First race report!

[Tri Girl]

HOORAY TYGAB!!!! Fantastic report- loved reading it!
You did a great job, and had a wonderful race, despite a rocky start in the water. Good for you for digging deep and having a wonderful day out there!!!

Now I'm off to look at more pictures...

[teigyr]

That was great!!! I was too beat to write more than a few sentences let alone write something eloquently. That swimming is a huge adjustment, isn't it. I'm so impressed that you got through it then actually was able to pass people I'm glad you felt good at the finish, too. Your husband got some great pictures! The run is difficult even without preexisting problems so I fully understand not pushing 100%. Talking to people, too, makes the time go by faster

Are you sore at all today?

[HeatherErin]

Wow - fun report! And a great time! Congratulations!

[tygab]

Thanks everyone! I want to do another but the season is ending here in New England. So, I will have to look around and see what comes next. I may switch to a run event for my next milestone.

Yes, Teigyr, the swim I have realized is a very mental thing in terms of controlling your thoughts and emotions. I sort of knew this going in, but having it actually happen makes me really understand that. I know I can swim the distance at a decent pace. I know I can swim in deep water, at least for a while. But somehow, the combination of it all in the race environment, plus lots of people around you, is something else!! I think for me it is easy to swim to or along shore even if I cannot stand, but not so easy to swim to the middle somewhere where there is nothing but water around! No quick exit, if you will. I will have to do more of this in future training.

As for soreness, I'd say I am moderately sore, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. I will not exercise today, but probably could tomorrow or Wed at the latest.

Two questions, that struck me after doing this.
1. Are those in the later waves time adjusted? If I am in a later wave someday, I'd hope this is the case, otherwise it seems like a time penalty at the gate!

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

I am sure there are others, but not at the moment.

BTW Teigyr, sorry to hear your race conditions were challenging. I think that makes a huge difference in one's confidence going in, and you're good to have toughed that out!

[HeatherErin]

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

I had a problem with that in my first tri. I snugged it up a bit yesterday and it seemed not to move as much.

[Kimmyt]

I think for me it is easy to swim to or along shore even if I cannot stand, but not so easy to swim to the middle somewhere where there is nothing but water around! No quick exit, if you will. I will have to do more of this in future training.

Yes, this is my problem with the OW as well. I am a strong enough swimmer, and I even am confident in my ability to self rescue or at least know what to do if the panic starts to happen, but for some reason the possibility of no escape is still scary. I have found it does get easier with repeated Open Water swim practice, so keep at it and hopefully you'll get more comfortable with it!

Two questions, that struck me after doing this.
1. Are those in the later waves time adjusted? If I am in a later wave someday, I'd hope this is the case, otherwise it seems like a time penalty at the gate!

Yes, the times are adjusted, however you'll still have your 'clock time' and your 'chip time'. The clock time will not be adjusted for your wave start time, so if your wave started 20 minutes after the first, you'll have an inflated clock finish time (which can be frustrating if you're aiming to beat a certain time and are running in to a sadly high time), but really it's no biggee. The officials for events will know your chip time and the results are usually posted with both.

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

Possibly. It also might be positioning. You obviously don't want the belt so tight it impedes breathing, and I've found for me it works better to have the belt up higher on my ribcage then around my waist. When I have mine on my waist proper, it shifts alot and is generally annoying. When I have it lower the numbers rub or crinkle annoyingly when my legs move. Maybe experiment with it a bit to see where it's most comfortable for you.

K.

[KSH]

Congratuations on completing your first race! Very exciting stuff!

Looks like you did a great job!