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 Swim
Comments: Yozzers & Awful. Started out wading in the pond then at the start my "heat" (about 30 or so) took off all in a bunch. Had heard all the stories from the Ironmen/women about kicking, punching, scratching etc...which was true here, so I saw an opening in the middle and put all of my strength into getting there. Thus, swam (american crawl) with head up towards middle. Made it into the middle with minimal punching, but managed to swallow half the pond, which is why I now have a third arm (not the cleanest pond), which coincidentally should help my swimming next time. Got the first bouy, made the turn in the middle of the pack, then died. Thought cr&p! Switched to the backstroke (I was 3d all city in 6th grade!) and leisurely made my way to the shore, switching time to time to crawl/breast stroke to make sure I was going the right way...actually passed several people, but still I was darn tired when I got to the "shore". Went to get out the pond and then the fun began! What would you do differently?: swim more than 2x in 10 years.  Transition 1
Comments: Got out of pond and didn't have my land legs...started wobbling and going back and forth and thought cr&p. Heard some lady say: "he can't walk". Actually, I could walk, just not straight. Heard Marna yelling "Earl", but couldn't formulate words, just kept thinking, remain calm, you're not heat exhausted or dehydrated, you're just not used to swimming. Wobbled gingerly up the bank to the bike. Thought, focus on one task at a time, thus, saw my feet were muddy, so I cleaned them off, then, one sock at a time, then one shoe at a time, then shirt. In between each task, felt much better and would give a look and wave to Marna to tell her I was ok...she was freaking out and ready to jump the barricade and see if I was alright. By the time I got to my helmet, I felt fine again, grabbed the bike and then walked to area where you could get on, got on bike and then felt a charlie horse in left calf... What would you do differently?: swim more than 2x in 10 years and practice transition.  Bike
Comments: Charliehorse went away after on bike for 2 or so minutes. Rode comfortably not pushing it or letting it down, except for one to take some swigs of the GU20 (thanks Weds). Felt good on the bike and the course was pretty good and the police officers were Great at directing traffic. I was amazed to see so many people out on the course cheering everyone on. It was quite different to be on the otherside...getting cheered. What would you do differently?: Not much. Just bike more to build up speed and power. Transition 2
Comments: You were not allowed to run with bike. I was a little disappointed to see all the bikes already racked when I arrived, but knew that the run was my best and I would be able to finish, so I got a big smile, took a GU and set off to finish. What would you do differently?: Practice transition.  Run
Comments: Definately felt weird beginning the run as I've never practiced going straight from swim/bike to run, thus feet felt a little flat. However, quickly settled into a comfortable pace. I thought I was going at a 8 1/2 mile pace, but turned out a little different. The run felt GREAT! My pace and form felt like it clicked and it was AWESOME to see Marna at the beginning of the run and the finish as I came to the line. Kept the pace comfortable until the last 15 yards, then put a little hmmph into the end. What would you do differently?: Maybe carry a water bottle or practice drinking from a cup. Post race
Warm down: Hugged and kissed Marna, she quickly wiped off the salt and pond sludge! Then grabbed water, gatorade, quick cool down from the firehose and waited for Matt and Janelle. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not swimming much. Event comments: Good volunteers, great police help, but very disorganized the day before and not much help in telling you the course description (website link always down). Overall it was a perfect way to race my first tri and I am very happy with finishing with Marna there. Last updated: 2007-06-22 12:00 AM
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Overall Rank = 108/317
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 0/
Packed what I thought I would need or could need the night before. Put bike in the Xterra and went to bed early. Woke up at 5am, ate a bagel with PB, made sure I had everything and went to Guilderland YMCA.
At the Y, found my swim heat (No. 6), dropped off my run gear and drove to pond. At pond, saw Matt; we then went to the bike transition, put our gear down and planned for the race. Stretched, coordinated cars (drove Matt back to Y so we'd have a car there & left Xterra at pond), and looked at the ominous pond. Matt: "I thought Janelle said the pond was full of muck and weeds?"; Earl: "Do you see all those fisherman and tackle boxes...next to the sign that says 'No swimming', yeah, that means good fishing. Just watch out for the lures!" About 15 minutes prior to start saw Marna, which was a GREAT surprise as she was supposed to work all day. She was able to watch me start, swim, run and then finish which was awesome since this was my first TRI. Stretched a little more and then got into the pond to start my first TRI.