LBI Sprint Triathlon Recap
Short version: I completed my first sprint tri, AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Time: 1:31:56
Long-winded version:
This was a great race for a beginner! There were only about 300 ppl total, and the race officials and volunteers were great about reminding us of where to go and what to do next. It consisted of a 1/4 mile bay swim, 10 mile bike ride, and 5k run.
I can't believe I am about to say this, but my favorite part was actually the swim! I had so much angst about the swim going into it, but turns out, those 2 months of forced swimming due to my foot injury and those couple of lessons with the tri coach really paid off. I was all sorts of excited when I caught up to a few of the guys who set off in the wave before mine! The swim was over before I knew what happened, and I wanted to stay in the bay a little longer. The water temp was 73 degrees, and it felt lovely b/c the day started off quite warmly. Of note, I practiced my open water swimming this summer in a lake. I know that physics tells us this is true, and while I doubt that it could have helped more than a few seconds, I sure felt a lot more buoyant, faster, and smooth in the salty water of the bay. Maybe it was all race day adrenaline and the mild current going in our favor?
Skipping ahead, I thought for sure that I'd be so relieved to finally get to the run, that it would clearly be my fave part of the race, but nope. That last 5k had moments where I could have sworn I was in my own personal mile 18 of the marathon, with its mental struggles and fatigue. =P By the time I was out on the run, the sun was majorly out, and it was freaking hot. I had no idea what my run pace was, as I had set my garmin forerunner into cardio mode, and the display was showing only overall distance and time, and we all know that #runmath gets extra difficult when you are tired. So anyway, I just kept trying to run and repeated various mantras. The "relentless pursuit of forward momentum" comes to mind. I was humbled by the ladies ~30+ years my senior seriously kicking my a$$ (I really enjoyed being able to see the ages marked just under our right knees). I wanted to hug them and have a chat, but they were moving too fast. My 5k time ended up as 31:15, which is good for me, considering that a swim and a ride came beforehand. Haven't run miles beginning in 10:xx since pre-injury, during my last race in April. I guess the swimming and the cycling really helped to at least maintain fitness and aid in recovery!
As you can see, I could ramble on about this for a solid hour, but suffice it to say that the whole experience was quite a different animal than a running race experience, and I can see how this sport could be as addictive as running. What a challenge. What a feeling at that finish line! I think this pic probably says it all. (And, my foot felt fine yesterday, but usually everything feels great at a finish line! It still feels fine tonight, so I am relieved!) Thank you for reading!!
