My first triathlon of the 2012 season is in the books! Had a great time and had one of my better events. My goal was simple....to come in at the top half of my division. Mission accomplished! 15 out 32 and 60 out of over 200+ total participants!
Started out hot, already in the 70's at 6 in the morning. Got to the event site about 6:30. The swim course was shortened due to some weed issues. The coordinator said it was now about 370 yards. Transition spots were predetermined and I had a good one! spoke with some fellow triathletes, got prepared, body marked and at around 7: 30 put on my wetsuit and headed down to the lake. Waves were about 3 min apart and I was in wave 2. The gun went off and I found myself in the middle of the pack, just where I did not want to be. Lots of kicking and being kicked. Took a while to get separation and had to deal with floating weeds on an ongoing basis. Couldn't get into a real good rhythm because as soon as I did I ran into people who were floating on their back. Got to the beach and ran up the hill to T1. Wetsuit came off pretty easy but I was winded from the swim, something that hasn't happen much in the past. Felt like it took forever in transition but apparently I did ok. Jumped on the bike and headed out. The course took us through some residential streets to get us out of town. After a couple miles we were on some county roads that were straight and long with a couple hills. There were two hills that took me longer than I wanted to get up and after the second one I became a little winded and noticed I was slower. After a few more miles I regained speed and started passing people again. By this time my lower back was starting to ache. I have no idea why since it hasn't in the past. My goal was to break 20MPH on average for the bike portion. I hit 19.5 MPH average, short of my goal but a decent time none the less. Got back to T2 and almost forgot my race belt. Started to run and for the first time in my life, my calves and quads did not cramp up! By now the temperatures were getting HOT. I would guess around upper 80's maybe more. I dreaded the sunny spots and took water in at each water station. They had a sprinkler set up at about the halfway point and I took full advantage of it. by the time I got to mile 3 I was wanting to be done. Saw the finish line and it felt great to cross and finish strong! There were a few challenges along the way but overall I was VERY happy with my performance. One of my better races.
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