2008 Heatwave Classic Triathlon - Triathlon

Started off bad. Lot of contact with other swimmers all fighting for position and the wind had kicked up some waves. It was pretty choppy the entire way and made swimming parallel to the waves really difficult. Once I had cleared the main pack, I stuck to the feet of somebody. He pulled away on the way in, but I let him go, since we were with the waves and I was feeling just fine with my pace.

nothing

Very short run into T1. I was a bit disoriented from the chop on the swim, but I told myself to work that out on the bike. This was my fastest T1 time to date. Now it's time to learn the flying leap.

nothing

Not my best ride, but it wasn't bad. I'm disappointed since this is the same road I was on nearly every day in training. I felt a bit of nausea after the swim, but it passed soon enough. Then, I just didn't feel like I had anything in my legs. I'm a lower cadence rider, but I just didn't have the strength to turn the crank. I had to drop a gear and spin faster, which isn't that comfortable for me.

For one, drink less. It messed me up for the last two miles of the run (more on that later). I don't know what I really could have done differently to avoid a bad day. I trained hard for this leg and it just wasn't there. Oh well, sometimes it's not. However, I should be ecstatic that this pace is now a bad day for me. So, in hindsight, I'm really just being picky and trying to find something to be hard on myself about.

One of my signatures in the forums is T2, so it goes. It makes reference to Vonnegut's Slaughter House V. Everytime somebody or something dies he writes, "so it goes." T2 is where I usually die because I have to start running. Today it started earlier. I had a perfect transition going (hence all the good marks), then I took a step. OWWWW!!! I had apparently cut the ball of my foot on something. I took off my shoe and had blood running down the bottom of my foot. Eff it! Grabbed the socks (don't like to use them but take them in case something like this happens), put them on, put the shoes back on, and took off. I now have a disgustingly bloody sock to remember this race by.

Not cut my foot.

I drank to much on the bike, so I stuck to small sips of water at the most and dumped the rest on my head to stay cool. I should have taken a bit of gatorade at some point as my legs started locking up the last mile. I was surprised how good I felt starting out, especially given the way I felt biking. I'm not going to complain much, though. My run has always held me back, and it still does to a point, but I took 1:20 off my pace from this race last year.

Anyway, the run is where this tri gets it's name. The last mile is on asphalt with no shade. Oh, and we are in central Mississippi. It's friggin hot. Not that the completely uphill miles 2 and 3 are any more forgiving. Just a really challenging run no matter how fast you are.

Drink a bit of gatorade.

I don't remember. I think I just walked around trying to get my legs to stop locking up. It was also at this point that I remembered I had cut my foot, thus it started hurting again.


Not much. I've been training since January with the goal of breaking 2:30, and I did that by more than five and a half minutes.


This race makes me want a double cheeseburger. It's challenging, hot, fun, organized, etc. And all I want when I finish is a double cheesburger.

I just had one. So, goodnight.