Clearly in a moment of weakness or less than perfect clarity, I signed up for the DC Tri Club's July Training Sprint Triathlon at Hains Point. Believe me, I was looking for an excuse to bail out.
The good news is that I finished and I met the DC Tri coach who will be in charge of our training.
The Prep
I got to Hains Point at 6:30 am to check. I had no idea what to expect, but was surprised by the 80 participants and how many fancy triathletes were also there. After setting up my transition area and getting marked I anxiously waited for the start. Above is a pathetic attempt at capturing the moment or a very artist version of capturing our transition area.
The Swim
We lined up in two groups at the Hains Point Pool to start the 400 meter snake. I picked a spot toward the front and jumped in. Soon enough I was off and swimming. It was kinda nice to swim laps outside. My fear of feeling crowded never happened since the heats were 30 seconds apart. No issues swimming. My only two critiques would be --- (1) I could swim hard and (2) I slacked out again on kicking consistently. Overall, I had a nice swim and actually caught the guy in front of me during the last 25 meters. Hee hee!
T1
Man...there was a bit of a run through the pool, the parking lot and across the street to my stuff. My only challenge was getting my socks on! I had to wear a different kind today b/c I hadn't done laundry and they were hard to get on with wet feet. I finally gave up, jammed them on and later learned some grass got stuck in my socks too. Nice.
The Bike
I felt good on the bike. The course consisted of 3 laps...which made it a bit boring at times. I was happy with my ride. I still have work to do here, but I hung in there and passed some people along the way.
T2
I am a rock star! I kicked ass here. I slipped out of my shoes while riding and was able to quickly dismount my bike, slip into my running shoes and grab my visor as I pushed on into the run. Literally, I'm convinced that I was outta there in 30 seconds.
The Run
And then it all fell apart...again. I was hurting on the run. I really struggled to just keep moving. My quads were still sore from earlier in the week and at the halfway point my left calf started cramping. I ended up walking a bit after stretching it out. I watched folks just sprint by me. I think a kid on a tricycle even passed me. Seriously...those kids are faster than you think...likely all hyped up on sugar and a zest for life. Of well. Still much more work to do here.
All in all...great experience. Who would have thought I would ever voluntarily choose to do a practice triathlon!
1 comment:
Excellent practice!
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