This morning was my second race, and my first Olympic distance triathlon (1500m swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) and I had a great time! I woke up this morning about 4:00am and started to get ready. Tristin and I left to get to the race at about 5:15am, getting there at about 5:45. It was still pitch black when we arrived, but luckily they had floodlights to light the transition area. After I got marked and my timing chip, I made sure everything was set up right on the bike, then I met back up with Tristin until the race started. My last race I kept my backpack and everything else with me in the transition area which all ended up getting in my way during the race, so this time I kept it very simple and only left the things I knew would be using in my transition area (helmet, bike glasses, race number, running shoes, biking shoes - already attached to bike, running hat and running sunglasses). I was lucky Tristin was cool with holding my backpack, I'm sure that sucked for her. Once the first wave started (the sprint distance pros) I went into the transition area and started pacing. I was nervous for the swim and was having a hard time calming my nerves down. When my wave was next to go off, I ate a pack of shot blocks and downed a pint of water. As I lined up I saw that my wave was much larger than I thought - instead of being just 25-29, it was all athletes up to age 39 - this made the start very crowded. Once we got into the water we had to swim 100 yds to the starting line. Once at the line it was hard as hell to see anything. The sun was coming up and the glare from the "lake" was pretty bad. Once the horn went off chaos ensued. While this was not the fastest swim for me, I did not completely panic like the last race and was able to swim freestyle for the entire time - except when I was trying to see where I was going. The first 400 meters of the swim were the hardest for me. I kept running into people, getting kicked, and really couldn't see where I was supposed to go. As I was trying to sight I heard Tristin cheering for me, "GO DEREK GO!", it was so great to hear. Once I heard her I stopped and started waving to her, which she then responded "KEEP GOING!". So for the first half of the swim I could hear the encouraging words of my wife, and that really kept me going. So I finished the swim at a fairly slow pace, but still much faster per 100 meters than my last race. I exited the water at 38:32 for a 2:34/100m avg., I was hoping for under 30 min, but I am still very happy with the time.
Transitioning from swimming to the bike was interesting. Getting out of the water I could hear Tristin cheering for me, which was awesome, but I had trouble finding the stairs to get out of the water. Once out, there was about a 40-50 yrd run from the swim exit to the transition area and my legs felt like jell-o. I had been practicing my transitions for this race much more than my last - which was one night after drinking and having Mom take pictures of me :). My total Transition 1 time was 1:21.
Once I got on the bike my plan was to take it easy since I didn't have my bike for almost 4 weeks. I stuck to my plan and never did push it too hard unless I needed to pass a group. This plan was probably the smartest thing I did for the race. For the ride I filled my aero bottle up with a pint of water and put an electrolyte tab in it and ate a pack of shot blocks w/ caffeine. I had thought they would have aid stations for the bike like the last race did, but I was wrong, so I ran out of water just after the second loop of the bike. On the bike course I passed a good deal of people, and got passed by a good deal of people. It was fun to see all the different types of bikes out there and I definitely got envious of a few. Tristin was set up in a good spot so I was able to see and hear her about 4-6 times during the bike. She wore a bright pink shirt and pigtails so she would be easy to spot. It was always fun to see her so I would stick my tongue out or make a silly face to acknowledge I saw her. Overall the bike portion went a little slower than I thought, but mainly because I had only ridden my bike 3 times in the past month. I finished the bike in 73:36 for a 20.22 mph avg.
Coming into T2 my legs felt strong and I was ready for the run, the only leg I had consistently training for the past month. I had a little trouble getting the first shoe on, but after that I was out like shout. T2 time was 1:33.
Starting the run I could tell I was dehydrated from the bike. At the first aid station I grabbed a Gatorade and a water. I dumped the water on my head and took a sip of the Gatorade and started choking on it. I decided after that I would walk through the aid stations to make sure I got the necessary liquids. Throughout the first 5k of the run I felt pretty good, but during the second 5k my quads started to cramp and I felt like I was going to puke but I kept going and I was determined to finish strong. As I made the last turn before the finish I see Tristin holding the camera saying "Who has two thumbs and is awesome?", which I reply "THIS GUY" giving a big thumbs up. I finished the run in 48:05 for 7:46 mile average.
After the race I grabbed some of the post race food and met up with Tristin to sit in the shade and talk about all the fun things we witnessed during the day. I got to see some really cool bikes, while Tristin got to see some guy puke in the lake I was swimming (and most likely drinking) in. My total time was 2 hours 43 minutes and 07 seconds for a placing of 26 out of 53 males aged 25-29, and 145 of 422 of total males that competed.
I had so much fun racing today and I am so happy Tristin was there to cheer me on. Her loud, distinctive voice got me through the swim leg, and helped me actually have fun while I was racing. She is an awesomely supportive wife and I don't think I would have finished without her!.
Thank you Tristin!
I have attached some pictures from the race. I forgot to charge the camera and it died before the bike. I will post some little pics once the are on the race website.
