Akron Women's Only Sprint Triathlon
Saturday morning, I competed in my first triathlon!
Swim 250 yards, Bike 7 miles, Run 2 miles
Initial race results are posted, I came in third place in the Athena division (150+ pounds), with the time 50:58. Splits haven't been posted yet.
It was a gorgeous day for a race. Sunny weather, blue skies and about 70 degrees out. The race started at 9am, and was about an hour a way. I was a little nervous about getting there, getting checked in, setting up the transition area, and then figuring out what I was doing. I didn't wake up as early as I wanted to, and we left a little late. I am sure that didn't help with the nerves, but I sped along and got there as quickly as I could.
I managed to lock the key in the car while passing it off to my husband. I remember saying, "here's the key", but he doesn't remember that at all, and it ended up in a spot I conveniently throw things, so I'm taking the blame on that one. Regardless, it added to the stress of not knowing what I was doing, though I let it go and concentrated on getting checked in and my stuff set up.
The good thing about running a little late was there wasn't much time between getting checked in and getting my stuff set up to when I had to be in the transition area listening to the overview of the race. I looked around to see how other people were laying their stuff out, and pretty much did the same. I hooked the bike over the rack by the saddle and then put my helmet on top of the saddle. I was swimming in my tri shorts and a sports bra, so I put my top on the back wheel so it would be easy to grab. I laid out my towel, Garmin, socks and shoes and then off I went. While I was laying my stuff out, Aleks went to see if the key was in the car. He confirmed that it was in the car, and talked to a ranger who said he'd help him get it later.
I started talking to the girl next to me in the transition area, and we head down to the beach together. It really was a gorgeous day for the triathlon. The sand felt great beneath my feet, and while I was a little nervous, I was getting excited to start. I found Aleks again around this point and passed my wedding ring off to him. It's getting pretty big on my ring finger, and I didn't want to lose it while swimming. I confirmed that he knew how to use my camera, we got a couple "before" photos, and then I got in line and waited my turn to start.
They were starting us in waves of two people every three seconds based on our estimated swim time. I hadn't swam since before my procedure in July, so I really had no idea how long it was going to take me. I looked at last year's results and knew I would finish anywhere between 5 minutes and 8 minutes, but figured I'd be in the 6 - 7 minute range, and placed myself toward the back. Aleks came over for some last minute advice (dive in, don't jump in and then start swimming). As I was getting into the water, I heard the starter say something about having goggles on for safety. I thought I put them on before I dove in. Opening my eyes under water was a quick confirmation that they weren't on, and I thought I lost them on the dive. I struggled with my goggles for a bit, and then started swimming.
I swam free style for a while, and then started running into people. Passing people while swimming was more difficult than doing so while running or biking. I didn't want to veer too much, as the shortest distance between any two points is a line, and I wasn't trying to swim any longer than necessary. There was a lot of sea weed, a couple random water shoes, and then the feet. I had a really hard time passing people, but they were going a little too slow. I started to side stroke, as it gave me more control on the navigation. The water was warm and also pretty shallow. There were people who were actually walking and jogging through the swim portion. The swim was only 250 yards, but I was happy enough when it was done.
We had to go up a hill from the beach to the transition area. I was a little winded from swimming, but I also wanted to make good time. I did my best hustling up the hill to the towel waiting for me. I was the only person in my transition area while I was there. Most of the bikes were already gone, though there were still a couple there. I dried off as quickly as I could, donning all my gear, and then grabbing my bike and jogging to the mount line.
I hit start on my Garmin, and then started biking. The biking portion was quite possibly my favorite. Most of the biking Aleks and I do is on streets or in the city. Occasionally, we bike on paved trails, but generally, we spend a lot of time starting and stopping. It was nice to just go. The bike portion was a closed loop within the park. It was about 3.5 miles, so we had to do two laps. I felt pretty good about the biking portion. I passed more people than passed me. In fact, there were only a couple people that passed me. There were minor hills, but mostly I thought the course was pretty flat. Toward the turn around for the first loop, there was a truck playing grand stand type music with a couple volunteers cheering people on. It was really cute. On a couple occasions, I let out a wooo hooo, as I'm known to do while biking. It felt really good to ride, and I was having tons of fun.
