My first tri - Green Lake Sprint RR

[northstar]

I posted a while back about my first triathlon coming up, so I thought I better post a race report for all the first timers out there!

I did the Green Lake Triathlon in Spicer, MN. I had my first baby in July of 08, so was out of commission for most of the 08 season. I turned 30 in August of 09, and figured that the tri would be a good way to set the tone for my next 30 years. I also used it as a goal to get back to being active. My younger brother did the event as well. I approached the event with what I felt were pretty realistic expectations. I don't have much free time to train, and I didn't want to stress over it - just wanted to give it a try (I've done a couple duathlons, that's it) and enjoy it. Here goes.

1/4 mi swim: It was a beautiful morning, nice calm water. My goal was to be at or under 10 minutes. Side-stroked (sorry, for those of you who don't like to see this) a large portion of the swim. I was WAY more tired than I anticipated getting. My pool swims had been very easy, relaxing, no biggie...but yeah, the OWS is a whole different deal! Time: 10:34. Amazingly just one second slower than my little bro. Neither of us are experienced competitive swimmers, so we were ok with this!

T1 - I was WIPED OUT. Tore my race number off my shirt by accident while pulling it on, so it cost me some time fixing that. T1 was considerably less trouble than I thought it would be. My brother and I racked up next to each other and each brought a bucket. He put a little water in mine - so we used his to sit on and mine to clean up our feet. Highly recommend the bucket idea!

Bike - 12 miles - I thought I would feel like the bike portion would be a rest - it's what I love most - but I was so gassed from the swimming that it took me a good 4 miles or so to feel functional again. I kept looking down at my computer those first couple miles and seeing 15 mph or less, and it didn't help me mentally. The route was a nice, rolling trip along the lake - finally started picking up speed about midway and made some progress passing people. Time: 41:30 (18.1 average). I didn't know how I would fare biking after running, so my goal was to average between 17 and 18 mph...which I achieved!

T2 - I felt pretty good. Took a quick swig of Gatorade and headed out.

5K run - The route wasn't settled on until 10 p.m. the night before the race, so I didn't have a chance to really check it out beforehand...which is probably good. The first half of the 5K was probably 80% uphill. Not steep, but enough to make the switch from bike to run even more challenging. I walked for about a minute in the first 1/2 mile, but then picked it up and felt really good. All I could see was a long stream of people along the side of a long hill! The run was an out and back, the people coming back down sure looked happy. Met my brother on the run and we gave each other a high five, which was a fun boost. Made the turn around and the second half of the run went much more quickly. I felt myself smiling as I rounded the corner for the last 1/4 mile...saw my DH and baby girl, and two high school classmates who showed up to surprise me and cheer me on. What great friends! Finished the run in 28:31 - my goal was to be under 30 minutes. Yay!

Total time: 1:25. I placed in the top half of the women, which made me happy. I was just 8 minutes behind my brother.

I was really surprised how hard the swim was, and how good I felt on the run. I'm thinking about picking a 10K for October and spending time doing some longer distance running now.

I do hope to do another tri someday, but as I'm not into stressing about it, I'd like to find another with a shorter-than-average swim. We had a great time and really loved the atmosphere!

Thanks to everyone here for their wisdom. Although I don't post a lot, I certainly have learned a lot from reading your stories, and I appreciate the positivity here so much.

Molly

[colby]

Awesome! Great job. No worries about the swim, that's pretty normal. It'll be easier next time. Awesome work on the bike and run.

Good to see you're going to stick with it!! And happy 30th (mine was in May... I still find myself putting "29" in places and having to correct myself)

[txred9876]

Wtg Molly! You Did Great
Tina

[Tri Girl]

Super congrats to you, Ms. Triathlete!!!
Sounds like it was a great race, overall, and that you enjoyed yourself. Can't ask for more for your first one, huh? Way to go!!!!

[KSH]

Congratulations Molly! Sounds like you had a nice race!

Yeah, I am ALWAYS slower in open water than I am in a pool. Just the way it is.

[salsabike]

10:34 for a side stroke (nothing wrong with side stroke!) seems really good! It sounds like you had an excellent first race. Congratulations!

[Shiraz]

Yeah Molly!!!!! How fun to get to do it with your brother! Congrats! Birthdays help us meet goals.

[HillSlugger]

Congrats on doing your first triathlon! I did LOTS of sidestroke during my first OWS tri; whatever gets you through it!

[northstar]

Thanks, everyone.

Sigh...I love TE. What a great bunch of people!

[Alex]

Good for you! Thanks for the great report!

Alex

[spindizzy]

Wow- a year after having a baby and you're out there..it took me 18

And you're still a "baby" in my eyes. Soooo many years of potential racing left!

I love writing RR. Then I print them and paste them on the back of my number that I had for the race..it brings back the memories of that particular race and helps me focus on new goals for the next one.