Tower Triathlon Recap

My goals for this race were pretty simple. I was hoping to finish my swim under 11 mins, the bike under 45 and the run under 25. Based on my "training" for this race, my goals were realistic and my overall goal time was anywhere under 1:25 haha.. so yeah, I mainly just wanted to see what my base was.

Training
My triathlon training consisted of:

Swim: 2 or 3 times a week. Average time was ~15mins and I would usually just swim 400-500yds freestyle.

Bike: Commute ~15mi (roundtrip) 4 or 5 times a week to work. I was able to do 2 time trials before the tri.. an 11mile workout steady pace.. and a 20miler a weekend before.

Run: whenever I found time... lol usually 1 or 2 times a week.

What I didn't practice at all... was transition. Womp womp.. I was freaking out the day before the race, youtubing techniques that would get me in and out of transition the quickest.. and it worked for the most part.

Race Morning
I arrived bright and early and set up my transition area an hour before the race started. It felt so cool seeing my bike ready to go.

I stood there for a little bit... trying to visualize my plan once my bike and things were set up. I walked from the pool.. to transition.. and around to make sure I would know where my bike was. I also tried to walk from transition to the bike course.. I was barefoot so I didn't make it too far out. Even then I noticed the course was not well-marked. At least, not well enough for me. Oops. I had looked at the map.. but it was just hard visualizing it in my head when my nerves were through the roof.

Swim

I was in wave 8 out of 11(?) so I had a while to start.. I went and got marked up and waited with JV on the side of the pool watching the first waves go off. My heart was pounding... swimming competitively wasn't my favorite thing to do. I remember nervous I would get whenever they timed me in high school for my lifeguarding course... ahh. I swam enough to know I could do it. It was my waves turn. I jumped in the pool and had my timer/counter with me. I was so use to swimming with this thing, that I had to bring it with me today. The horn went off and I sprinted off the wall. By the 8th length I was starting to get tired... my breathing was off. I took a 2 second break. 8 more lengths and youre out of the pool Luz...

I heard JV screaming out my name to go. I kept swimming.. even if I had to breathe after every stroke.. I told myself to use my arms. It would be over any minute now. I quickly climbed out of the pool only to realize I was the 2nd out. YES! I looked at my timer. I had finished my swim in 9:36! but I still had to run to transition.. and I was already out of breathe.

Swim- 10:30

T1
I ran to the transition area.. and counted the bike racks.. somehow I ran past my bike rack haha and turned around only to find my bike behind me. Oops. I quickly put my helmet on.. socks and shoes. I had taped my sunglasses and Shot Bloks to my bike. hehe. So those were already with me when I rolled out of transition. I grabbed my gloves and off I went.

T1- 1:55

Bike
As soon as I jumped on my bike, I relaxed.. the hardest part (or what I thought would be the hardest) was over. I have grown attached to my bike every since my marathon in March. Since I haven't been able to run as much as I would like... my bike is the only option in terms of cardio that I prefer.
The bike route was a little over 2 miles with 5 loops around the same route. I pedaled at a comfortable pace for the first one.. asked for directions after passing the first timing mat haha and then got a hang of it. I pedaled faster for the rest of the course. My legs didn't burn as much as I thought they would... then again I wasn't going too fast. I still had a 5k to run after this. I looked at my watch when I knew I had half a mile to go.. and to my surprise I was way ahead of my goal. Hell yes!

Bike: 18k, 36:44 (avg speed 18.3mph)

T2
This was an easy transition... just had to take off my helmet and rack my bike. Done and done!

T2: 0:43seconds
Run
I started my Garmin as soon as I passed the timing mats. I saw JV in his running clothes as I was coming out of transition! AH! He surprised me. I had no idea he was going to be running with me. I told him I was thirsty.. the sun was def burning me up. When we got to the first water station I knew I wasn't going to be able to run a sub-8min 5k.. and I was okay with that. I had not prepare for this part.. I probably only squeezed in a few runs after a bike commute.. and I noted it, next time, I will need more preparation for this. My legs felt like LEAD. At the turn around, I was ready to finish this strong. I kicked it up a little... and kept reminding myself that this was my first tri.. and to take it easy. There's going to be many more in the future :)

Run - 25:36 (avg pace: 8:14)

Overall Time: 1:15:25, Placed 2nd in 18-24 AG

 



After the race... I was not only surprised of how good I felt, despite my lack of preparation, but I also felt hopeful. If anyone is thinking of doing a sprint tri, I highly recommend it. I had so much fun and it felt different than just running a race. I am looking up upcoming triathlons in the area. I'll def be better prepared next time.

 



Next Up: Allstate 13.1!