I competed in my third triathlon on Saturday, the Old Hickory Lake Triathlon hosted by Team Magic. I just learned that you're considered a beginner for your first three triathlons, so I'm officially not a beginner anymore. Read about my last triathlon here & my first triathlon here.
Like the other two triathlons I've done, this one was also a sprint distance. Unlike the other races, this one was open water (swim was in a lake as opposed to a pool). Also, this race had two runs. We had to run a mile from the swim to the bike in addition to the 2-mile run after the bike.
400 yard swim: 10:37 (2:54 per 100/m pace)
Apparently open water swims are my jam. I jumped in & swam like I had gills. I had a couple of people, & by people I mean assholes, who grabbed my foot & tried to pull me down so they could swim over me. I had been warned about this & threw elbows like it was my job. Open water swims are no joke, y'all. It was like the Thunderdome out there.
T1: 1:30
I was bib # 106 & Lana was # 107, so we got out of the swim together, put our shoes & socks on & took off on the 1 mile run to our bikes.
1 mile run: 12:55
This kind of sucked. We had to run from the lake up a 1-mile hill to our bikes. Lana & I ran it together. People were flying past us, but we stayed slow, trying to save our legs for the bike. Here's the iPhone video my mom took of Lana & I running past her:
T2: 1:08
This is a fast transition for me because I don't clip-in; I don't have to change shoes. I just grab my bike off the rack, put my helmet on & take off.
12 mile bike ride: 52:04 (13.8 mph pace)
Oy vey, the bike ride. The race was in Hendersonville, so we rode to Vietnam Veterans Blvd, got on the Blvd & then rode a 6-mile out & back route. The entire 6-mile ride back was uphill. It was biblical. I was going so slow, I actually thought I got swept (I didn't). I'd say more, but I've already repressed the memory of this ride. Here's the video my mom took of me riding back into transition. The audio of the woman standing next to her is hilarious.
T3: 0:54
Thanks to the tip from Allison about connecting everything to my race belt, this transition is super fast. I just have to grab one thing, take off & then I put everything on while I'm running.
2 mile run: 25:47 (12:30/mile pace)
I don't even know how I did this run because I couldn't feel my legs. The first mile was downhill & the second mile was uphill. I was at the point where I was going to either puke or cry & I saw my friend Jonell (who had already finished) standing there & she ran me into the finish. Thank you, Jonell! Here's a video of me at the beginning of the 2-mile run:
And here is the video of me crossing the finish line. You're welcome for the Skynyrd.
Total time: 1:44:53
So this is hilarious. I was pleased with the race, thought I did well, whatever & forgot to look at my race results. Then on Monday, Heidi texts me & asks, "Did you get an award for the tri?!?!" And I'm like whaaa? Yeah, I totally placed. I came in Second in the Athena 1-39 Division. Ha! If I had known, I could have stayed for the podium event. Agh!!!
Y'all, this is the first award I've won for ANYTHING IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. And I missed it because it never occurred to me to look at the posted race results. What's even funnier, is that at the beginning of every race, I turn & say to whoever is racing with me, usually Lana, "See you at the podium!".
Lessons Learned:
Well, obviously, A) look at the race results before you leave the premises because maybe, maybe you won something. (I won a paper weight -ha!) (They're mailing it to me.) PRACTICE RIDING YOUR BIKE ON HILLS.
Looking Ahead:
I have until Friday to decide if I'm doing the Tri Fall Creek Falls Triathlon in August. It's an olympic distance tri, which is the next step up from sprint. It's a 1500 meter open water swim, 25 mile ride & 10k (6 mile) run. I can do all these things individually, but I don't know if I can do them together as one event. I'm particularly worried about being to able to get off a 25 mile bike ride & run 6 miles.
Friends that have done olympic distance tris, please send along your thoughts/advice.
Athena # 2, signing off!
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