Up at 5:30 this morning after relatively good sleep last night, maybe 6 or 7 hours total. Weather was a question with thunderstorms predicted. Yesterday I was extremely anxious and preoccupied with the race. Fear of the unknown is tough. I knew I would be ok with the bike and run portions of the race but the swim I was concerned about. I hadn't done any open water swimming since last year. In February, when I first learned of this triathlon, I vowed to get swim lessons and go to Masters classes at 5 in the morning to get better. That never happened. I also wanted to get in some open water swims in Lake Allatoona before the race but that never happened. So I figured I would fake my way through the swim after having done several sessions down at our neighborhood pool in the preceding 3 weeks. I had swam 6 lengths in our pool which was about 200 yards (length of the tri swim) without much trouble. Welllll , this was really no preparation for the open water swimming.
We started standing in knee deep water. It was a staggered start by age. I placed myself at the back and to the side, being a beginner swimmer. I remember looking out at the buoy that we had to swim to before the race and getting a little psyched out about the distance. We started with a Swimmers Set Swimmers Go! and after just a few strokes in and I was already feeling exhausted! I couldn't believe I was tired already. There wasn't much confidence in the water. The start was chaotic with lots of contact with other swimmers. I imagine it was more violent at the front. I was really struggling in the water and couldn't find my rhythm. I was also not doing my normal freestyle stroke, I think I was doing some sort of breaststroke. My breathing was rapid and heartrate was probably near max. I had never swam next to other swimmers before so this was all new. Mild panic set in about 50 yards in. I didn't know if I was going to survive! My goggles were fogging up so not being able to see well didn't help my anxiety in the water. Previous lake swimming had been with Renee in a kayak so I had something to grab onto if I was tired. I know I will get better at the swim with more practice and experience in open water. I believe I may have lost a podium spot on the swim because guys were beating me out of the water by several minutes.
So relieved to be out of the water and now transitioning in to the bike which I knew I would crush. Didn't wear gloves. Transition was good,purposeful and quick with no wasted effort even though putting on socks took some extra time. My training out at White has really paid off because I felt stellar on the bike. It was a 10-mile leg with a few good climbs. We had traffic to deal with too. I came up on a car that had slowed behind a cyclist and after a few seconds I decided to pass the car and 3 cyclists on the left with an aggressive standing climb. It was a risky move but paid off. Finished up the bike strongly and quickly. Made up a lot of time on the swim leg. Had 2 gels taped to my bike but didn't need them. Frequent small sips from front bottle. Felt a little pukey from the effort so far. No cramping!
T2 (2nd transition) to run was also quick and without much fuss. Run felt good from the start. All my duathlons and bricks have been paying off. Finally did a gel on the run. Had to force it down though because still feeling pukey. Guessing about an 8:30 pace on the run. That was a long 3 miles! Yelled encouragement to other runners because at that point everyone was getting tired.
Finished in 57:28
12th overall
5th age group
I would definitely do another triathlon and recommend it to just about anyone looking for something different to do. I hope to train up my swimming over the coming weeks so I can get back out there again with more confidence and hopefully take a podium spot.
We started standing in knee deep water. It was a staggered start by age. I placed myself at the back and to the side, being a beginner swimmer. I remember looking out at the buoy that we had to swim to before the race and getting a little psyched out about the distance. We started with a Swimmers Set Swimmers Go! and after just a few strokes in and I was already feeling exhausted! I couldn't believe I was tired already. There wasn't much confidence in the water. The start was chaotic with lots of contact with other swimmers. I imagine it was more violent at the front. I was really struggling in the water and couldn't find my rhythm. I was also not doing my normal freestyle stroke, I think I was doing some sort of breaststroke. My breathing was rapid and heartrate was probably near max. I had never swam next to other swimmers before so this was all new. Mild panic set in about 50 yards in. I didn't know if I was going to survive! My goggles were fogging up so not being able to see well didn't help my anxiety in the water. Previous lake swimming had been with Renee in a kayak so I had something to grab onto if I was tired. I know I will get better at the swim with more practice and experience in open water. I believe I may have lost a podium spot on the swim because guys were beating me out of the water by several minutes.
So relieved to be out of the water and now transitioning in to the bike which I knew I would crush. Didn't wear gloves. Transition was good,purposeful and quick with no wasted effort even though putting on socks took some extra time. My training out at White has really paid off because I felt stellar on the bike. It was a 10-mile leg with a few good climbs. We had traffic to deal with too. I came up on a car that had slowed behind a cyclist and after a few seconds I decided to pass the car and 3 cyclists on the left with an aggressive standing climb. It was a risky move but paid off. Finished up the bike strongly and quickly. Made up a lot of time on the swim leg. Had 2 gels taped to my bike but didn't need them. Frequent small sips from front bottle. Felt a little pukey from the effort so far. No cramping!
T2 (2nd transition) to run was also quick and without much fuss. Run felt good from the start. All my duathlons and bricks have been paying off. Finally did a gel on the run. Had to force it down though because still feeling pukey. Guessing about an 8:30 pace on the run. That was a long 3 miles! Yelled encouragement to other runners because at that point everyone was getting tired.
Finished in 57:28
12th overall
5th age group
I would definitely do another triathlon and recommend it to just about anyone looking for something different to do. I hope to train up my swimming over the coming weeks so I can get back out there again with more confidence and hopefully take a podium spot.