The Metro Triathlon - Duathlon

The 800 meter swim was cancelled today due to poor water quality, and a 1 mile run was substituted. Upon arrival, I took a peek at the lake and I understand why the swim was cancelled. Can you say gross? I'd be afraid swimming in that lake & of getting a mouthfull of goose crap. Not sure I'd enter this race again unless the location were to be moved to a cleaner lake.

Slight downhill slope coming out of T1 made getting up to speed really easy.

Started out spectacularly flat, and then about half-way through the course, hit what seemed like an endless climb. After reaching the top, it was a quick descent back to Almaden Lake. I wished I had a 12-25 cassette for the unexpected climb today; it would have allowed me to spin a little better. After reviewing the elevation map & Google maps, it appeared this hill was mostly on the olympic course, while the sprint course made a different turn & went through a golf course, instead. We clearly did not go through a golf course.

I wish I had another gear. And, i wished I'd reconned the course beforehand. I was not expecting a hill climb like THAT! In the moment, the climb felt epic, but relative to other Bay Area climbs it was truly uneventful.

Had a little trouble with my right shoe; it's time to get some yankz laces!

Drank water at aid stations. Started off with a side stitch that went away about half way throught the run. At about the 1 mile marker I passed this tall dude with a tattoo sleeve. Upon returning, I passed him again (we were running in the same direction) with about .5 mile to go. I could swear tattoo guy did not run all the way to the turn around point at mile 1.5, otherwise I would have passed him for the second time heading in my opposite direction. Cheater? Whatever gets you through the day.

Remind myself to not eat a Pancho Villas regular burrito the night before. Everybody poops, except ME! My burrito sat in my gut on this run and it was very uncomfortable. Had I been able to take care of business before the race, this run would have look a lot different.

It was really warm by the time I finished the race, so I hung out near the finish line in anticipation of Tim's finish & stretched a bit. It took me a few minutes to get past a mildly-nauseous feeling once I finished the race. So, we walked over to a shaded picnic table and briefly sat down & drank a 12 ounce bottle of water. After drinking water, I walked over grabbed some fruit, a bagel with cream cheese, and a performance beverage...oh, and a snow cone! We walked around a bit, checked out our results, and then headed back over to the transition area to round up our goods and drove home.


Damnit Pancho Villa!


Given my observation of Almaden Lake, I would not be inclined to sign-up for this triathlon next year. While event organizers put on a great event, the lake is truly disgusting.