USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship - TriathlonOlympic

This was a long, long swim. It seemed to take forever, and I never really felt comfortable. I just kept telling myself that I couldn't quit, having paid so much to get there. :) I was happy to finish this stage, but know I have a better swim in me.

Swim more. This is definitely my weakest event. I have to get better eventually.

I took my time in this area. It was a long climb out of transition. I knew I wasn't going to win the race and wanted to make sure I was ready for the ride. I also wanted to make sure I didn't make mistakes.

Nothing.

I thought I had a very good ride. I am happy with 509 out of ~900 people. I couldn't have gone much faster.

Ride more. And not lose my water bottle. It bounced out of my holder when I hit a pretty big seam in the road on the first lap. Luckily I was able to conserver my water for later. But I paid for it.

This was pretty good. I had a long way to go to get to my spot.

Nothing

Well the first mile I felt ok until I came to the hill before the aid station. There my quads cramped like I have never felt before. I knew I needed water and stuff. So on the hill I downed a gel, and then had gatorade and water at the aid station. I also drenched my legs with the cold water. The legs responded great and loosened right up. I kept a pretty good pace the rest of the way. What was funny was that while I had nothing left strength wise, my lungs and heart felt great. Everyone was panting and I was flying up the hills. :) This was fun and beautiful.

The only bad point was when we ran past the area where the seam in the road was, I saw my launched water bottle on the other side of the road. It looked sad, but I couldn't go get it. :)

Had some fluids and stood in line to get my finisher jacket. Turned in my bike and headed home to the hotel. We had some friends coming to meet us, so I knew I couldn't just hang around. I don't think I actually sat down for more than a 1/2 hour during this whole trip. Except for sleeping and waiting for the race to start.


I am thrilled I got the chance to do this. I knew competing against the fastest athletes from around the Country would be tough, but I also knew I could finish and be happy with my time. I really need to get faster on the swim, and I can improve on the bike and run as well. That is what makes this sport great is there is always room for improvement.


If you ever get the chance to do this race (AG Nationals) do it. It was a blast. The swag was great. We got 2 shirts, a hat, a race belt, a jacket and some other knick knacks. The people were great and it is something I'll never forget.

I do wish I was faster. I do wish I was more competitive. I do know this is a hobby and my family (wife, daughter, parents and in-laws) were all there rooting me on and don't care what place I came in. They and I are just proud I qualified and raced. :)