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This was a big day for me…

This was my first race in 17 months exactly. On Oct. 26, 2003, I raced in a half-ironman, but wasn’t able to finish. So this race was a big deal. Also, it was the very first race I did in 2002. Finally, I had hoped that Dad and Mom would be here to see me race with Bessie and John. But that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t know how I would react to it.

In terms of my training, this was a low-importance race. I hadn’t biked that much, and my training was geared toward distance only, no speed work at all. I had very modest goals, nothing great.

The race was 1/3 mile swim in a cold lake, 16 mile rolling hills bike, 3.1 cross country run course.

Got up that morning and had some breakfast and headed out to the race site. The weather was cool, damp and foggy. The roads were slick, but I was hoping that wouldn’t be too big of an issue. (It turned out not to be). What I was concerned about the most was the lake temperature. It was about 64 degrees and I didn’t have a wetsuit. That can be bad news for someone who is a bad swimmer. It can shock the swimmer, and they’ll quit breathing for a few seconds, and in a triathlon, with 300 people around you, that’s not good.

So, just before we started the swim, I just went into the water. And I wasn’t able to breathe for about 10 seconds. But I got the shock out of my system. Got out and prepared myself for the start. “GO!” So, off we went. After about 20 seconds of temperature adjustments, that was no longer an issue. I just swam.

Swimming is the sport that I’m weakest in, so this was a big test. How would I hold up for a 1/3 mile swim? Except for swallowing some lake water about halfway through, I did fine. Lake water is just nasty to me, and I had some dry heaves…in the water…right there. Once I recovered, I finished. No time to think in the water, as I was too busy trying to just survive the water and get out of there.

9m 44s, 45 seconds slower than I had hoped, but still a Personal Record for that distance by one minute.

On to Transition 1. Once I got out of the water, as I was running, I felt I was going in slow motion. I was dead from the swim. But I recovered quickly. Hopped on the bike, and went off for 16 hilly miles.

The bike leg takes the most amount of time no matter the race. I knew that I would have time to think about things. Once I got through the first set of short, steep hills, I got into a bit of a rythym and started thinking about things. When I wasn’t thinking about how hard the hills were, I thought about Dad. How I wish he was at the race; how I wish he was just here period. Back to the hills. After a bit, the race requires total focus. The course was rolling hills, and some were short and steep. This is not an easy course, but a challenging course. My goal was around 50 minutes. I came through at 46 minutes or so.

On to Transition 2. Got off the bike, slipped my running shoes on and headed out. My legs felt surprisingly fresh, given that I have not done too many bike-to-run workouts.

Run was a tough 3.1 miles through mostly cross country terrain. Again there was no time to think about anything else (ie, Dad) because running a short race and running it hard takes a lot of energy, especially one on a tough course. First mile 6.45. Perfect. Keep that pace up, and I’ll hit my goal (under 22 minutes for the run). Mile 2, 13.30. Right on target. Time to pick up the pace a bit for that last mile so I can have a decent finish. Done. Run time = 21m30s. Nice.

As I crossed the line, the thought through my head was – damn it…Dad and Mom should be here to see this.

Finish 1h 22m, 4th in Age Group and 47th Overall. Not bad considering that I’ve done zero training for this race.

It was the before and after race times that I enjoyed so much. Pre-race at a triathlon is crazy, even at a small local race. 300 people, crammed into a small area with their bikes, and tons of gear, energy and emotions are a bit on edge. You can feel the excitement. I’ve missed that and it was good to experience it again.

Seeing people finish the race who would never place in their age group, seeing people who raced and finished their first triathlon. It made me realize why I love this sport so much. People are able to do something they didn’t think they could do. Finishing a triathlon is a big deal, especially if it was their first one ever. It was great to see people’s faces as they crossed the finish line that first time.

So the journey to the Great Floridian has begun in earnest. Check back often for more updates!