First Tri

[teigyr]

Ok, today was the infamous tri!! A lot could have gone better but all-in-all, I didn't drown Being that I put off the swim training until 3 weeks ago, my time says it all. For a sprint tri, my swim time was 31:25

My transitions were a bit lengthy but there was a lot of walking in between the timing mat and the transition area. It was difficult to run my bike out (again a lot of walking) due to having Look cleats. The distances were: 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 4 mile run.

Swim 31:25
T1 6:51
Bike 48:43
T2 5:16
Run 49:33

Total time, er, 2:21:34. The swim and transitions were my weakest part.

The weather was beautiful once the sun came up. I'd do it again but I definitely need to do more swimming. I ran more than I thought I would (thought I'd do a LOT more walking) but since walking hurt and running hurt, I might as well run. The bike course, while hilly, was managed so well and even the hills weren't that bad.

DH took pictures! Our camera isn't all that great but some of them came out ok.

[teawoman]

Woohoo!!! Congrats to you! The first one is really about trying it out and then having a basis for figuring out what you have to do for future training! (that's also the fun part!)

I am amazed you did an open water swim first time out...I still haven't tried one!

Great pics!

[Starfish]

Hey, this is the report I've been waiting for!! Well done! You did it! Great pics, too, BTW. How are you feeling about it all!?! I'm well impressed.

[Tri Girl]

HOORAY TEIGYR!!!
You did it- you're a triathlete!!!! I've been checking in all day to hear how it went this morning. I was thinking positive thoughts for you all morning long! I'm sooooo happy for you. And your times- they're very good!!!! You did fantastic!!!! You know your swim time will come down in the future (after all- next time you won't start swimming 3 weeks out ), and transitions getting faster are all a matter of practice.
Good for you for running a lot of the run portion. I knew you'd planned on walking a lot, so I'm thrilled that you were able to run so much!

You look GREAT in all your pictures! Tell DH thanks for taking them. It's always fun to see us gals in action.

Congrats on the first of many tris in your racing career. Hope you feel great the rest of today and tomorrow. Be proud and be sure to brag a little to everyone at work.

Now, to concentrate on next week's race. Are you ready for another????

[light_sabe_r]

Well done teigyr!

I'm assuming it must've been pretty cold cause you're wearing a wetsuit. That would've added to your first transition time. So don't worry bout that too much. BTW how did you feel in the open water?

Don't worry about you're cleats... We're all really wobbly on em! I'm in awe of the elites who run barefoot with their shoes already clipped in and they put them on as they're riding. It's definatley a skill to learn in the future!

Great photos by the way!

[HillSlugger]

You look great! The first is the hardest.

Congrats!

[teigyr]

Thank you all

I learned swim to bike can be painful, my quads burned but it could be poor swimming form and way too much time in the water.

I feel a bit burnt out but surprisingly good. We got home, I rested a bit, then we walked to dinner and to the grocery store. Going up the stairs on an overpass HURT. I whined.

The transition was a learning experience. I neatly (kinda) laid out all my stuff on my towel. What I didn't think was as I transitioned from swim to bike, I'd want a towel to wipe my feet. Ooops! I ended up using the t-shirt I wore in the early a.m. before the swim. I also "forgot" where my transition spot was from the bike to run part. Fortunately, DH was there to point me in the right direction because I became confused.

I really need to work on swim form. Once I get into it, I'm almost ok but the trouble is it takes about 15-20 minutes to get into it. By that point most of the good people are already done.

The run picture was halfway through. Honestly I thought it would be my second to worst part and I really liked the run. I held back on the ride, on the downhills I barely pedaled just to conserve leg energy. Cause, d'oh! I realized while on the bike (about 5 miles in) that I forgot to drink during transition. I ate one shot blok (ie...only 1 part out of a bag) and that was it. I felt like I would've barfed anything else.

Other than that, it was fun! And next week. I'm doing this why?!!! Oh yeah, cause I'm promised a shorter swim and a shorter run.

[tygab]

You finished! Woo hoo!

I have a similar first event this coming weekend (shorter run, just a 5k but the rest the same).... I don't think my times will be that different.

Did you have fun? It sounds like you did, but you didn't actually mention that anywhere
[Edit, yes, you did just say you had fun]

Anyway, congrats, now you are a triathlete!