First place, Men 25-29, Lake Minnetonka Triathlon. Ahh, sweet redemption.
The swim was better than last time by about 2 minutes. I didn't go as far off course as last time, and the water was quite a bit warmer. I didn't wear a watch this race, which was the best idea I've had in a while. Mentally, I felt like I had a chance at placing. I wouldn't have been so optimistic if I knew I had a 15:40-something swim.
T-1 was a little slow, I fumbled with my sunglasses a bit. I put my bike shoes on in transition this time around. It worked well, but I should have practiced running in bikes shoes. The Look cleats were a bit wobbly. I might try Speedplay pedals next time.
Bike was OK. The wind picked up on the second half of the out & back course which slowed me down a bit. My new aero bar brake lever was a huge asset. It came in handy on a few sweeping corners when I had to scrub just a little speed. Hydration went well.
T-2 would have been awesome, but I had trouble getting a shoe on. I can't grip the tongue tight enough to really whip the shoe on, so I end up smooshing the tongue down in to the toe box. Now I have an excuse to get some of those fancy one-piece Zoot tri shoes. Solid.
I wasn't too thrilled with my 18:33 run. I think I could have gone low 18 or high 17. But, it really doesn't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.
The Lake Minnetonka tri is really a fantastic event. It's the most beginner-friendly race I've ever done. The race director gives out ridiculously huge trophies to the top 5 overall, and fairly huge trophies to the age group winners. I was carrying mine left-handed on the walk back to the car, and had to to stop & rest several times so I wouldn't drop it.
If, after a race, your only complaint is that the trophy you just won is too heavy... life is pretty sweet.
