Spring Classic Triathlon

*Winner's medal and a BIG smile :)

I am training through the early races so I did a pretty hard speed workout the night before.  Friday was really rainy which inspired me.  Every time I have done a rainy workout the night before a race I have had great success.  I did my speed workout sprints and tired out my legs at the baseball field by Kevin’s house.  I loved it, I had my tunes going and I felt so good, I didn’t mind being wet. 

*A picture of my dad doing his thing when he was my age

In my trophy room I have a picture of my dad running a marathon.  In the picture he is a year or two older than I am now.  It is one of my favorite things in the entire room.  My dad and I are very different in some ways, but during one point in the Friday workout I was wondering if the way I am feeling right now is similar to how my dad felt when he was doing his running thing at my age.  I read my dad’s running log and it was surprising how similar we appear to be with our workout diaries.  Based on the picture it would appear that I tend to celebrate a little more at the finish line. :)

I owe a big thank you to Kevin and Anne for their hospitality.  It was so nice of them to make dinner and to allow me to stay at their house.  I had a great time with Kevin before and after the race.  He is one of the funniest people I have ever met.  Heck, I’d even say he is the funniest.  It was so fun to relax before the race, joke, and watch movies.  It reminded us both of 4 years ago when we did something similar when we should have been studying graduate school stuff.  Those are great memories; we’ve come along way since the time we couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as one another, funny how that works. 

*We both wore sweet outfits

*Enjoyed a healthy pre race meal

*And rode in style in Kevin's new car

One of the funnier moments of the weekend was when we got to the race and asked, “Where are the bike racks?”  In respect for the parties involved, I am going to change a few of the identifying details of the explanation I received in response to my inquiry.  I will do my best to add legalese for dramatic effect, because in my opinion a crime has been committed.  J

There were no bike racks for our rides because the party or parties who had custody of said bike racks was in a dispute with the owner of the bike racks.  The custodian of the bike racks, as a result of such dispute, allegedly ignited and proceeded to incinerate the bike racks.  As a result, there were no bike racks, all that remains is the outlandish story, and the hard truth that we had to lay our bikes on the ground, lean them against garbage cans, or find some other way to prop them up.  It is undetermined at this point if the missing and undelivered race t-shirts were connected to the same bike rack destroying perpetrator.  All I know is the shirt is not in the rightful place, on my back.    

*Kevin's prime transition spot

*Murder Machine in transition

After we made our make shift transition zone, we headed to the water.  I told Kevin that this was the coldest water I have ever been in, not just swam in, but the coldest I have ever set foot in.  Triathlon wetsuits are amazing things, without them the water, which I estimated to be in the mid 40s could easily cause hypothermia in minutes.  Even with the wetsuits, we all started a ticking clock as the early signs of hypothermia set in. 

*Swim start

Lucky for us, the swim was pretty short. I would say that at most, even with the wetsuit, someone would experience hypothermia of various but serious degree within 20 to 30 minutes of being in the water with a wetsuit.  By the time I was nearing the swim exit, I definitely felt it setting in.  On the back-stretch of the swim I was in the lead, but my arms were shutting down.  When your body gets cold it starts to cease the blood flow to your extremities in order to preserve the heat in your head and essential organs.  My arms were shutting down at the end of the swim and when I exited the water my arms and legs were barely under my control.

*Swim exit, let the thaw begin

I made a good transition and left on the bike in first.  The whole bike was cold, and it’s always a suffer-fest to ride hard early in the season.  I rode hard, fought the blustery wind, had a little bit of luck come my way, and I came off the bike frozen but in the lead. 

*The weather was terrible, which was perfect for me

Transition two was frustrating.  I couldn’t feel my feet or hands and as I tried to put my shoes on I crushed the back of the shoe down.  My calf cramped when I pointed my toes to put on my shoe because of being so cold.  After getting my shoes on I took off on the run.  I ran hard, still not feeling my feet, and put time into the chasers.  I again fought the wind and cold, made it to the finish line thankful to be done, and thankful to win after knocking on the door for years.  

One of the best race moments was when Kevin went head to head in a sprint finish.  I looked up from the finish area and saw Kevin running side by side coming in.  I said, “I gotta see this.”  I ran down the finish lane in the opposite direction towards Kevin.  As he and the other race battled, I yelled to Kevin, “Kick from here, you can do it!”  Kevin kicked and won the spot.  What makes the story all the better is the fact that Kevin said he drafted the guy for two miles on the run.  The wind was super tough so it was a smart move. 

After using this gentleman to knock the wind out of the way, Kevin passed him in the final stretch to take the spot as if to say “Thanks I will take it from here.”  We all had a huge laugh about Kevin tucked out of the wind behind the guy for 15 minutes only to steal the thunder in the last 30 seconds.  I am still smiling about it.  Those are the special race moments that I enjoy, when strategy, opportunity, and execution meet it is a very satisfying and entertaining moment.  Kevin did a good job seizing his opportunity. 

*Kevin with his medal, his whip, and his new car

Tri season is off to a good start! 

Thanks for reading.