Speedy Chubs: Triceratops Tri - The first official triathlon

Last Wednesday was the Triceratops Triathlon, sponsored by Running Fit. It's part of a three event series throughout the summer (each cleverly named after a dinosaur). I went into the event thinking of it as a training opportunity for the Steelhead half Ironman. I wanted to make sure that all my transitions were down pat and to get some experience at a real USAT sanctioned event. The TRex series, as they're known, are a little different in that they take place on Wednesday evenings. The weekend before I had biked 50 miles and then ran a bunch and I knew that the next weekend I'd be running 11 miles. So, I planned to take it very easy during this triathlon. In fact, my goal for swimming was to go as slowly as possible.

Getting to the race was a little challenging because it started at 6pm. This meant I had to pack everything the night before and then my wife picked me up from work and we went straight to Brighton (with a stop at Jimmy Johns for some pre-race fuel).

I finished the swim portion and felt great. I was out of breath but the lake was really nice for swimming (no seaweed!). The first transition went well, though I got a few odd looks. I was there to practice my half Ironman transitions so I had a ridiculous amount of gear and nutrition for a sprint triathlon. Never the less, I pushed on and got on the bike.

About a half mile into the bike ride I regained my breath from swimming and was feeling pretty up-beat. I was cruising along at the slow pace I had told myself I would follow. The first of a few small hills came along and many of the people in front of me (we have to ride single file with no drafting allowed) slowing way down. So, I started passing people. This involved speeding up a little. Soon I found myself passing a lot of people and not really slowing down between position changes. My planned 13.5mph stroll through a sprint triathlon turned into a true 20mph sprint. My commuting experience came in handy with the sharp turns and hairpin loop-backs. I was taking hard corner turns at 15mph or more while most others were slowing down nearly to a stop. And about half way through the bike ride it started to rain. Not too hard, but it was enough to be noticeable. Another bonus for the multi-weather commuter. I was feeling great, a little arrogant even.

The second transition flew by and again I put on more gear than necessary for a sprint triathlon (yes, that was me with a fuel belt). The run was a far more humbling experience than the bike portion. This race was put on by a running store, after all. I was chugging along at a very rapid (for me) pace of 10 minutes per mile while people were darting past me at 7 and 8 minutes per mile or quicker. The running course was nice and flat. It took me about a half mile to get a good rhythm going after my super sprint on the bike. Near the 3 mile mark I was cursing myself for not having gone slow through the whole event. I was nearing empty (I had just recently done the 50 mile bike and 5 mile run). I finished the race in 1 hour 37 minutes.