Me with my 2nd place medal from the MCPD sprint triathlon.
What a great morning! And laying in bed at 6:30 I didn't feel like getting up.....geesh.
Dave Damm and I drove over to the Mason City aquatic center this morning so I could compete in my first triathlon. Sponsored by the Mason City Police Department, this was a short triathlon: a 3 mile run, a 100 meter swim in the outdoor pool and a 10-mile bike. Much shorter than the Olympic triathlon I'm training for, but it was a great way to prepare and figure out some of the transition tricks.
There were about 40 people in the triathlon and after a quick warm-up run and my Red Bull, I was ready to roll.
The run went great. I felt really strong and kept passing people that had gone out fast in the first part of the race. At mile 2 I just felt incredible and kept pushing the pace. I caught about 4 or 5 guys and figured out that I was probably in the top 3 or 4 guys after the run. My time for the run was about 22:30. So right at 7.5 minute miles.....very good for me.
The swim went fast. 100 meters in a pool after training all winter for swimming was a breeze. My nose plug fell off though but I found out that I can live without it. Not sure about my swim time but I would guess it was about 1:50 or less.
Went sockless for the bike and after getting my shoe laces unstuck from my pedals, I was off and feeling great! The bike began at about 27:30 in the race for me.
As I put on my bike gloves, I looked at my bike computer and saw I was going 18 mph with no hands on the bike. When I got going it was 20 to 21 mph easy.
I caught one person and then came up to a kid who had just lost about 20 seconds my taking a wrong turn. We rode together for a bit and I asked him who was ahead of us.
"Just one girl," he said. And I could barely believe it.
This kid and I were pushing for first place and riding really strong. We kept pushing at 20 mph or so for a few more miles and at mile 8 or 9 a really strong, older biker caught up to us. The last mile of the bike was a rush. The 3 of us pushed each other really hard and we probably averaged about 22-23 mph that last mile.
It felt like the Tour de France finishes. Each of us trying to break away and then catching each other. The last half mile the younger kid made a break and I caught up to him but the older guy couldn't keep up. It was the kind and I for 2nd overall and 1st place male.
Going around the last turn, he almost biffed it and fell off his bike but he hung on for the win -- winning by only a couple of feet (less than .25 seconds). As he finished his tire popped and it sounded like a gun shot.
This triathlon was a great feeling. The trail race of a few weeks ago was peaceful and calm. This race was exhilarating and fast!
So fun to compete at something new and not be half bad at it.
Driving home, I realized all this training has been paying off and I'm in great shape. Just need to work on the abs after this Olympic triathlon is over and I'll be in tip-top shape.
It's incredible how much I love working out right now...the high after each workout is incredible and now I'm going fast enough that I don't feel like a turtle any more.
Off to Decorah tonight to wish a friend well before she heads off for Belgium to teach. Should be fun!
Enjoy the ride,
Damm
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