After the second loop, I went back into the transition area for T2. I had a lot less to do this time, as I biked in my running shoes. I simply had to get rid of the helmet, hang up my bike and lap the Garmin to get ready for the run. I felt good going out of T2, though my legs felt pretty heavy, and my heart rate was running at 180.
I tried to pace myself as well as I could, and found myself running about 9 minute miles. I was trying to bring my heart rate down a little as well, and though I felt like I was running really slowly, I was doing OK at the 9 minute mile pace. The first half mile was the worst. I'd only done one brick prior to the triathlon, so while I knew what to expect, I still was rather new at dealing with it. It was a nice one mile loop that we did two laps of. Most of it was back in the woods on a gravel trail. I generally run on city side walks, but I enjoyed the change in scenery. As with biking, I did more passing than was being passed. There were a couple people that passed me in the beginning, but otherwise, I kept a steady pace and kept going. It felt really good.
On the second lap, as I approached lap point / finish split for the run, I realized that I didn't know where to go for the finish line. Thankfully, I was pointed in the right direction, and didn't lose any time there.
I was super thrilled to cross the finish line and grab a bottle of water. My husband was waiting for me, and I got the "after" photo as well.
Someone I went to middle school with found me to say hi. She had other people there that she knew, so I really didn't get a chance to catch up with her.
I felt like I was on top of the world! I finished my first triathlon!!
Things I would do differently next time:
Arrive a little earlier - while I didn't have to wait very long, there was plenty I could have done between getting set up and starting the race.
Bring a crate to sit on for T1.
Bring a damp wash cloth and little towel for T1. I didn't dry my feet off well enough so ended up with damp and gross socks by the end of the race. I didn't notice it while biking or running, but my feet itched something fierce on the way home.
The organizers of the race deserve a lot of credit. It was set up SO WELL!! It was extremely organized, and was an excellent first triathlon experience. I can't wait to do another.
Swim 250 yards, Bike 7 miles, Run 2 miles
Initial race results are posted, I came in third place in the Athena division (150+ pounds), with the time 50:58. Splits haven't been posted yet.
It was a gorgeous day for a race. Sunny weather, blue skies and about 70 degrees out. The race started at 9am, and was about an hour a way. I was a little nervous about getting there, getting checked in, setting up the transition area, and then figuring out what I was doing. I didn't wake up as early as I wanted to, and we left a little late. I am sure that didn't help with the nerves, but I sped along and got there as quickly as I could.
I managed to lock the key in the car while passing it off to my husband. I remember saying, "here's the key", but he doesn't remember that at all, and it ended up in a spot I conveniently throw things, so I'm taking the blame on that one. Regardless, it added to the stress of not knowing what I was doing, though I let it go and concentrated on getting checked in and my stuff set up.
The good thing about running a little late was there wasn't much time between getting checked in and getting my stuff set up to when I had to be in the transition area listening to the overview of the race. I looked around to see how other people were laying their stuff out, and pretty much did the same. I hooked the bike over the rack by the saddle and then put my helmet on top of the saddle. I was swimming in my tri shorts and a sports bra, so I put my top on the back wheel so it would be easy to grab. I laid out my towel, Garmin, socks and shoes and then off I went. While I was laying my stuff out, Aleks went to see if the key was in the car. He confirmed that it was in the car, and talked to a ranger who said he'd help him get it later.
I started talking to the girl next to me in the transition area, and we head down to the beach together. It really was a gorgeous day for the triathlon. The sand felt great beneath my feet, and while I was a little nervous, I was getting excited to start. I found Aleks again around this point and passed my wedding ring off to him. It's getting pretty big on my ring finger, and I didn't want to lose it while swimming. I confirmed that he knew how to use my camera, we got a couple "before" photos, and then I got in line and waited my turn to start.
