Yesterday was my first triathlon race and to be honest it was a blur. Only now, a day later, have I been able to piece together what happened. Today, I'll be focusing on the race and the coming days I'll focus on things I learned and things I need to improve next time.
Pre-Race
I got up a little later than I originally planned, but it wasn't a problem. I had plenty of time to eat and pack up my gear. It would have been nice to have a few more minute to meditate and review the day, but I was able to get up to the event about 80 minutes before the race. By the time we arrived at the race site, it was already starting to drizzle. A prelude to the rain that was to coming.
The first thing I did was get my race pack. They had people there to put the race number on your arm and leg which was nice. After being marked and collecting my packet, I headed back out to the car. The race pack contained a t-shirt, some gel packs, my race number for the day, and my timing bracelet. I put my number on my race belt and put my timing chip around my ankle.
The next step was to get my bike out and give it a quick ride to make sure everything was OK. It checked out so I headed over to the transition area and racked my bike near the bike exit for transitions. Apparently that is where all of the top athletes were mounting their bikes. I guess I picked the right spot. I immediately set about setting up my transition area like I have practiced at home.
I then wandered around not really knowing what to do for about 10 minutes before heading into the pool area. It turns out I was late for the pre-race meeting where he was talking about the swim portion of the race. I caught the end of it and was able to piece together that we would be going back and forth down each lane and that we would line up by our number. He went on to explain that the we should stay on the right during the bike ride. We then lined up to race.
400 Yard Swim
I was in one of the slowest groups so I was at the back of the line. Since I knew it would take a while to get to the front I headed into the bathroom for a last minute pit stop. I got back in line and chatted it up with some students before we entered the pool. The way it worked is that they started the race at a particular time and then had gaps for each number. Thus they could accurately tell when each person started. I waded into the water to await my start and in what seemed like an instance before she was telling me to go. So much for getting your mind right before a race. It was time to go and I was off.
Nothing I had done prepared me for the swim. I don't think there was anything I could have done to prepare me for the chaotic melee that ensued. The waves in the pool were rough and I quickly realized I needed to pass the girl in front of me. Doing so took me out of my breathing pattern, and once you struggle to breath during a swim it is almost impossible to get back into rhythmic breathing. I knew I was in trouble. It didn't help that I began to take in water instead of the oxygen when trying to breath. I'll be honest. I almost had a panic attack. I held onto the next wall for 2 seconds to regain my breath and composure after the adrenaline surge.
About 150 yards into the swim, I began to find a rhythm. I was breathing every 2 strokes which was not what I had been practicing, but it was all I could do. I was also rolling more to the air to avoid water splashing into my mouth. Fortunately I didn't have to pass anyone else the race and could maintain my new found pace. A couple of the fast racers who registered the day of the race (they ended up at the end of the swim line) passed me but none of them interfered with my travails.
Eventually, I made it through the swim and hopped out of the pool. Unfortunately, the surge of adrenaline messed with me. I continued to have some difficulty breathing throughout the rest of the race. Nothing major, but enough to keep me from performing at a level I feel like I can compete. The swim was definitely a learning experience.
Swim Time: 9:50 (53rd out of 60)
I'll take that. It was not as fast as I can swim. I probably should have been closer to 9 minutes but not bad considering my swim goal was to break 10 minutes just about a month ago.
T1
I ran out into the cold rainy morning air and I didn't feel a bit cold. I ran to my transition area and put on my shirt, jacket, watch, sun glasses and helmet. It was at this point, I realized I hadn't turned on my Garmin watch and set it up for the race. Oops. I turned it on hoping it would sync with the satellites while I was riding my bike. Fortunately it was set up for the run so I could at least use it for that leg of the race.
I was about to run out when I noticed everyone with their race number on. I didn't know if it was necessary for the bike so I spent a few seconds looking for someone without a number. Not seeing anyone, I had to reach back down and grab the number from under a bucket and put it on costing me time on the transition.
After the number was on, I grabbed my bike and headed to the mount line. I decided against tying my shoes to my bike with dental floss before the race. The trick allows the shoes to be right side up when mounting the bike. I thought it would better if they were down so rain wouldn't get into them. That caused me to struggle getting them flipped around on the slight uphill start of the bike leg. Once situated I had no problem getting my feet into the shoes and off I was on my bike portion.
T1 Time: 2:39 (27th of 60)
Ugh, that was horribly slow. I should have been in the 1:30 time frame. Defintely under 2 minutes which would have put me in the top 10.
