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 Swim
Comments: Stan was right next to me at the start and it was cool to be able to wish each other luck. After all he's the one that got me into this mess in the first place! Felt really good about the start. I was able to keep my adrenaline under control and swim my own pace. Then about 1/2 way across the lake I started catching up to several people that had taken off way too fast. So...I had to fight my way through some feet. I actually stopped at one point after getting kicked and sucking up some water. WOO HOO! That's fun! I don't know what's up w/ my navigation, but I'm terrible. I kept swimming off to my right, so I zig-zagged my way across. This was only my second OWS. So...more of that on the agenda! Felt real good coming out of the water, no spins that I'd heard about. What would you do differently?: Navigate better! Swim a bit harder. Felt like I had a lot in the tank after this swim. I don't have anything to compare this to since this is my first race..?..  Transition 1
Comments: I was really pleased w/ this transition. We had to run uphill out of the water for about 75 yds, then cross the street to the bike racks. What would you do differently?: Nothing!  Bike
Comments: Pretty strong winds in the face on the way out followed by some good crosswinds. It was awesome when we finally turned w/ the wind at our back for a couple miles. I hit 34.4 miles/hr on the flat! It made fightin' the wind on the way out worth it! I passed 20 riders on the bike and didn't get passed once! WHOOP WHOOP! Best part of my race by far! It was awesome coming into transition and hearing my wife, girls, parents and friends all screaming at me. They couldn't believe I'd made up 20 places in 12 miles! I got kinda choked up w/ emotions, knowing that they were proud of my effort! What an awesome feeling! What would you do differently?: Nothing! Transition 2
Comments: Haven't practiced riding w/ my feet on top of shoes enough yet, so I didn't do it. Didn't have quick laces on my running shoes, so I had to pull up the laces and tie them. Left my right shoe a little too loose. What would you do differently?: Don't have anything to compare this one to. But, felt OK.  Run
Comments: Started out of T2 and my calves locked up tight! This is where I knew I was in for trouble.....Had to stop at about 1/4 mile and stretch out my calves a bit before I could go on. Live & learn, right? Got passed by 2 guys on the run. I passed both of them on the bike, but they got the last laugh! Felt like I struggled a bit on the run. Not my best effort. But, again, this is my first shot at it. So maybe that's a normal feeling. Again, coming into the finish line w/ all my family and friends screaming, I got choked up again. I'M A TRIATHLETE! WHOO HOOOOO! What would you do differently?: Practice more bricks! Post race
Warm down: I was soooooper pleased w/ my 1st race! 7th OA in a very competitive field, I couldn't have been more pleased or surprised. My wife and girls came over right after I ran through the chute and gave me big hugs. My 5 yr old came up & said "How did you win daddy?"! Pretty cute. Ate some watermelon and drank a couple bottles of water and waited for Stan to come into the finish. It was an awesome feeling to have my big brother, who has been so encouraging to me, smile so big when he heard that I had hit my goal of breaking an hour and that I'd placed so well. STAN.....thank you for all the encouragement, solid advice and support. I may have been quicker today, but you're the "Ironman"! You're the best! What limited your ability to perform faster: Just started swimming in December, running this Spring and biking a year ago. So, in a nutshell.........inexperience. Event comments: Being a "sprint" this race didn't need a lot of volunteers, water stations, etc. They do a real nice job of organizing everything that needs to be done for the race. The competition is blistering, I would guess that 1/2 the field are racing IMCDA next Sunday. This race will likely continue to get better and more competitive every year. Next year will be the 25th year in a row! It would be nice if they would have an awards ceremony or some kind of post-race activity, but as of now there is none. Profile Album Last updated: 2007-03-02 12:00 AM
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United States
74F / 23C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 7/135
Age Group = 30-39
Age Group Rank = 5/?
Got up at 6:30am and spent 45 minutes in the shower shaving my hairy man legs.
Fixed up some eggs & toast for b-fast. Stan (Flyboy) came over and had b-fast w/ us. Then Stan & I left my house at about 9:45am and rode our bikes into Medical Lake (about 3.5 miles). We met our parents, my wife and some friends there and watched the big parade before getting checked in at the race. Scored a great spot for transition near the exit.
Walked around & chatted w/ other athletes for about an hour prior to the race.
The competition that was showing up was scary! About 1/2 the field was athletes racing IMCDA next Sunday. Some seriously elite men were there and because I'm so competitive by nature, I was starting to get very nervous.
Rode bike to town from home. It's nice to be so close to your first race! Spent 15 minutes doing stretches.
The swim portion of this race starts on the opposite side of the lake from the transition/finish line. So....we swam across (400 yds) for a warmup. Most people were trucked around to the start line.
It was cool being lined up next to my brother for the swim start.