After work yesterday, I started to pack up my gear so I didn't feel rushed in the morning. I never thought that I would need to bring so much stuff to one small race.
The swim, not that much need for that right? I decided to wear my speedo jammers that I normally wear swimming. I thought about getting tri shorts, but they cost more than the race did, so maybe I'll get some later. I also read that some people just use there bike shorts. I did a small test in the shower and that was a no go for me. It felt like, well it felt like I was wearing a wet diaper. So it a was a thumbs up on the normal swim wear. The only other thing I needed was my googles. The race provided a bright orange swim cap to show my age group and wave I was in. Some towels and a mat to set up on the ground to keep everything dry.
The bike, well I needed my bike, cycle shoes, socks ( if I decided to wear any), cycle jersey, helmet, glasses, gloves and my water bottles. Also my garmin 305, I can't wear it swimming and the mount for the bike doesn't use the wrist wrap so I don't use it for the run. I just wanted it for the bike to make sure my cadence is up. I grabbed some small tools just incase along with my floor bike pump.
The run, all I really needed was my running shoes and a hat. To save time I'm going to run in my cycle jersey and swim jammers. I didn't really want or need any nutrition for the run, they would have G2 on the course.
All packed up I finally hit the hay after checking I had everything about 100 times. I was so afraid that I would for get my helmet and not to be able to race. Yes some guy next to me today was asking around for a extra helmet because he for got his... He did find one.
Woke up around 4:30am and ate a bagel and apple and it the road at 5:10. The event packed pick up and transition area opened at 6:00 and it took around 1:15 to get there. When I got there there already was so many people there, the first parking lot was almost full. Not knowing what to do, I kind of followed the crowed and headed to packet pickup. There was several tables set up by male/female and age group. Grabbed my packet and headed into transition. The bike racks where set up by wave times, male 35-50 was my group. After setting up my bike and laying everything out, I there was about 1/2 hour before the first wave started. I walked around a bit to see how everyone else was set up and just to get a idea of how everything was going to go. You could tell there was a lot of first timers because they had the same look as I did.
Ten minutes before the first wave started everyone headed down to the shore of the lake. The lake was about 500 yards long and 300 wide. Towards the center there was two lanes, first one was from the shore and 50 yards out, the second lane was only 15 feet wide if that, separated by what you would normally see in a pool. At each end there was a huge bright green ball that was the turn around and finish. We were to swim down the first lane, then turn at the end and return in the next. You forget how long 400 meters is when you only see it at 25 meters at a time in a pool. As the race instructions finished the first wave started to line up in the water. I was in the fourth wave and each wave started 6 minutes apart so I had some time to see how everything works. When my wave started to line up I stayed to the mid rear of the group to make sure I didn't get swam over or under. Oh ya this is the first time I swam with a swim cap on, crazy feeling!
5-4-3-2-1 horn! Time to swim! Let me say this when 50 or more guys all start to swim at the same time and everyone's goal is to get to the finish line... It can get a little ruff. Not the ruff you think of, but you are gonna get hit, kicked, pushed and pulled in a fun way. For some crazy reason I was passing a lot of swimmers. The whole time I really never fell into a grove, I was sighting like crazy. I think it was the amount of people swimming with me. Half way threw it was time to turn around the buoy, heading back I notice a lot of people where standing up and kind of walking/swim. The lake was only 4-7 feet deep, I was kind of dumb founded that someone would be walking out there... Next thing you know I was at the exit point and headed up the beach and started to run to the transition area and crossed the first sets of timing mats.
When I got to my bike I was a little dizzy from the swim, I started to dry myself of quickly and get my cycle shoes on. I decided on the fly to forgo the socks on the bike, trying to save some time. Then I started to TRY to put on my jersey for the bike. I was wet from head to toe and my jersey is on the tighter side to keep it from flapping in the wind. I was kind of funny I never thought of it but wet body+tight jersey = its not going on! I finally got it on then headed out of the T1 and got on the bike. The bike course is a lollypop course, you ride out to the loop and when down with two loops you come back in the way you started. The way out, once again I was passing bikes left and right. I didn't want to give it my all on the bike because this time out I had to run a 5k after my ride. The course was a lot more hilly then I thought and each time a climb came up I wanted to hammer it but the thought of the run slowed me down. On the second loop I was finally passed by two bikes, one was a sweet trek tri bike! the other just a fast ass rider. Towards the end I ended up passing the second guy that passed me, I got him on the last up hill, Ya me!!!
When I got into T2 I was feeling pretty good about the ride. I mounted my bike on the rack and kicked off my bike shoes and threw on my socks and running shoes and headed out on the run. The 5k was a two lap course around the park/lake. As soon as I started to run I knew it wasn't going to be a record braking time on the run, so I just paced myself at a pace I knew I could finish strong. I wasn't passing many people or vise versa, I was mainly soaking in what I just did and how much fun it was so far. The last 1/4 mile was mainly down hilly so I picked it up a bit and ran strong to the finish.
My total time was 1:18:57.7 I placed 109 ,no 119, no 125 overall( not sure why it keeps changing?. I am not sure the split times, I'll get those when there posted. I learned a lot today and I know next time out I'll do even better. The main thing is that I had tons of fun today and can't wait until the next on
