I've missed posting a race report for my last couple of races. To bring everyone up to speed, I completed the Beach Blast Olympic Distance Triathlon in Mexico Beach and had a great time. I also did the Montgomery Half Marathon and set a PR of 2:04. This afternoon, I'm relaxing at the Seascape Condo in Destin and have no reason not to post a race report.
The day started early. Transition opened at 5 am so I got to the transition area around 5:30 to ensure a good place on the bike rack. Lesson Learned: Bring a headlamp. The other tri's I've done were either well lit or the sun was already coming up. Fumbling around in the dark to set up everything is no fun. Also, when in doubt, bring a light jacket. It didn't seem that cool when I walked out on the balcony this morning but that's because I couldn't feel the wind. It was definitely a bit brisk.
7:00 Start time. I was in the second wave to go out. The water was relatively calm but there was a definite current. I could be wrong but I could swear (and everyone I talked to said this too) the swim was longer than 400 yds. My stroke was off and I just couldn't settle into a good rhythm. Once or twice, a couple of the Clydesdales attempted to drown me by swimming over the top of me. I didn't freak. I just kept on swimming. On a happy note, NO jellyfish!
T1. I'm never as quick in my transitions as I'd like but this one went smoothly. Rinsed feet with my water bottle to get the sand off. Lesson Learned: Bring a small plastic tub for water to rinse feet. I saw a lot of people with them and thought "what a great idea".
Bike: I would like to personally thank every "fat tire" riders because you have no idea how much of a boost I get by passing someone on the bike. I don't mean that as a joke. Major props to those guys and gals. The bike course was great. Flat and fun. I purposely didn't wear my Garmin today on the recommendation of my good friend, Walter, to just go out and have fun and not worry so much about my time. So I have no idea what my avg mph was and they didn't have the breakout of it posted at the end. I am definitely not the strongest on the bike but I enjoy riding and that's how I took this portion of the race.
T2. Racked bike. Bike shoes off, running shoes on (sans socks) and was a little worried about the amount of sand on my feet. It didn't give me a problem during the run.
Run: By far, my strongest portion of a triathlon. No idea on pace or time for the 5k run but it didn't take too long for my legs to loosen up and I felt pretty good. Nice out and back course with a turn at the end that took me up a couple of hills I never saw coming.
Finishing time: 1:21. A PR for a sprint triathlon. Way better than my 1:50 time at Oak Mountain.
Post race party was great. There was a sandwich truck there making three kinds of paninis. YUM! Lots of awards were given out and there were a lot of winners from Montgomery. Montgomery had a large showing for this race. I'm definitely glad I decided to come down and do it and I'm already planning to do it again next year.
