First race

With an early season race planned, the goal set shouldn't be a win or a top 10.  It should allow you to see how your base training, initial speed training, and technique training has paid off.

Using the 2 programs I've posted here, I'm very happy with how Sunday went.  Sure I would loved to have knocked out a 1st place win, but 3rd is still on the podium.  Also, it being a reverse tri (run, bike, swim) the body wasn't exactly ready.  The weather at the start was 38 F and rainy.

At the gun, I was off and pacing with the eventual winner, Sean Walsh.  We ran 3rd and 4th for the 1.5 mile course.  The run leader, Josh Pickens, who took second overall, was a good 30 seconds in front of us.  By T1, Sean and I were still close.  I made it into T1 5 seconds after Sean, with Josh already moving out onto the bike.  I got out of T1 fast and onto the bike before Sean.  a quarter mile into the bike and I was having serious issues getting into my shoes and just getting my arms/fingers to work with the cold.  Sean passed me at that moment, I was able to get into the shoes and start a rhythm.  The bike course is a 4 mile loop shaped like a cross.  This meant a lot of hammer in between 180 degree turns.  I managed to stay on Sean and we bridged up to Josh.  In the last 300 meters, Josh was quickly into T2 with Sean and I coming into the dismount line at the same time.  A poor selection on my part for racking had me running my bike to the exit side of T2.  I was able to strip down as fast as I could minus the long sleeve skin shirt.  I was able to get that off right before entering the pool.  The swim can be summarized for me as pure survival. It's probably my strongest discipline and I could not for the life of me get my arms to move after the cold of the race.  I managed to finish and hold onto my 3rd place position.

That race is complete and lessons were learned.  Looking forward to the East Coast Super Sprint in May.  Weather be damned for that one!