Today I finished my first triathlon, the US Women's Triathlon Series, in Naperville. Here's the skippy:The start of the race was delayed an hour due to lightning and thunder. I wasn't too nervous, but then again, I was preoccupied with trying to get Elaine to relax, so I guess that kept my mind off of things. Then I saw the GOTR people Sandaya was in tears and in my wave, so I went to her after Elaine's wave had gone.
I was not happy with my swim. I just couldn't get a good rhythm going. I ended up doing most of it backstroke (except for the turns). I discovered that I had more power if I used both arms at the same time. My wetsuit really did help with buoyancy, so that helped with my funky backstroke modification. But I did finish in 15:23...not bad for just learning to swim
My first transition was ok. I know how I can do both transitions better now.
The bike was interesting. I'm glad I brought my camel
back, I also know that I can push myself a little bit more. I also learned that I need to tuck my shoelaces into my shoes! My lace got caught in the chain...I was hoping on one foot, almost like a dog peeing on the fire hydrant!
I liked the run. Again, I could have done the transition better. I didn't like that there were no clocks on the course. I think I could have run better if I had taken the time to put on my watch.
I really had no concept of time for this race. The swim felt much longer than 15 minutes. But then again, the bike felt much shorter than 53 minutes. I felt as if I was running at least 12:00 or better for the end of the run. I am happy that I felt stronger as the race progressed. That's a great feeling...when others are dying and I'm happily going along slower, but steady. This is especially good since I ran 7 miles yesterday. Generally it's best to rest before a race, not do a long run!
I also realize that I do need to plan to eat a little something for breakfast. I'm very used to not eating before my runs, however that plan didn't work for the tri. Due to the rain delay, I didn't hit the water until well after 9:00. I chowed down some Shot Blocks on the bike and by the second lap of the bike I felt much better. I think part of my problem was nutrition.
My knees are also VERY sore. I'm concerned because of marathon training. I believe it's due to biking. One knee was sore from the Wondergirl 5k, but both are sore now. I think that I should try to get my runs done on the elliptical (that's low impact), go easy on the bike (and ask one of the boys to adjust it), and I think the swimming should be just fine.
So here's the stats for the race:
Overall Place: 1413 out of 1919
Division Place: 195 out of 236
Time: 1:54:52
Swim: 15:23
Trans 1: 5:58
Bike: 53:35
Trans 2: 3:19
Run: 36:38
The average time was 1:47:07 and the winning time was 1:07:something. I don't think it's to bad for my first tri!
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