Concrete Man thoughts

I finished this race yesterday. It was my first open water swim triathlon. There was a simultaneous Olympic distance race going as well. The swim portion was a triangle and began in heats. I went in the last heat. I had a terrible time initially getting any rhythm going. I was even dog-paddling for a few seconds because the shear number of people in the vicinity made free-style swimming too difficult. My time was poor, but I met my goal of doing free-style for the entirety. I didn't have to resort to resting backstroke or side-stroke after I got away from the crowd. My plan was to swim outside the crowd, but I found that moving inside was better. I did get bumped and crowded a few times. I even had to hip-check one swimmer. I finished feeling good. The bike was uneventful as these things go. Me and a couple of other riders kept trading positions for the first half of the course. I finally left one of these guys behind and thought I had left the other one behind as well. He showed back up within the last three miles or so and stayed ahead of me slightly into the transition area. I passed him during the run and didn't have to worry with him the rest of the way. The run could have been slightly better, but with the heat and the general uphill of the first mile, I'm okay with my time. I finished 53 out of 117. I'm considering the Olympic distance for next year, although the thought of doing that swim loop three times sounds a little intimidating right now. I have to remind myself of something that my friend Mike tells me when the subject of swimming comes up; this time last year I was struggling to finish 100 yards. One more race for sure this year, with perhaps another if I feel especially good about it. Back to training tomorrow.

One word about some of the better athletes that participate in these events. Some of these people are animals. I can't believe how fast they are able to swim bike and run. Getting lapped by the first wave wasn't really demoralizing as they started ten minutes before, but some of them moved past so fast I felt like I was treading water. Then on the bike, I was moving along at a decent 20-21 mph and I heard this WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH. Then I get passed by someone on a high tech time trial bike with aerodynamic wheels. The next thing I know, he's at the top of the next hill and gone. I find it all pretty amazing. I wish I had started this sport much earlier in my life.

Concrete Man Results