Last weekend I entered my first sprint-triathlon in Sigourney, IA. I was a bit apprehensive to say the least as I woke up Sunday morning as I drove to the race start. I had no clue on how clustered it would be to get my stuff to the appropriate transition areas, as it turned out it was pretty easy (I think just because it was a smaller race). I spent ample time setting up everything just right so I would not waste too much time in the transitions. Then I took a short warm up bike ride and run to ensure I was going to feel comfortable in each different leg. As the time drew near I was getting anxious and excited.
3…2…1… Go! I heard as I dove into the pool and began my lap swims. My heart was racing and my breathing was erratic! I had to slow myself down and get into a rhythm as I continued swimming, otherwise I thought would surely drown the last lap! I thank the good Lord that it was in the pool because I am not positive I am ready for an open water swim with a swarm of other swimmers. I finally made it to the end wall of my last lap and hopped out of the pool, gasping for air and running to my bike (a quick realization that I am not in as good of shape as I thought).
I slapped my bike shoes and helmet on, grabbed my bike, and headed for the road. I learned from the leaders to clip my shoes in pre-race and just jump into them- something that definitely needs to be practiced by me. I spent the entire 1st mile catching my breath from the swim and finally got into a groove on the bike. As I felt like I was cooking along I had two other cyclists fly by me, pretty sure I need to work on my biking skills too :). I rode up the last hill to the transition area, tirelessly down shifting due to the lack of speed coming into the hill, and almost flawlessly unclipped from the bike & running to my running shoes.
I slipped on my shoes and headed for the road again, knowing this should be my strong point I tried to give it hell right away. One problem exists at this point- my legs felt like jell-o and were not ready for sprint! After the first quarter mile I was able to regain my running form and prove a fairly strong run to the finish passing six people along the way.
Since we had a staggered start I was unsure on where I actually finished up and decided to wait around for the awards and results. Much to my surprise I competed fairly well; finishing 14th overall and 4th in my age group. I know that with some extra training and speed work in all categories I can have a better try at the next tri, but I am happy with the initial results. :)
“Never be afraid to try something new – remember amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic.”
