Worth a thousand words

The pro photos from the tri were posted yesterday. Here are a couple (Watermarks and all. Because I'm classy like that.)

No one looks good in a swimming cap. Right? It's not just me?

Yay bike!

Running ...

... and finished!

So one thing sticks out about these photos. How happy I look!

I mean, compared to, say ... this one:

Oakland Half Marathon ... you'd never know I was having a great race.

Granted, a sprint triathlon is easier than a half marathon. But still. I'm never grinning like that in running race photos. Interesting ...

Pleasanton Tri-for-Fun #2 Race Report

OK, I'm hooked. My first triathlon was everything I hoped it would be and then some!

The race started at 7 a.m., and it was held about 35 minutes from my place. Coach Bruce had told us he normally arrives at 5 a.m. for this race. Unfortunately, thanks to a flight delay for J, I didn't get to bed till around midnight the night before, so the earliest I could convince myself to get up was about 4:40 a.m. I ate my peanut butter toast, grabbed my pre-packed bag, dragged J out of bed so he could pop my bike on the rack (Yes, I can do it myself. Just didn't wanna), and headed out. I got there at about a quarter to 6, and found most of my teammates already there. I racked my bike with theirs (they'd saved spots for me and a couple others who hadn't arrived yet), got my bib and body markings (can I just say how excited I was about those? I know, I'm a dork), got a crappy $1 cup of coffee, and peed about 15 times. And then it was time to go!

Swim - 400 yards
I swam a few strokes off to the side while the wave before me was starting, and I was so glad I did--just getting in the water, getting used to the temperature, etc., made me feel so much better. The start was not nearly as bad as I'd feared. Our wave (there was a group of about 10 of us who trained together, two of whom were girls in my wave) was fairly small. I honestly don't know how many people, but maybe 30-40? There was definitely some turbulence in the water, and I did feel fingers on my toes a couple of times (the advice I'd been given, which worked, was just to kick as hard as you can if that happens--they'll move!), but I didn't get punched in the head or kicked in the stomach or anything!

Overall, the swim felt fine. No major panicking--lots of adrenaline and it all happened fast. Well, pretty fast. There were a few moments mid-way when it felt like it was taking forever! Really, though, I was out of the water in under 9 minutes, which isn't fast, but I was just afraid of it taking me something like 15 minutes, so I was happy!

T1
I felt like the transition went pretty smoothly--no major problems. Not sure how fast I was (this was not a competitive race--they keep a timeclock at the end, but don't time your splits or anything), but I didn't forget anything important.

Bike - 11 miles
Loved it! Sooo much fun. The course started with a hill, and I just barely remembered before the race to put my bike in an easier gear--so glad I did! I was breathing pretty hard for the first mile or so, still recovering from the swim, but settled in pretty well and felt great. Pushed hard enough to feel the burn the whole time, and passed lots of people who'd killed me on the swim! Averaged a 17.3 mph speed, which I was super happy with.

Also, the bike wasn't *actually* 11 miles. It was more like 9.5. Oh well!

T2
My head was feeling pretty fuzzy by now. So what should have been a super-easy transition (I don't have bike shoes, so I biked in my running shoes--no clothing to change) was a little iffy. I managed to leave my Garmin on my bike, and only just remembered to take my helmet off!

Run - 3 miles
What can I say--it was a run. I kept an ok pace. Probably 90 seconds/mile slower than I would normally run a 5k,but it was also a hilly course, so that made a difference too. My legs felt pretty weird for the first bit, but I'd done a few bricks in training, so I knew to expect that. One really fun thing about this part of the course was that it had a few laps, so I got to see almost all of my teammates at one point or another--some more than once. It definitely gave me a little extra burst of energy to cheer my friends on!

Me, just before the finish, and the guy I'd just passed!

And then I was done! Final time was about 1:13:20 (no official records, and like I said, I left my Garmin on my bike.) The third triathlon in this series, identical to this one, is in August, and I think I'm going to do that one too. I'd love to do it in around 1:10!

I really loved this race. I just felt so happy all the way through--a feeling I can't say I always have in running races. Coach Lindsay says it helps that it was a sprint. She's probably right. But still, I think I like this triathlon thing! Can't wait to do another!

Me and my awesome triathlon buddies!