Bike
I was worried before the race how close to the side of the road I would be expected to ride during the race. That wasn't a problem as the bike segment was almost as wild as the swim. People were not staying on the right side of the road. Most rode down the middle and some on the left side of the lane. Heck at first I thought I wasn't supposed to ride on the right side of the road. It was almost as chaotic as the swim.
I almost immediately began passing people. Fortunately when I called out "passing on the left" they would at least move over a little to the right making it easier to pass. But one guy I ended up passing on the left because he was all the way to the left edge of the lane. When I wasn't passing I made sure I road on the right side of the lane like I am supposed to. The least I can do was set a good example even if it was my first race.
Everyone I passed I let them know that I was coming up behind them and where I was passing. I didn't get anywhere near the same courtesy. Some of those fast racers that were behind me in the swim passed me on the bike leg. It was only 3 or 4 riders, but none of them said a word. They would just show up beside me. So much for courteous riders.
At the half way point one guy passed me and then slowed down right before the turn. I was forced to slow down because I didn't want to draft. Even so I was right on top of him at the turn around. Then he did the weirdest thing. He turned around looking for something and in the process road off the road and promptly fell almost taking me with him. I asked if he was alright. He said yes and off I went.
Another weird incident I had was on the way back and two guys were riding side by side up a hill. It seemed like they knew each other and were riding together. Anyway they were blocking the road. I couldn't pass because the rule book states that you can't cross a yellow line on the bike without being disqualified. So I patiently waited for these morons to make it to the top of the hill before passing them. Of course the didn't stop some guy who crossed the yellow lines to pass them. Good thing the rules were being followed.
The other major rule infraction I saw during the ride was a couple of morons wearing music players. Not only is that against the rules it is incredibly dangerous on the roads. Not only for them, but for the other bikers. The whole thing was quite an experience.
As far as my ride went, it rained throughout but it never poured so we didn't really have any standing water. It allowed me to go my normal speeds without fear of crashing. The first half was down wind and I took advantage of it to ride pretty fast. I had no idea how well I was doing because my watch and bike computer weren't reset. The way back was slower into the wind, but I was still passing people and seemed to be riding well. I couldn't get a feel for how hard I was riding (probably because the adrenaline) but I wanted to make sure to save energy for the run.
Bike Time: 39:44 (25th out of 60)
Looking back, I was way to conservative during the bike. I averaged just over 30kph for the 20k, but that was basically a high zone 2 ride. I should have pushed much harder on the bike. Part of that was due to my lack of really knowing how I was performing because I forgot to reset my computers before the race.
T2I didn't have any problems getting my feet out of my shoes before the transition, and I hopped off my bike and ran back to my transition spot to re-rack my bike. Putting on my shoes was complicated by the fact that my towel was soaking wet. I put on my first dry sock and put my foot down to sit it on the sopping wet towel. I was quickly hopping around and using the bike rack to steady myself to put on my socks and shoes. More time lost in the transition.
T2 Time: 1:32 (43rd out of 60)
That should have been under a minute which would have put me in the top 20.
RunThe run was pretty straight forward and organized compared to the rest of the race. I started out strong on the run. I was holding a 4:40 pace which I was hoping to lower during the run. Unfortunately, the shortness of breath came back to haunt me. I shouldn't have had difficulty breathing at the rate I was running. I had plenty of energy, but my breathing was unsteady. I shouldn't have been breathing as hard as I was for the pace I was running. On top of that I started to have a growing feeling of nausea which kept me from really pushing the run. I was able to maintain the original pace throughout the run, but finished the race with way to much energy left in the tank.
It was fun passing people in the run because once you pass someone on the run they stay passed. I was running fast enough that no one passed me so that was gratifying. It was also nice that the rain stopped during this last leg. The rain was getting old.
Run Time: 23:09 (17th out of 60)
It was a respectable time, but I left a minute of time on the course.
Total Time: 1:16:54 (23rd out of 60)
All in all, I thought it was a good time for my first race. Especially considering the weather conditions. Heck it was good enough to get me second place in my age group. That was a huge and pleasant surprise. It feels good to "medal" in my first race. Even if it was first of the losers (joking).
I learned a lot from the event and am looking forward to the next race. I feel like I left 4-5 minutes out on the course and should be able to do much better next time. I believe I should be able to easily break my year long goal of 1:15 for a sprint distance triathlon in my race in May.
Post RaceLike I said at the beginning, the day was a blur. I never really got to take in the experience. I was so absorbed into the process that I never got to take in the fact that I finished my first race. Only a couple hours afterwards did my accomplishments for the day really begin to sink in. It was a great feeling and I look forward to the next race.
