I know these race reports are way over due but I wanted to give an update prior to the Silverlake Triathlon tomorrow.
On April 10 and 11th I did my first back to back triathlons. April 10th was the Sprint (500 meter swim, 12.5 mile bike and 5 K run). On April 11th was the Olympic (1500 meter swim, 24.9 mile bike and 10 K run). The Sprint race was a non event with the exception of the swim which was very choppy and a bad cold that I was nursing. It wasn't my best swim but I was happy considering the choppy conditions. The bike was a one loop course the started with Kemah bridge. It was tough making it over both sides with little momentum but that was the toughest part. The rest was flat and fast and I averaged a little under 20 mph for the bike. Not my fastest but not bad considering my training. On a side note I received my first penalty ever for passing in a no pass zone. The run was flat and went through the Kemah Boardwalk area. Overall it was a good race and I finished in 1:21:59 without the penalty.
The Olympic was a little more challenging. The swim started with being taken a mile off shore on a boat dropped off to swim back. The water was not as choppy as the day before but it was still challenging. You would think this would be easy? Just swim in a straight line and make it to shore. The problem is it is a long shore and you have to exit in a specific place. To make matters worse there were only 3 marker buoys. I rely heavily on these buoys to guide me because I have poor vision and I have a difficult time swimming in a straight line without them. Needless to say it was by far my worst Olympic distance swim ever. After I exited the water and got on my bike I felt better. The bike course was the same but it was 2 laps. Overall, I has happy with my bike but again not my fastest. The run course was different than the day before but it was still flat. Unfortunately, my bad cold and the long swim took my energy away and it just was not my day. I finished with my 2nd slowest Olympic ever. My two Olympic races this year have been very slow but I have several upcoming opportunities to improve.
Lastly, I wanted to provide a brief note about the Lone Star Triathlon. I coached 18 people to compete in the Olympic Triathlon and 4 people in the Half-Ironman Triathlon. They all did a great job and I was proud of them all. I hope they all enjoyed the event and I hope they all return for a future event with Team N' Training.
Tomorrow May 16th I am racing in the Silverlake Triathlon for the 4th time. I have not done any other race more than 2 times. It is one of my favorite races and I am hoping the weather cooperates. I'll let you know how it goes.
Bye for now!