They were starting us in waves of two people every three seconds based on our estimated swim time. I hadn't swam since before my procedure in July, so I really had no idea how long it was going to take me. I looked at last year's results and knew I would finish anywhere between 5 minutes and 8 minutes, but figured I'd be in the 6 - 7 minute range, and placed myself toward the back. Aleks came over for some last minute advice (dive in, don't jump in and then start swimming). As I was getting into the water, I heard the starter say something about having goggles on for safety. I thought I put them on before I dove in. Opening my eyes under water was a quick confirmation that they weren't on, and I thought I lost them on the dive. I struggled with my goggles for a bit, and then started swimming.
I swam free style for a while, and then started running into people. Passing people while swimming was more difficult than doing so while running or biking. I didn't want to veer too much, as the shortest distance between any two points is a line, and I wasn't trying to swim any longer than necessary. There was a lot of sea weed, a couple random water shoes, and then the feet. I had a really hard time passing people, but they were going a little too slow. I started to side stroke, as it gave me more control on the navigation. The water was warm and also pretty shallow. There were people who were actually walking and jogging through the swim portion. The swim was only 250 yards, but I was happy enough when it was done.
We had to go up a hill from the beach to the transition area. I was a little winded from swimming, but I also wanted to make good time. I did my best hustling up the hill to the towel waiting for me. I was the only person in my transition area while I was there. Most of the bikes were already gone, though there were still a couple there. I dried off as quickly as I could, donning all my gear, and then grabbing my bike and jogging to the mount line.
I hit start on my Garmin, and then started biking. The biking portion was quite possibly my favorite. Most of the biking Aleks and I do is on streets or in the city. Occasionally, we bike on paved trails, but generally, we spend a lot of time starting and stopping. It was nice to just go. The bike portion was a closed loop within the park. It was about 3.5 miles, so we had to do two laps. I felt pretty good about the biking portion. I passed more people than passed me. In fact, there were only a couple people that passed me. There were minor hills, but mostly I thought the course was pretty flat. Toward the turn around for the first loop, there was a truck playing grand stand type music with a couple volunteers cheering people on. It was really cute. On a couple occasions, I let out a wooo hooo, as I'm known to do while biking. It felt really good to ride, and I was having tons of fun.
After the second loop, I went back into the transition area for T2. I had a lot less to do this time, as I biked in my running shoes. I simply had to get rid of the helmet, hang up my bike and lap the Garmin to get ready for the run. I felt good going out of T2, though my legs felt pretty heavy, and my heart rate was running at 180.
I tried to pace myself as well as I could, and found myself running about 9 minute miles. I was trying to bring my heart rate down a little as well, and though I felt like I was running really slowly, I was doing OK at the 9 minute mile pace. The first half mile was the worst. I'd only done one brick prior to the triathlon, so while I knew what to expect, I still was rather new at dealing with it. It was a nice one mile loop that we did two laps of. Most of it was back in the woods on a gravel trail. I generally run on city side walks, but I enjoyed the change in scenery. As with biking, I did more passing than was being passed. There were a couple people that passed me in the beginning, but otherwise, I kept a steady pace and kept going. It felt really good.
On the second lap, as I approached lap point / finish split for the run, I realized that I didn't know where to go for the finish line. Thankfully, I was pointed in the right direction, and didn't lose any time there.
I was super thrilled to cross the finish line and grab a bottle of water. My husband was waiting for me, and I got the "after" photo as well.
Someone I went to middle school with found me to say hi. She had other people there that she knew, so I really didn't get a chance to catch up with her.
I felt like I was on top of the world! I finished my first triathlon!!
Things I would do differently next time:
Arrive a little earlier - while I didn't have to wait very long, there was plenty I could have done between getting set up and starting the race.
Bring a crate to sit on for T1.
Bring a damp wash cloth and little towel for T1. I didn't dry my feet off well enough so ended up with damp and gross socks by the end of the race. I didn't notice it while biking or running, but my feet itched something fierce on the way home.
The organizers of the race deserve a lot of credit. It was set up SO WELL!! It was extremely organized, and was an excellent first triathlon experience. I can't wait to do another.