English or Spanish, I've TRIed it, and I like it. A lot.
This morning was the first "Tri" IT IN Spanish Triathlon (henceforth referred to as simply "the race"), held in the blissfully vacant town of Zorn. Most folk are not familiar with the blip on the radar northeast of New Braunfels, but it's just up the road from another hiccup, Freiheit, so I went into the race feeling really confident: I could at least make it to the start.
Held at a private ski lake (sans skiers for the race), the venue was near-perfect. The race was not without its issues, but they were minor. Here's the run-down:
400m Swim | 8:13
A time trial start, we had to dive in from a dock and start swimming. Way cool idea, except my goggles fogged up as soon as I surfaced. The next 10 seconds or so were spent flailing about as I attempted to defog them. I can only imagine how stupid I looked to the viewers from shore. Once de-fogged, though, I was good to go. Really good.
25k Bike | 41:23
Navigating the private drive out of the ski ranch was problematic at best. The drive was less-than-idyllic: pot holes were everywhere -- which wasn't such a big deal on the way out, but would be on the return trip. My other issue was getting my right foot clipped in properly -- it slipped out twice when I tried to adjust the strap on my shoe. However, once clipped in and out of the drive, this became my race...well, almost.
I think I was somewhere around 14th or 15th out of the water, and it didn't take me long to begin picking off cyclists, one by one. M--- was kind enough to loan a pair of Zipp 808 race wheels (see previous posts), which made traversing the rolling hills of FM 1101 feel almost effortless. By the time I had hit the turn-around, I had fewer than four cyclists left in front of me (well, five, but I think that guy was drafting...he shouted something to me as I blew past him for the second time in less than a quarter of a mile, but I paid no mind). Two miles left, and I was sitting pretty in third.
5k Run | 22:36
Bleck: A trail run.
I was promptly passed right out of T2 by the guy who would ultimately take third overall in the race (I took 6th OA), but I did manage to keep him in sight the whole run. The shade was nice, but the unpredictable path had me rolling my feet on more than one occasion. Still, I managed to keep from falling or otherwise injuring myself, and I crossed the line just under one and a quarter hours, planting me first in my age group -- a first in itself.
Training: It's not just for the pros
Yes, I've actually been training. Not as much as I should have been, but school's been out for only a week. Hopefully, my results from this morning are a nice harbinger for BSLT and/or Longhorn. Stay tuned, and I'll keep you posted on how things progress. For now, it's bedtime, as N--- has HOT #2 in the morning, and it will be my turn to play support person for her. I've some big shoes to fill, though, as better support at my races couldn't be bought. Thanks, luv.
And thank you, dear reader, for reading.
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