New here - just competed in my first triathlon (sprint)

My first triathlon was quite the experience - the West Point Sprint Triathlon on Sun 8/16. First and foremost, I was able to run the race from beginning to end with my daughter Crystal which was the plan. I was there to push her, most especially in bike and run, so I knew I wasn't racing for my own time.

We picked up our race packets on Saturday. We signed in and were given our numbers (I was 346 and Crystal 131). We checked the starting waves, and they were done by age group and gender. Crystal Wave 3 and myself Wave 6. I asked Major Tom (no David Bowie comments) who was dealing with customer service if Crystal and I could start together because we wanted to race together. He moved me to Wave 3 and I got a red cap instead of a white one, and started off with all females (which really didn’t matter).

Race morning we arrived at around 6:45 (1st wave off at 8:30). We went to the transition area where the bikes were racked by Bib #. I went to the USAT referee and asked if I could rack out of sequence with Crystal. He said normally that could not be done, but since I was forthcoming and asked he allowed me to. So Crystal and I were all set up to run the race together.

We get ready for the swim, and I put on my wet suit (wet suit legal race day). We get to the starting area, listen to speeches, and then the race begins. We line up in wave order, and third wave arrived and off to the water we went. Well, let’s just say all of my fears about the swim were correct due to several factors. This was my first open water swim, and in hindsight lap training was not enough. First was pace. As we started off, Crystal was a little slower than me. What I quickly found out was that I was unable to adjust my pace due to my inexperience. I guess my mind was set from laps at a certain pace, and I could not adjust properly. Couple that with my first open water swim, and I was pretty much off kilter in just a few minutes. My breathing, stroke, everything had no rhythm, and there was no getting it back. I spent time on my back, my side, breast stroke, treading water. Even grabbed a noodle for a minute break. I was so happy when after an eternity in the water (the 1/2 mile might as well have been the Atlantic Ocean). I made it to the end of the leg, and just behind Crystal. The transition from swim to bike was smooth.

The bike was quite a hilly 13.7 miles. It was a solid effort by Crystal in her circa 1980’s Trek hybrid. Not much to report other than the leg was completed about as I expected in just a little over an hour. Transitioning from bike to run was non eventful.

The run was tough for Crystal. She had a few sighting issues in the water and ended up using her legs more than she wanted, thus in combo with the bike, when we finally got to the run her legs were close to toast. We pushed through the 3.1 miles in around 37 minutes. We crossed the finish line together, and the clock said 2:13 and change.

A few other observations from the race from a newbie. Today was 700+ individuals out to race, some for fun, some just to see if they could do it, and some to compete to win or against their own best time and placement. Lots of comradery. Everyone was friendly. It was pretty well organized, and as a first-timer I thought it was easy to follow. I saw many levels of pain during the race. Other than my own struggles in the water, I saw others who had issues. I saw a lot of bicycle failures on the course. Many flats, and even a broken chain. Some people were forced to walk their bikes for miles to finish the leg, and many on the side of the road changing tires or getting help from the equipment van on course. Once on the run, some could only walk, and I heard grunting and suffering. But others would give words of encouragement to keep on pushing on and how great they were doing.

I got so much joy running this triathlon. To be able to run wire-to-wire with Crystal was something special and won’t be forgotten. It was an awesome first triathlon experience. And even though I’d be much happier swimming in a cup, I plan on trying another triathlon to see what I learned from this one. I will compete at my own pace to see what I am capable of, especially in the water. But that’s for another day. This race was a success, because Crystal and I did what we said we’d do – compete and finish a triathlon together.

Edited by metalmancpa 2015-08-17 8:07 PM