"My first Tri" Report... Cape Henlopen, DE, 9/28

What a day. I'm wiped and giddy and still riding a little wave of endorphins.

Today was the Cape Henlopen Tri in Delaware... 1/4mi swim, 15mi bike, 5K run. Or so I thought... The tropical storm offshore made for some nasty conditions in the water, and the organizers killed the swim early this morning. I was a little bummed that I had been putting all this effort into my swim and wouldn't get a chance to test myself, but with a little reflection I realized that my first ocean swim probably shouldn't be under crappy conditions with 8-foot surf. 

After getting all settled in transition and getting the news about the swim, I threw on the running shoes and warmed up a little for what would now be my first duathlon... It was around this time that Daremo came by and said hi--very cool to have at least one familiar face. My med school classmate Matt, now a cardiologist, was also there, so I got to catch up with him. It was also his first race. I was in the 2nd wave to start, and as soon as the race started I realized I was way outgunned on the run. I started at a moderate pace, which for me is a 9-10 min mile, knowing that the bike leg and another run were yet to come, and I was left behind by a huge mob of easily 100 racers. Greeeeat. I kept running along and quickly realized that I just needed to settle in, run MY race, and get to T1 ready to inflict as much damage as possible on the field on the bike split. The belief in my riding ability kept me going. 

And after a mile and a half of running along with my nerves at full throttle and my legs still not, I come into T1. I don't think I've ever been that happy to see my bike.

I fumble around and grab my sunglasses, quickly realizing that leaving them in my helmet facing up was a bad idea. It had been misting all morning, it was incredibly humid, and I couldn't see a thing. So I take them back off and wipe the lenses in my towel. After a little more fumbling, I get my shoes on and grab the bike headed out of T1. I hit the mount line and realize that I hadn't practiced a running mount, so I just stood there and clipped in. Then it was off to the road.

This course was flat, fast... and wet. Luckily the opening mile or two was completely free of turns so I could just focus on settling in. I started pedaling and immediately I'm cruising along and picking off riders, which inspires me to get into more of a rhythm and pick off even more. I hesitated to go flat-out because I knew the 5K run at the end would get me--the bricks had not been kind and there was no reason to believe that would change. 

The course took me through downtown Lewes, where there were a few more turns, and a drawbridge with a nice wet metal grate. And rather than keep a steady speed and coast across, people slowed down. Bah. A common misconception, that one. Speed is good here. Then I found myself pinched behind a car that was passing some slow riders on a fairly busy road. I dropped my pace to about 16mph for several minutes and got a little annoyed. Finally managed to sneak around the car and get back into a rhythm. 

There were several turns on the course, and while I took them slow by crit racing standards, I was able to pass 2-3 people on each turn given the wet conditions. Kind of a bonus, I guess. One after the other I was picking off riders, and when I saw the numbers of the wave that started 5 minutes ahead of us, I was even more psyched. I was making up some serious ground!

I roll into T2 with what ended up being a 21.4mph bike split, 70th overall. Could've gone a little faster, but my anxiety about the run kept me from going too hard. I was kicking myself for not using my Forerunner to keep an eye on my HR--I feel like I could've improved that time quite a bit. 

After more fumbling in T2 and stopping for a drink, I set off on the run feeling like death warmed over, just like the feeling of my brick workouts. And as in the bricks, it took a good mile before I felt normal again. I settled into my rhythm, such as it is, and enjoyed what was really a beautiful run around Cape Henlopen. The scenery helped take my mind off the post-transition blah feeling too.

The last 300m or so of the race is across a grassy field back to the transition area. I saw the crowd assembled in the chute, and then I saw the finish line. It was at about that point that I got this ear-to-ear grin that just wouldn't go away. I dug deep and managed to sprint it out with a guy who snuck up behind me--not even in my division, but hey--it's the finish line.

So, the final result was 1:27:17... here's the breakdown:

Nothing too impressive, but quite the accomplishment for me! In July, just finishing a 5K at that pace was a victory!

So, the things I learned:

1. I really need to work on transitions. Not that it would've made a huge difference, but I easily wasted almost a minute in each transition fumbling around. I need to practice T1 and T2, and it hadn't been a part of my training.

2. I think I'll add some run/bike bricks into my training to cover this eventuality. I didn't really feel ready to start with a run, and I think it took more out of my legs than a swim would have. 

3. I really should've worn my Garmin. It's great to have in training to make sure I'm keeping my legs turning over and watching my HR to know I'm not blowing up. I feel like I could've pushed harder across the board had I known what my body was doing.

4. You can make up A LOT of ground on the bike.

5. My run needs help. I've built up a decent base training for a 1/2 marathon this October, but I'm desperately in need of a little speed work. Relative to my bike, my run is awful. 

6. I had a blast, and am totally a convert to the world of Tri. The field was very cool and supportive, I love the fact that folks from all over the spectrum were competing in the same event, and I found myself idolizing the older AG racers who were still out there going strong into their 60's and 70's. It's really an inspiration, and I hope I can be standing on that podium when I turn 70!

7. It takes a while for the post-finish grin to wear off.

And thanks most of all to my wonderfully awesome wife, who had work yesterday and has more work tonight, but still drove out in our 2nd car to be with me for my big day, and to take the pics you see above, all while 20 weeks pregnant! She rocks.