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 Swim
Comments: My age group was the first to take off so the beginning of the course was clear. Not really knowing much about how to start I employed the 'blind sheep' method: When the gun fired I just followed what everyone else was doing. 15 yards in: The water is cold. 50 yards in: Having trained exclusively in a pool, I find myself a bit thrown off by the fact that you can't really see where you are going underwater. Decide that this is interesting. 75 yards in: Finding it hard to catch my breath due to the water temperature, I decide that next time I will be wearing a wetsuit. 300 yards in: “Keep your head down and keep swimming” 394 yards in: Pop my head out of the water to get my bearings. No one is around me – I Rule, I am Michael Phelps! ... I am in fact 100 yards from the course and continuing to float away from the race. It was here that I realize that my gym decided not to install the 'wave currant' option into their pool. I drown my over inflated ego by putting my head back under water and swam on. 550 yards: Resort to side stroke for the first time to catch a bit of a break for breathing. 570 yards: Back to freestyle, continue to push. 720 yards: Having watched more caps than I care to count pass me, I come to understand that I will be coming in last place and direct my attention to simply finishing the triathlon with a smile.  Transition 1
Comments: Emerged from the swim smiling, I didn't drown, I am happy. Run over the beach and did a cart wheel (OK, so I didn't do that, but in hindsight it would have been funny) and continued up the hill into the transition area. Sitting on the ground struggling to get socks and shoes onto wet feet, it now makes sense why people had the 5 gallon buckets sitting in front of their gear-layouts - for exactly this purpose. I note this for next race.  Bike
Comments: The bike section of the course passed rather uneventfully. Focused mainly on my breathing and to keep my legs pumping. I rather enjoyed the few times I was passed and had other riders encouraging me to keep pushing. I found also that my favorite part of riding is the downhill sections - anyone know of a triathlon where the whole ride is a downhill coast (grin)? Transition 2
Comments: Near the end of the ride I started seeing people riding with their feet ontop of their shoes, I assumed that this would help during the transition. Reaching down to unbuckle my first shoe, I remembered the recent battles I had attempting to get acclimated to ridding with my feet clipped in – a sensation which was brand new to me (specifically, stopping in an intersection and falling directly onto my side with my feet still clipped onto the bike). I decided that this may not be the optimal time to try new things – completing T2 while running in bike shoes it was. Main goal for T2: Don't Look Like An Ass, take your bike helmet off before starting the run - Mission accomplished. Got a swig of water, changed into running shoes and off I went.  Run
Comments: My legs felt a bit strange, but not as bad as expected. What was a surprise was how tight my legs were. The tension didn't end up receding until the 2nd mile mark. Hit the first hydration area (aka Heaven) and grabbed some sugar filled HEED. Interesting taste, but the sugar felt great in my mouth. While I was clipping along at a pretty steady pace, I don't think I ever truly hit my full stride; it was like I couldn't get my legs fully loosened. Saw a friend, and fellow first time triathlon-er, going the opposite direction, she said 'hi', I was too tired to respond - gave a smile and keep pounding along. My philosophy for the entire run was ‘keep a smile on my face and pass the person in front of me’. Seeing that I finished the race I suppose it turned out pretty well. Post race
Warm down: Finish Line + Water + PB&J on wheat + Banana = Life Was Good. Setting out, my goal was simply to finish the race and do it in under 2:05 if possible. I was pretty excited coming over the last little hump to see a time of 1:27:48 – I actually remember crossing the finish line and wondering if there was a problem with the clock. I suppose it is safe to say I surprised myself at my performance. Event comments: I really have nothing to compare this too, but I fully enjoyed the experience. Looking forward to next season. Last updated: 2008-09-08 12:00 AM
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United States
HFP Racing
60F / 16C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 125/384
Age Group = 25 - 29; male
Age Group Rank = 8/25
With this being my first Triathlon (or really any sort of race since high school - College Case Races excluded) I really had no idea what to do on race morning. Instead of actually reading on the topic, I decided to just 'do whatever felt natural'. I woke up and cooked myself a huge breakfast consisting of Steak, Eggs, Ham, Bacon, topped off with a healthy portion of Biscuits and Gravy.
Kidding.
5:00 am - Slammed my buzzing alarm clock and questioned who in their right mind wakes up this early on a Sunday.
5:15 am - Out of the shower and ate a small breakfast of Orange Juice, an English Muffin, and a Banana. Begin the drive to Portage Lake.
6:00 am - Pull into a mist filled parking lot, flood lights casting a welcoming glow over the transition area, up-beat music breaking the otherwise silent morning. I am excited.
6:20 am - Rack my bike and mindlessly toss my gear bag aside. As the morning passed, I noticed that people were actually laying out their shoes and helmet for the transition - I decide this is probably a good idea and follow suite. Began to warm-up.
Having arrived so early, I had quite a bit of time to wander around and get a general sense of the pre-race vibe.
I took a quick spin on my bike to ensure I put the wheel back on correctly (had to take it off to fit the bike in my car). Found out I didn't reengage the front break, laughed at myself and then decided it would be a good idea to do so.
Stretched out in my hoodie while listening to my iPod for the rest of the morning.