hit the dang split button. No idea on the time but it seemed good to me. Put the bike on the rack, slipped on the shoes, helmet off and race belt/hat on as I jogged away. What would you do differently?: I can't think of anything other than more practice.  Run
Comments: Here's where I could tell I don't bike enough, my legs were tired. My normal jog is pretty slow at 10:30 minute miles and I had to walk a lot of the course. I'm very surprised at my time, it seems really good considering how much I walked, but I'm not complaining! I did my best to keep the effort level as strong and consistant as I could but not all out and then picked up the pace as I neared the finish line. The final push felt great as I ran down across the finish line. What would you do differently?: Keep on running. Post race
Warm down: I walked around a bit, drank some water, ate a muffin and banana. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not enough training in all three sports. Event comments: I thought this race was fantastic. Great for any first timers. I want to thank all the folks here at BT.com for all of the advice I've read over the last 12 weeks. Just getting through the swim was one of the toughest things I've ever done. You all rock! Thanks to my friends and most importantly my wife too for all the support and funds!!! Profile Album Last updated: 2007-06-27 12:00 AM
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United States
KOZ Enterprises
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1262/1457
Age Group = Male 40-44
Age Group Rank = 88/94
This was my first triathlon and my pre-race routine consisted of mostly stressing about the swim. Over the last 12 weeks I've taught myself to swim using a Total Immersion DVD, The Triathlete's Guide to Swim Training book, all the wonderful resources here at BT.com and my friends and family. During that time I did learn (some) proper swim form but never was able to do more than 100 meters in the pool without a break, so I knew that this was going to be a challenge to finish. I'm also new to biking and running but wasn't worried about either event because I could always walk! The plan was to finish the swim any way I could and then hit the bike and run the best I could and hopefully finish the race strong but not totally wasted.
Got up just after 4 AM and made a cup of coffee and downed a Cliff Bar and an apple. Spent a few minutes stretching and visualizing myself going through the swim and finishing. My wife and I stayed right across the street from the park where the transition area was so we left the room at 5 AM and walked to the park. We got to the transition area at 5:08 and was able to go setup out stuff (she was doing the swim leg as part of a relay). Once that was done we waited for the other relay members to show up as well as two other friends who were doing the full triathlon. Got everything settled, put on the wetsuit and headed down to the boat landing.
Some running in place, some stretching, that's about it. I should do more in the future.