Troika Sprint Triathlon

Last weekend, I made the last-minute decision to register for the local Troika sprint triathlon, signing up the day before the race. I have only done a sprint triathlon once before, and it was about eight years ago, with absolutely no running or swimming prior to the event. I do not recommend that method of race prep. The sprint distance is tough for me because I am not the strongest swimmer, but I figured this local race would be good race experience for me since I am still so new to triathlon.

By the time I arrived at the race venue, most of the bike racks were already full. This left me with the second-to-last rack, which was quite a distance from the entrances/exits to the transition area. Perhaps that's why people arrive so early to triathlons!

Starting the swim, it was weird to think of just how short the swim would be, and that portion of the race went by very quickly. I was a couple minutes back from the first woman after the swim.

I made the long run out of the transition area with my bike, and quickly settled into the bike. I found myself catching several women, until I was the first woman on the course. 

As I racked my bike and left the transition area on foot, I could see another woman heading in from the bike. Her racking position was better than mine, but I tried not to worry about that and just began running. I felt decent on the run, but looked back once and could see someone coming up on me. I knew I could only do what I could do, so just kept running. Around two miles into the run, the other woman caught me, and I could not do the pace she was running. It was a bummer, but I still had a decent run and finished 2nd overall in a distance that is not my strong suit.

Onion Man Triathlon

Two weekends ago, I raced in the Onion Man Triathlon in Walla Walla. This was the first triathlon I did when I started doing triathlons two years ago. I was happy to see that the weather was much better this time than it was the last. The race started with the 1500m swim. I made an effort to start more quickly than I have in the past, and I did a decent job of keeping a steady pace. I swam considerably faster than I did earlier this year at Dunes City, so that was positive. I was still a bit behind coming out of the water.

Coming out of the water, I was excited to start the bike portion of the course. I had done much of the course before (the course was changed the morning of the race, due to a car accident), as it is one of the TT courses used for the Tour of Walla Walla. I settled into the bike pretty quickly, and caught a large number of people. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch two of the ladies ahead of me, as they were too far ahead after the swim, and were also good cyclists. Though my bike was good, it was definitely not my best ride. With less than 1000 miles in my legs, I cannot complain too much.

As I headed into the run, I could tell my legs just didn't feel up to par. I ran the best pace I could for the day, which left me in 4th place overall, and 3rd in my age group.

First Triathlon in Two Years - Dunes City Triathlon

After a long hiatus from the blogging and racing worlds, it only seems appropriate that I write a blog post as I re-enter the world of racing. Following leg surgery, six+ months of physical therapy, a long period of no running and 30-minute bike rides, I am finally back to riding and running regularly. I will be mixing it up this year, participating in some running races, some triathlons, and some bike races.

My triathlon season began last weekend with the Dunes City Triathlon near Florence, Oregon. Seeing that this was my first triathlon in nearly two years, I had no great expectations. As a bonus, this race gave us a reason to travel to the Oregon coast for a short weekend vacation! The race began with periodic heavy downpours, and the lake temperature was a cool 59 degrees. Putting on my wetsuit for the first time in two years and jumping into a cold lake with a group of strangers, I couldn't help but feel a bit claustrophobic and nervous. Starting in the middle of the group, I quickly was kicked in the face, which knocked me off my game for a bit. My swim was considerably slower than I had hoped, which I think was largely due to how long it took me to relax in the water. Toward the end of the two-lap swim, I was feeling pretty comfortable and relaxed, but I had already lost a great deal of time by that point. Coming out of the water, I was 6 or 7 minutes behind the lead woman.

I was excited to head onto the bike leg of the race, as that is my largest comfort zone. While we had been swimming, a rain shower had come, leaving all of my gear soaked in the transition area. As I attempted to get on my bike, one of my already-clipped-in shoes flew off the pedal, leaving me with a less than stellar transition onto the bike. Within a mile or two of the start of the bike, I heard my rear brake rubbing. I stopped to check it, but really could not see anything. Likely, the 20-year-old disc I was using was rubbing when I stood out of the saddle. Back on the bike, I started to feel like I was finally in a steady rhythm. With 1700 feet of climbing, the bike course had a considerable amount of elevation gain for an Olympic triathlon. A huge downpour hit me as I climbed the final (and largest) hill before the turn-around. Descending back down, my glove-free hands were frozen! Thankfully, they quickly warmed up after the descent.

Entering the run, Ted had counted me as in 6th place for the women. I was able to get in a running groove relatively quickly, and found myself catching people. The run course was primarily on trails through the woods, making for an interesting run. Around mile 5, I caught the girl who was in 2nd place, and Ted told me I was gaining on the girl in first place. I ran at a steady pace, but my deficit had been too large. I finished about 1.5 minutes behind the first place woman overall, and I was first in my age group. Given my slow swim and mediocre bike, I cannot complain about how the race finished for me. The courses were nice. All that could have been improved was the weather! We had a great next day in Oregon, relaxing at our vacation cottage two blocks from the beach.