My first tri... part II

I left off in my last post going to sleep before my first triathlon, Spudman. They say sleep is important for endurance athletes. I can tell you that I have never slept more than 3 hours the night before a race. I'm more of a believer that two nights before the race is when you really need to get the zzzs.

I didn't know what a tri suit or tri shorts were. I jumped in the water with my trusty Adidas Climacool running shorts. I was surrounded by full-body wetsuits and it was a bit intimidating. I was all nerves. The gun went off for the elite athletes and my jaw hit the floor watching them take off down the river. It was beautiful. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting and trying to stay warm my group was called to the starting line.

I was totally unprepared for the open water experience (even with the downstream current). I zig zaged across the river and was very well hydrated for the bike due to the fact that I sucked in at least a gallon of Snake River. It was (and still always is) such a relief to jump on that bike. The bike portion of the race has always been my strongest suit and it felt good to pass some of the people that had swam over me.

The course was full of rolling hills and I was pushing hard, throwing down about 20 miles per hour (that is fast for a marginal triathlete). This was my big rookie mistake. I emptied the tank on the bike and didn't have much left on the run. I never walked through the 10k but I definitely slowed to about a 10 minute mile in some spots. I sprinted to the finish line like I'd kept that pace all along. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It was so exhilarating.

Everyone was congratulating each other and sharing stories from the course. My wife and buddies all went to Dennys to celebrate and I pounded a big 'ol sausage breakfast. Divine!
Afterwards, my wife and I went back to the river and floated the river before heading home. It was such a great weekend.

So that is how I got hooked on triathlon. If you haven't done one, do it! You won't regret it.