Land Between the Lakes Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Decent swim. They changed the "beach" there and we were able to start on the beach instead of a dock. That made it possible to get in ahead of time to warm up a bit. That was good. My wave was pretty small, so I lined up at the front and had a good swim. Not much traffic. My stupid goggles kept fogging up, but I didn't bother to stop since they were using the huge buoys which are easy to see.

Not much. This was a good swim for me.

Pretty typical T1. It was hard to tip-toe through the swamp and up the muddy hill on the way out. I didn't know I'd signed up a cyclocross race! Every step I could feel the water seeping up through the drain holes in my shoes. Gross. Luckily I didn't have much trouble getting clipped in.

Maybe chat less with people around me. But hey, this is supposed to be fun!

Good ride. We started out with a tailwind. I knew that I needed to bank speed since the wind really slows me down. Without HR data, I just had speed and time to pace off of. Bill and I had ridden this course the week before, so I didn't have to think much about where I was going. Just had to get the job done. It seemed that I wasn't passing many people, but no one was passing me either. Actually it seemed kind of lonely out there, but I guess that was because it's such a small race. Coming back into the wind was tough, but I guess I'm used to it. Don't like it, but can handle it fine.

Nothing. This was a bike PR for this race.

I didn't want to jump off the bike and risk re-injuring my foot, so I had to do the full stop then get of the bike method. So much slower. Then a careful tip-toe down the muddy bank to the bike racks. I didn't want to slip, fall and be covered in muck, so I took my time. I sat down to put on socks and shoes and took the opportunity to fix my bra. Can run unhooked!

Ah, the running. Since I haven't run much at all since Mankato, I was actually kind of enjoying this run. Just to be able to run again is really nice. I caught up with this guy in a Rabbobank jersey who I had passed on the bike but lost out of T2. I could tell he was struggling, so I tried to get him to run with me. He hung for about a half mile, but had to drop back. Then I found a guy just out for a training run and stayed with him for a while. I also saw a mamma duck with her babies crossing the road. I probably looked like an idiot because I was smiling most of the time, but I'm just so damm happy to be able to run again. I kept my pace slow (even for me) and just enjoyed the trip. Still I was glad to see the finish since I knew this was well past the 3.5 distance I'd trained for.

Not a thing. Happy with this effort for where my training has been.

Got some food, saw Paige and Aaron finish their first tris together. Very cool. Then we saw Bill come in. Josh and Mike were already done (of course). When I was changing clothes, I heard Jerry start awards. I heard him call my name for 3rd in my AG. Very cool! Technically, I was 4th, but the overall female winner was in my AG, so they pulled her from AG awards. After picking up my medal, we went to get some much deserved lunch. In all, a fun day despite the weather.


The usual.


This must be a good race if we keep coming back. It can't be the weather, that's for sure. I did like the other venue, but the improvements to the swim start were appreciated.