Prologue: | I had high hopes for this event after last weekend's effort at the YWCA Indoor Tri; I was shooting for better results in each event compared to last year. I arrived 30 minutes ahead of my start time to stretch and refamiliarize myself with the place. This was my third time doing this event at this location, and I knew I could do better! |
The Swim: | I was only swimming against one other person (just like last weekend), and he wasn't going to be a speedster! Looks like I'm on my own again for laps! I cranked the first 200 and felt better than last weekend, but the water was a bit warm, and after about 10 minutes, i was slowing down quite a bit. I cruised the rest of the swim, just trying to stay smooth, and ended up with 51 lengths, or 1275 yards for the 20 minutes. One length better than last year! (But still two less than my best :( the first year). On to the bike! BTW, the record was 72 lengths, or 1800 yards! |
The Bike: | Quickly changing into shorts and my singlet, I was soon up at the Cybex bike. Since Lifetime Fitness (where I train) has the exact same bikes, I knew what wattage I could comfortably handle, and how to properly spin. I started out pretty strong, took it down a notch after about 5 minutes, then gradually built up to a sprint for the last two minutes! 6.7 miles total, 0.2 miles better than last year! (according to the results....). The best distance this year was 7.8 miles, but not a record..... |
The Run: | After last weekend's great run, I felt I had a really good chance at around 3 miles for the 20 minute run today.....after getting on the treadmill and beginning my strides, I knew it wasn't going to happen! Almost immediately, I started cramping up, and only a few burps now and then helped ease the stress on my stomach muscles :( . I kept going, but at a pace considerably slower than last weekend....with a few minutes to go, I cranked it up several notches (damn the pain :-) and finished with a little more than last year, 2.64 miles (last year was 2.59 miles). I KNOW I could have done better!! The best distance was 3.97 miles....Yikes!! |
Postscript: | I was pleased with this effort, and I am now psyched for the Tucson Tri next weekend! My third one in three weekends! Since my cycling is somewhat weak this season, I don't know if it will be much better than last year, but I'm ready anyway! I did walk away from this race with a free one-month membership to The Marsh, so I am VERY happy to have tried my best and improved over my last year's score! |