My first Triathlon

Saturday the 11th of June, I competed in my first triathlon. It was an absolute blast other than the run :)

We registered in the gymnasium, where we got our numbers, bibs, and written on with permanent black marker. Oh fun. I was number 956. Most triathlets wear lots of spandex and speedos, but I went with swim trunks and my Fantastic 7's rugby jersey from a few years ago since it is made out of polyster and wouldn't just suck up the sweat like a cotton shirt. Also while I've been losing weight, modesty is still the buzz word so a form fitting spandex or under armor shirt was a no go. The jersey worked great. The stand-up collar even helped keep the sun off my neck a bit. The day started a bit gray and rainy, had me worried, plus it was cool, in the mid 50's. Reluctantly I backed my bag, hopped on my bike and rode over to the gym, about a half mile away. I set up my bike and helmet in the staging area next to the pool entrance then headed inside. We registered in the gym as I noted before. Then we sat around for 45 minutes until the racer briefing. Most folks took this time to warm up and stretch a bit. My legs were tight. I did some plyo jumps on the rolled up wrestling mats to warm my legs then stretched for the remainder of the time. I did throw in some pushups to warm up my shoulders for the swim. After the briefing we headed into the pool. Since we only have 6 lanes and had nearly 60 competitors they did the start in irregular heats. 2 people swam per lane and each lane had 2 volunteer timers all using synchroed stopwatches. They all began at the same time then utilized the splits to figure your times. I was the second swimmer in my lane. I chose the medium pace lane since I wasn't sure how I'd fare against the others. I could have chosen the fast lane. When my timer said go, I was off like a shot swimming the first full length of the 25m pool without taking a breath, I literally flew down. I hit the wal and spun, the back and forth was a blur until the 6th length, then when my timer said 5, I got concerned. How did I lose a lap?! Anyway, I decided it didn't matter, I was doing sub minute laps and what's another minute in the grand scheme of things during a "fun" triathlon. The laps went easy and I was winded but not tired at all after exiting the pool. I quickly threw on my socks and shoes and shirt and hustled out the door to my bike. I rolled it out of the gravel onto the asphalt and was off like a shot. Since we all started at different times on the swim, passing people didn't necessarily mean anything time wise, but it was stil motivating. I ended up passing 6 bikers on the ride. I hadn't had any outdoor bike practice since I just got my bike out of storage a week or so before. I didn't even put the wheels on until Friday night and tune the darn thing up. Luckily my bike has skinny tires and weighs nothing so it is fast. I'd pedal until I could feel the burn in my thighs, then I'd coast a few seconds and do it again. The only prolonged pedaling was when i was catching and passing other bikers, then that motivation would kick in and I'd pump by. My ass hurt a bunch, now I know why most bikers wear padded shorts. Ouch. I made it to the transition to the run. Hopped off my bike and almost fell flat on my face. My legs were jello and my ass was numb. I struggled to get my legs pumping. I was in front of the crowd, so did my best not to look like a wuss but once I turned the corner, I started speed walking trying to get the blood back into my ass and legs. I tried to keep a running pace but my thighw just didn't like me. I guess I didn't do enough roadwork training. Actual running is so much harder than treadmill/eliptical running. Ugh. I decided I'd do intervals of running at a good pace and then speed walking rather than get into a slow dogged jog. I would run hard for 50 paces of my left foot then walk until my legs felt strong again. Let's just say I walked a lot. The hardest part was not knowing the distances or even the course. We ran down the Alaska Pipeline for awhile then through the woods, along the Richardson and the down the downtown airfield back to the ice rink bike transition. I was only passed by 8 runners, all with pretty good pace. When I hit the finish line it was almost anticlimactic, like "That's it. I can do more." I grabbed a powerade and banana and sat in the shade for a few minutes, when I got up I realized that maybe it was a good length after all! My legs had already started to stiffen up. Racers continued to come in for the next hour and a half, staggered because of the swim lane availability. It was a great experience and I am already looking forward to the next one in August down in Anchorage. It gives me another reason to get into the gym and get out at night for some running and biking and to try to stay fit.

Look at that ghost white leg. Not getting a tan up in Alaska that's for sure.

Listening to Pearl Jam during the warm-up trying to get psyched up.