Crystal River Triathlon Series - Sprint #1 - TriathlonSprint

Swim was good! As we ran into the water I realized I probably wasn't as far up in front as I wanted to be. But I just went with it. I got kicked a couple times and realized I should have started outside so I could pass people and not get smacked. Next time I'll do this and see what happens. It felt like no time at all when I got to the turnaround. The water was so clear that even 200m out, you could see the bottom. That was cool. On the way back I turned up the heat a bit and passed a bunch of people. I remember seeing Brian and Greg on the swim, hangin' right up there with me! I was out of the water at 7:01 and crossed into transition at 7:13. This was a big Crystal River swim PR for me. Best was 7:34 last year.

Nothing except start a little differently.

This was about as good as they come. I did feel a little unbalanced as I put my shoes on, but other than that, I was right on the ball with this T1. Probably my best yet.

Nothing.

I hammered this bike. Even still, I lost 15 places from the 29th position I was in after T1. I just went as hard as I could for the entire ride. On the way out, I knew I was fighting the wind so I didn't go all out, but I pushed hard. After the turnaround, I knew it was time to make up some time, so I gave it 100% and made some speed. Top speed was 25.5. I passed about 6 people but got passed by 20 or so...yikes!! That's the most I've been passed on the bike so far this year. At an average speed of 21.7mph, I was going pretty fast, so these people must have been flying!! Anyway, I was still happy with my bike split as it was another PR. My best bike split last year was 46:30 at 19.xx mph. This was a huge improvement.

Nothing except get even faster!!

About as smooth as I could have asked for. Good T2.

Nothing.

I took off out of transition as fast as I could. As soon as we exited, a guy in the 20-24 AG passed me but I repassed him less than a minute later and he faded. I passed another few people before Mile 1. At the mile marker, I took a gel and chased it with water, I needed the extra nutrition if I was gonna post a good run split. I took a couple of age group spots just after Mile 1. Then just before the turnaround, two lead women passed me. Up til this time I had been in front of all the women. The first place woman looked strong, but second place looked like she was just hanging on, so after the turnaround, I passed her again. I passed another few people between the turnaround and Mile 2. From then on, I pretty much held my place. About a quarter mile before the finish I saw one more guy I figured I could take a place from, so I kicked it. I was hearing the second place woman huffing behind me so I kept it up. I wound up finishing about 10 seconds in front of her, so she kept right up there with me. I congratulated her and thanked her for keeping me motivated. The guy I passed a quarter mile from the finish came up and congratulated me. That was cool. I was happy to be done, but felt like I could have given more effort, as I wasn't totally exhausted. My run was 21:20...over 2 minutes faster than my best run last year.

Go faster.

Drank some water. Grabbed a Powerade. Walked around. Waited for all the other BTers to finish and cheered them in. Jeff (parrj) came first, then Brian, Jess, and Sue. Next was Greg (coweng), and then Wendi. After everyone was finished we met up, waited for the awards (Wendi, 1st Athena!!) and then we headed out to breakfast.


Only my mind.


I can now say I rocked the river! These races are usually well organized even though they score things the old fashioned way. As far as non-chipped races go though, DRC is probably the best and most organized. I always have fun at CR, even though last year I had all those problems with equipment. Some new strategies will be in store for the June 30th race!!