Boilerman Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I loved this swim. The water was smooth as glass, and with the small field there was almost no contact or clogging. The water temperature was comfy, but the air temp was cool and my arms went numb about halfway through the swim. I felt like I was pinwheeling my arms. By the end of the swim I was just hoping I'd stayed under 28 min, so I nearly tripped over my own feet when I saw 24:xx on my watch as I came out of the water. It's a good thing there was such a long run up the hill to transition, because that gave me time to recover my composure and remember that I didn't want to wear my wetsuit and cap and goggles on the bike!

Full sleeve wetsuit would have made for a faster and more comfortable swim, but this was a very good time for me.

Had a little trouble getting my feet out of my wetsuit as usual, but I had already decided to take my chances and not put on a warm layer for the bike, so it was a simple, quick transition.

Put my feet up and relax a little. Why the rush? ;)

The roads were wet, but the rain held off so they weren't very slippery. I took the turns a little more carefully than usual, but otherwise I don't think the conditions were much of a factor. This is a really fun, fast course, with almost no bike traffic to deal with. It is open to car traffic, but the drivers I saw were considerate and patient.

This was a good bike split for me.

My legs were colder than I realized, so I kind of staggered in on stiff legs, but it was a quick easy transition. I double-checked with a volunteer that I was running the right way out because I had a little bit of a brain freeze going on.

Remember the baby powder for my shoes.

I came out of T2 feeling pretty good despite the numb feet and bike legs. I didn't have a HR monitor or GPS on, so I ran by feel until I got to the mile 1 marker and then hit lap on my watch to start tracking my run splits. Unfortunately, I only saw one other mile marker after that so I was basically running blind but I felt good. Around mile 2, I felt that little lift that means my running legs are back. At a turnaround, I saw a tri club friend who challenged me to catch him and then took off like a rabbit, pulling me to a faster pace. I also got a boost from seeing my family and other friends out on the course. About halfway up the mean little hill at the end, there was a young woman standing out in the cold, cheering people in. It turns out she was the OA female winner, who had crushed the field. What a good sport! My husband and kids were waiting for me at the finish, and I finally looked at my watch. 3 minute PR!!!

Nothing. This was a great run for me, thanks in no small part to support from my family and friends.

My calves had started cramping on the loop around the lake, so I stayed on my feet and did some gentle stretching. I chatted with friends until the awards ceremony, when the rain really let loose. Then scooted on back to my car and home to a warm shower.


This is a really fun, no frills race put on by the college triathlon club. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which makes for a great race atmosphere. And, they order lots of pizza.