Mackinaw Multi Sport Mix

I think I could have picked an easier race for my first triathlon. Mackinaw City is located on the northern tip of Michigan on the Straits of Mackinaw. Wow, was I surprised at how cold the water felt before the race and also how long 800m looks from shore.

I had a mini-triathlon practice with the MSU tri team two weeks before my first race, and in my first OWS I freaked out and didn't finish the swim. I chalked it up to my OWS virginity and poor swimming technique. This did not leave me feeling confident for Mackinaw. I did some good swim training during the two weeks leading up to the race, and felt OK for the race, albeit very nervous for my first triathlon.

During the race, I had another anxiety episode in the water probably due to the other racers bumping me. I was contemplating quitting (I know, pathetic) but calmed down, let everyone pass me, and eventually finished. I wasn't dead last either!

The bike was 18 miles and I felt pretty good about it. I averaged 20 MPH on the nose. I didn't have clipless pedals or baskets and looking forward to switching in a week. Think it will make a significant difference? Anyways, I finished the 5K run in 21:30 i think (they messed up my final results on the web, but the prelim results were something like this). Final time was 1:49.

As a side note, my girlfriend (former collegiate swimmer...not fair) also participated in the race and was second among women in the swim and didn't wear a wetsuit either! I had a headstart of 5 minutes and she nearly caught up to me! Wish I could swim like that!