Get your own Free Home Page22 March 1998
825 yd pool swim, 12.1 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
Prologue |
I'd learned of this tri while surfing the net, and found it was going to be during my school district's Spring Break. Since my parents have a home north of Tucson, I couldn't pass up the opportunity :-) !!
I arrived early in the morning (about 6 am) for check-in and body marking, etc.; I hadn't been around the campus, and I needed to get my bearings....and mentally prepare myself for a tortuous race. My training so far this winter/spring has been erratic at best; swimming only 5 times, and running only 10. My biking has been going rather well on the trainer this year, and I was hoping to show my stuff on the bike. Unfortunately, I didn't forsee an easy way to get my bike to/from the airport (taxis aren't really receptive), and I didn't want the hassle of obtaining a ride/parking space, etc. Instead, I opted for a MTB rental in Tucson, figuring that I could try out some of the trails when I had finished the race and still had a week's vacation ahead of me. This worked out well, and I found I wasn't ready for the dirt/rock trails of Tucson! As for the bike of the triathlon, we'll see.... The cold weather (45 degrees) when I arrived was really getting to be an energy sapper (those of us with little or no meat on our bones have to shiver to keep warm, ya know ! :-) I huddled in my warm-ups inside the men's locker room and wandered around until I thought it was about time to seriously get ready. Here we go! This race was interesting in that the elites were in the second "wave" in the pool after the relays and some seniors (30 or so per wave), swimming laps until the distance was completed. The announcer kept us well-informed of who was in the pool, Jimmy Riccitello (sp?), Doug Friman, Susanne Martineau, and Jeanne Krizman among the elites; due to a small prize purse, there was some incentive to win here :-). It was exciting to see them in action, and how fast they were on the swim and bike! Pretty soon, my wave was due to begin, so I'd better REALLY get ready!....
|
The
|
Oh, no! They've just announced that it's 60 seconds until the start of my wave! I run around the pool frantically in my sandals, trying to disrobe and apply my goggles at the same time! The wave begins, and I'm still on the deck (can you say slow?....); I get set, pull on the goggles, and....SNAP! The strap breaks, and I'm without a spare on hand...! The attendant for my lane helps me out, and I swim a 50 while she "fixes" them. I'm behind most of the people by this point (about 100 behind), so I try to concentrate....The goggles, even with an extremely short strap, miracle of miracles, FIT! I begin my normal cruising speed of about 1:35 per 100, and even then gradually see my swimming still isn't keeping up with others in nearby lanes! Ugh! Finally, I exit the pool, and see a slow, but completely acceptable time of 14:10 on the watch. I use my timing chip and hit the box, and I'm off! (The timing strap on my wrist and the chip inside it were only for the splits, but I needed it anyway, since in my frenzy at the start I had neglected to start my watch!)
T1 went well, and I had decided to wear my running shoes here to save T2 time. This was an excellent strategy, but something still went awry....
|
The
|
Cruising the bike (as only us MTBers can ;-), I feel the rhythm and begin cranking up the gears. Just as I get up to speed, thunk! My seat! It's fallen and can't get up! Luckily, by that time, I wasn't worried about any additional time lost, so I dismounted the bike, tightened the seat, and began again! At last! I'm really going to do it! (Reminding myself to check the seat AHEAD of TIME the next race....) I have a rather uneventful few laps after thaton the very flat course, being passed only by a few riders that have better bikes than me, as well as more winter training, too! I pass a few riders, too, and enter transition well under one hour (53 or so). I later learn that the winner, Jimmy Riccitello, finishes faster than my time for just the swim, T1 and bike (his time was 52:16!!!).
T2 isn't much to talk about; a smooth transition here cuts down on my time switching shoes (:45), and I know I should finish under 1:30, my goal time. Off to the run!
|
The
|
The run is one loop across the campus, and then another short half loop on the same course. I like the fact that we can see others on this looping, but it's demoralizing when some people are on their second loop and you're still on your first! I set out at what seems to be a very slow pace, and start to pick it up just a bit about 1/2 of the way through. The heat is starting to build (now I know why they start so early!) in the 70's, and I can begin to feel it! I finish the first loop and begin the second (stopping at the water stop again as per plan), and I now only have a little over one mile to go! Yahoo! I feel strong, and pick it up even more...I turn the last corner and see the finish line! I surge! I cross the line! I'm done! 1:21:37, a respectable time, and certainly better than expected as I had fumbled so poorly on the swim and bike portions....Seems my training is on track for this year, even with the greatly decreased mileage....
|
Postscript | The announcer informed us that we had a VERY elderly participant in this race, one who had completed every Tucson Tri, and was turning 80 (!).... WOW! As she approached the finish line, we sang Happy Birthday, and she was presented with a cake! Such a spritely lady! I overhead some 20-something women saying...."Oh, my gosh! She's more than THREE times our age! And she did it!" Yes, she did! I certainly hope I'm completing these things at her age! What an accomplishment and motivator! I stuck around for the raffle and awards, and was the recipient of a free t-shirt and cap courtesy of Mrs. T's Pierogies! (Is this a sign that I need to compete in Mrs. T's this August?) See you at the races, and hope you enjoy your own races as well as I did this one! |
Get your own Free Home Page