Triple T 2012 - Race #1

No lead up, no excuses for not blogging, no training status.  Let's get to the heart of the matter. 

The first race of Triple T is a super sprint race starting at 5PM Friday evening.  The race consists of a 250m swim, 6k bike (3.72 miles) and 1 mile run.  This is a great way to kick off the weekend and loosen up after driving to the event.

I left the house around 8AM to pick up some last minute items at the grocery store and then meet Jen and Joanne at a coffee shop (Cafe 83).  I was anxious to get going.  I could feel the nerves in my stomach for the last couple of days and they were present Friday morning as well. 

Part of the nerves were because of some differences compared to previous races.  First off, Aimee was not going to be with me.  She was awesome as my race support in '09 and '10.  I knew it was going to be different without her being there.

I decided to cancel my hotel reservation and camp with Janet (Daisy Duc) and Joe.  Janet offered a mattress in their RV that I couldn't pass up, even though I had my tent and other camping equipment ready. 

The drive down to Shawnee State Park was fine and we arrived around 1PM to pick up our race packet, which essentially was out swim cap and racing singlet we would wear for the all four races.

Jen and Joanne went up to their room at the lodge and I headed to the campground to meet up with Janet and Joe. 

After getting unpacked and situated we had a couple of hours to relax in the shade.  Christian K and his friend Harvey drove in from Alabama.  Christian was staying in the RV with us and Harvey was sharing a room at the lodge.  Ian, Rob and Scott arrived and set up their tents a couple of spots from us, so the majority of the Cleveland race crew was ready to go. 

Shortly before 4PM we gathered our gear and rode our bikes to the event site.  It's one mile between the campground the race site which allowed us to loosen up the legs before and after each race. 

I picked up my chip and got marked.  The volunteer who checked me in commented that my race number was the same as my birth year.....' 67.  This number would put me near the front of the pack when we would start each race in time trial fashion. 

I put together my transition spot and warmed up with a 1 mile run.  I reached the turn around for the sprint run and stepped into the woods to empty the bladder one more time.  It was good to get warmed up after driving four hours in the car.

Before the race started we gathered for a picture on the beach.  The time trial start sends two people off in five second intervals.  Most people didn't wear a wetsuit since the swim is so short.

When it was my time to go I ran down the beach and dove into the water.  Immediately my left goggle filled with water.  Not completely but enough to be a bother and make me worry about loosing my contact.  I did all of my breathing to the right so that I could spot the turn buoys with my "good" eye.  I was surprised how straight I seemed to be swimming. 

One change for the swim course this year was the exit.  A small channel had been dredged by the park which allowed us to swim closer to the transition area and not run across the pedestrian bridge.  That was nice for the spectators because they weren't stuck on the beach while we ran to transition. 

I quickly put on my socks, mainly because I can't run without socks, shoes, sunglasses and helmet.  I grabbed my bike and headed out for the short uphill ride.  I attacked the uphill pretty good and passed a couple of people.  I didn't let up at the top and continued to push the pace. 

As soon as I started the down hill I unstrapped my shoes.   I wasn't going to be pedaling much on the downhill.  I had to wait for a clear shot to pass two people but once I did I bombed the downhill...at a max of 42.8 MPH. 

I slipped my  feet out of my shoes and rolled to the dismount line.  I racked my bike and put on my running shoes for the 1 mile run.  I pushed the pace and crossed the finish line rather strong to end the first race of the weekend.

250m Swim:       5:05
T1:                     1:08
6k bike:             11:49
T2:                     00:34
1 mile run:          6:39
Total race time:   25:14

After the race I grabbed some of the food offered by HFP and soaked the legs a little.  The creek water wasn't as cold as years past so the benefit wasn't quite there.

We rode back to the campground and showered.  I had some potato salad, a blue cheese burger and a salmon patty for dinner.  I also had one beer with dinner to celebrate the beginning of the weekend with friends.  Bedtime was 10PM for the Saturday morning race.