Race Recap: Big Rock Olympic (10/16/10)

As a relative newcomer to triathlons, this is my first Olympic distance triathlon.  I picked this race because it is pretty close to home, and the entry numbers are small.  While the larger races have a better crowd energy, I'd prefer to do small races while I'm still learning.  I took my daughters with me to register the day before the race

The 1,500 Meter Swim (25:45, or 1:43/100m)

Lake Perris

Look back, I'm a little surprised about this time, it's actually a bit faster than I expected.  Considering it is October, the water was warm, probably low 70's.  Other than that, not much else to report about the swim, pretty non-eventful, which is a good thing.

T1 (6:05)
Yes, that's a very long transition.  It's a hike up from the water, but my biggest problem was getting my wetsuit off.  I had trouble getting it over my ankles, and actually cramped up in my calves.  I made the decision to put on some calf sleeves from my transition bag, hoping it would keep the cramps away.  I took a quick bite of banana, and a drink of G2, and I was off.

The 40k Bike (1:06.09, 19.58 mph)
The bike course is two loops with one hill not too far out of transition, and the second hill, the steepest, just as you return to the park.  Most of the course is open to vehicle traffic, but all the intersections are patrolled by police officers.

T2 (1:04) 
Now that's how it's supposed to be.  Rack the bike, change shoes, grab visor and race belt and get going.

The 10k Run (51:53, 8:20/mile pace)
I've had tight calves while running lately, but thankfully no cramps caused me to stop running.  I'm not the fastest runner as it is, so stopping for cramps would have really been discouraging.  I don't have a Garmin, yet, so I don't have an idea about how my splits went.  I felt like I ended strong, and the middle 2 miles were likely my slowest.

As I came toward the finish, I had my daughters and some family there to cheer me on.  That's a great boost when you're feeling pretty tired.  I know it may be kind of corny, but I grabbed my daughters, and they ran down the finisher's shoot with me.  I'm trying to set a good example for them and show them what it feels like to work hard and earn big accomplishments in life.  Maybe someday they'll run the finish of an Ironman race with me.

Overall (2:40.58)
This put me 6th out of 15 in the 35-39 AG.  Not bad, but still 17 minutes off of a podium spot.  I'd like to make that happen someday, but I know I have a lot of learning and training to do first.