I did really well (for me) at the race yesterday–I came in 1:01 under my goal time (1:45:00). The weather was perfect: sunny, warm but not hot, and no wind (meaning the water was smooth). I drove up to Longmont with D and Doug (D’s husband). We got to the reservoir around 6:30, picked up our packets, and then grabbed our transition spot. We stayed closer to the swim in again this time, which I really like. Our bikes were easy to find and we didn’t have to run across tons of asphalt with bare feet.
I was a little nervous leading up to the race but I felt more confident than before the last one because I wasn’t wearing my wetsuit. It really was just like swimming in the pool.

Getting ready to get wet--the water was 74 degrees
And my swim went great. If I started getting slightly out of breath, I slowed down and relaxed. There was one girl doing the backstroke near me who was pretty much in my way the whole time (as she couldn’t sight and go straight) but other than that, it was one of the best swims I’ve had. I got out of the water after 750 meters in 19:00 (1 minute under my goal time).

Getting out of the water after the swim (I'm the one without a wetsuit!)
My T1 took 3:11…but it took me a full minute just to get from the beach to my bike! And I was jogging–not running but not putzing either. My T1 went fairly well. I jumped in the water buckets to get the sand off my feet but ended up getting more on them on the way to my bike so I had to douse my feet with water anyway. Then I put on my socks, shoes, race belt, sunglasses, and helmet and away I went.
The bike went well considering I beat my goal time by 3:26. But for the first 4 miles or so, it did not feel good. My legs felt tired and weak, like they had during my training rides over the past month or so. But about halfway through the 12.4 mile bike, my legs started feeling better and I ended the bike on a good note, making sure to take the last leg easy and let my heart rate come down some so I didn’t start the run being totally and completely out of breath like I did back in July. I finished the bike in 46:34.

Coming back in after the bike
My T2 was uneventful. I racked my bike, took off my helmet and sunglasses, and put on my hat. I walked to the run start just to collect myself and get ready for the next leg. T2 took me 1:09.
The run, unfortunately, was pretty bad. I never got my running legs or stride. It was out of sheer willpower that I ran the whole thing, albeit at a VERY slow pace. My calves were so tired! I really felt like I could not propel myself any faster. But I ran the whole thing, which I am proud of. Many people around me were walking. I finished the 5K in 34:07 but I crossed the finish line strong. And when I looked at my watch, it said 1:43:58, 1:02 under my goal time (my official time was 1:43:59).

Coming in strong
Mine definitely wasn’t the fastest pace out there but it made me happy to achieve my goal. And I knew going into it that I wouldn’t be very competitive, doing the breaststroke for the swim, biking on a crappy mountain bike, and not having trained for the run a ton in the past month or so.
My overall ranking was:
224 of 288 overall
116 of 172 of females
20 of 27 in age group (25-29)
1st in personal best
It was a great experience though and I definitely will be doing at least one triathlon next year (depending on what I decide about the marathon)!!
And since I won’t be doing another triathlon in 2009, I have changed the name of my blog. Check it out!