Race Report 8/3

Ok, I had no plans to actually race until spring but over the weekend I decided to do a Sprint Distance Triathlon. I was in rural Illinois visiting family and I happened to see a flyer for a small triathlon being run on Sunday (saw this on Saturday) I was planning on riding my mountain bike Sunday but I couldn't resist seeing where I was right now as far as fitness goes. Here is how it went:

Saturday Prep:

First I had to drive 30 miles to find a bike shop with decent street tires for the bike (Spent $50). I wasn't planning on riding on the street and I had knobbies on. Then I had to get goggles ($20), trunks ($20) and a decent shirt to run in ($25). So here I am $115 light in wallet to do a triathlon that I wasn't completely prepared for physically, my typical spur of the moment self.

Race Morning:

Wake up at 4:30 am and get some breakfast. It is storming like mad outside; rain was coming down in torrents. Flipped on the news and found out that the storms should be gone by 6am. Moved my aunt’s car into the driveway and put my truck in the garage so I could load up my bike and stuff without getting drenched.

At the race:

There were about 50 people there to compete. Talked to a few people. Went over to the pond and found out that it wasn't very deep, it was now a deep brown. The morning storms stirred it all up. I dropped my bike and bag at the transition area and took a short 10-minute run followed by a 10-minute bike. I wasn't jumping in the water until I had to I put everything in order and headed over to the start.

The Swim:
I knew the swim would be my weakest link. I am a good swimmer but I hadn't put much time into training for it. At the start I was having troubles, everyone around me was beating me to death. I finally found a decent rhythm and was able to fight off the others around me. By the time I made it to the other side, my arms were tired. I definitely need to work on swimming.

Swim Time was 17:40 not as bad as I thought it would be

T1:
Putting the pedals on the bike before I started was a bad idea. Got on the bike after hooking in my foot and fell over. I have never felt so stupid in my life. Got up, removed my shoes from the pedals put them on my feet and took back off.

The Bike:
I tried to stay around 15-16 M.P.H. for the bike. That was the speed that I had been using for my 15-18 mile rides. I knew that I would still have some juice left for the run.

Bike Time was 49:13

T2:
Went really smooth. Put the bike away, swapped socks and shoes and took off.

The Run:
The run was actually only 3 miles instead of 3.2. I started it a little wobbly for the first few steps, until the effects of the bike wore off. I ran steadily faster throughout the run. By the end I was nearly at full speed. This was a stupid move, I was lightheaded at the end and I honestly thought that I was going to pass out. I ran my best 3-mile time in recent years (17:54) but I put myself into hell doing it. I was pretty dehydrated and completely exhausted. Not that I think I should feel fine after, but I didn't drink enough along the way and I wasn't ready to push myself that hard. I was proud and happy to finish but upset that I wouldn't let "finishing" be the prize. Instead, I tried to put myself in the hospital.

Lessons I learned:

1) Stay within my limits, some days "finishing" is enough!
2) Drink more fluids
3) Jumping into your first race thinking of greatness is asinine.
4) Prepare for a race before you enter it.

All said and done, I survived my first Triathlon and I see many more in my future. Next time around, I think I will put a little more training and planning into the race