Tuesday, June 10, 2008

well that couldda gone better

Well, my first tri of the year was pretty much a train wreck. It started off with an 18 minute half mile swim. Ouch. That used to take less than 14 minutes.

I followed that up by spending the first half mile of the bike trying to fasten my left shoe. I leave my shoes on the pedals in transition, then velcro them as I ride. It wasn't a problem at the Gear West Du since I was wearing gloves. However, the 58 degree water made my hand too cold to grip the strap. Local rockstar & Kona veteran Anthony told me after the race that putting bike shoes on in transition works best for him. I've seen more than one guy slip & fall while running through T1 in a smooth soled tri shoe. But, if it Works for Anthony, I'll give it a shot. The transition area at my next race (Lake Minnetonka) is grass, so traction should be OK.

So, after 17 miles of biking with my shoe strap flapping in the breeze, I arrived in T2 and hit the run. I wasn't motivated to go very fast since I knew how far behind I was. That lead me to a revelation; no more watch wearing while racing. If I think I'm still a contender, I'll be more likely to hammer on the bike & run.

As my swim wave headed in to the starting corral I saw an above the elbow amputee. I looked for him after the race, but couldn't track him down. I gotta find that cat & see what transition tips he has!

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