CWW Mini Tri - Saturday May 17, 2008
May 17th... that day seemed so far off in the distance when I attended the first CWW Triathlon Team meeting back in January.
Amazingly enough this Saturday has magically come and gone... and this was my experience:
I set my alarm for 4:00am... slightly earlier than I wanted to wake. I had just sold my eight year old Raleigh R-600 to an interested tall, young triathlete. I drove away wondering what I would ride in the "Mini-Tri"that was less than 12 hours away... yet I knew within my heart that selling
my current bike was the next best step in my Triathlon Cycling adventures.
I borrowed a bike from my Tri Coach Ellen... a bike she use to race "back in the day"... the Shamano R600 gearing was an upgrade from the Shamano 105's that I use to ride. I
pumped the tires realizing that this bike would be my saving grace in the nearing Mini Tri that was now less than eight hours away.
I laid out my gear with the confidence of an experienced triathlete... using my mind's pre-race check list instead of a paper one. Polar Heart Rate Monitor, both watch and strap... sports bra, new CWW uni-body Tri Suit. Swim goggles, running shoes and my trusty white cap with it's gentle visor to shade my face from the sun.
I usually spend more time working out my race day nurition... but considering the distances of this "Super Sprint" I did not go through my normal "bottle making" ritual.
I calculated my finishing times as follows:
Swim: 400 Meters Aprox 8 min
Bike: 6.6 Miles Aprox 30 min (13.1 MPH)
Run: 1.5 Miles Aprox 30 min (14 min Mile Pace)
I calculated my race time to be a little over one hour so I opted to eat a Protein bar the morning of the race and fuel after the race was complete.
I arrived at Wash Park at 4:30am... certainly one of the first to arrive. I wanted to allow for plenty of time to find a parking space and the "Check In" counter.
May 17th... that day seemed so far off in the distance when I attended the first CWW Triathlon Team meeting back in January.
Amazingly enough this Saturday has magically come and gone... and this was my experience:
I set my alarm for 4:00am... slightly earlier than I wanted to wake. I had just sold my eight year old Raleigh R-600 to an interested tall, young triathlete. I drove away wondering what I would ride in the "Mini-Tri"that was less than 12 hours away... yet I knew within my heart that selling
my current bike was the next best step in my Triathlon Cycling adventures.I borrowed a bike from my Tri Coach Ellen... a bike she use to race "back in the day"... the Shamano R600 gearing was an upgrade from the Shamano 105's that I use to ride. I
pumped the tires realizing that this bike would be my saving grace in the nearing Mini Tri that was now less than eight hours away.I laid out my gear with the confidence of an experienced triathlete... using my mind's pre-race check list instead of a paper one. Polar Heart Rate Monitor, both watch and strap... sports bra, new CWW uni-body Tri Suit. Swim goggles, running shoes and my trusty white cap with it's gentle visor to shade my face from the sun.
I usually spend more time working out my race day nurition... but considering the distances of this "Super Sprint" I did not go through my normal "bottle making" ritual.
I calculated my finishing times as follows:
Swim: 400 Meters Aprox 8 min
Bike: 6.6 Miles Aprox 30 min (13.1 MPH)
Run: 1.5 Miles Aprox 30 min (14 min Mile Pace)
I calculated my race time to be a little over one hour so I opted to eat a Protein bar the morning of the race and fuel after the race was complete.
I arrived at Wash Park at 4:30am... certainly one of the first to arrive. I wanted to allow for plenty of time to find a parking space and the "Check In" counter.
I was greeted with friendly, cheery volunteers who marked my name as present and gave me my race number for the day.
I was then shuffled off to be "Body Marked"... exposing my arm and leg to the cold morning air just long enough to be traced by the thick tipped magic marker. -- Off to the Transition area to set up.
The grass was wet with dew, so I didn't want to lay my dry towel on the ground. I balanced it on the back of my bike. I reluctantly removed my warm shoes and walked barefoot through the cold, wet grass to the swim start.
While the mini tri was well attended, it failed to simulate the "Sea of Bikes" that often exists on a real "Race Day". I didn't have to practice locating my bike from the Swim Finish as well as scoping out the "Bike Start/Finish". It was refreshing to just practice setting up my transition area and preparing myself to combine sports again as I have been training single sport since the beginning of the year.
Wave #2 had beautiful Yellow Swim Caps neatly imprinted with the CWW Logo on the side. We
would be swimming in a lap pool instead of open water, and we would swim "two to a lane" for the length of 400M or 10 minutes, which ever came first.
The first wave of swimmers were coming out and we aligned by our lane counter who would signal us when we were on our last lap. The water was warm, which was nice to enter after standing in the chilly morning air.
I had goals of swimming two-minute hundred splits for my 400M... but to my surprise my splits were closer to 2:07:00... I know I've held a sub-two split during my practice swims, so I was left wondering what had added to my time that morning.
Off to T1 (The first (Swim to Bike) transition of a Triathlon)
I ran to my bike simulating a hurried pace... volunteers and coaches were clapping and cheering us on. I put on my running shoes because the bike I would be riding had "Look" clips which were different than the SPD's on my cycling shoes. I knew I only had to make six miles, so I thought it was ok to ride with my feet on top of the clips instead of clipping in.
I headed out for two laps around the outter edge of Wash Park. Round and Round my legs went. It took me a while to get use to the aero handle bars and the gearing... but after awhile, I felt comfortable and shifted with ease and grace.
My goal was to "not be caught" by anyone from Wave #2. I'm not sure if I met my goal or not, but I felt good and reasonably fast riding that cool morning.
Bike leg over, off to T2 (The Bike to Run transition)
I was then shuffled off to be "Body Marked"... exposing my arm and leg to the cold morning air just long enough to be traced by the thick tipped magic marker. -- Off to the Transition area to set up.
The grass was wet with dew, so I didn't want to lay my dry towel on the ground. I balanced it on the back of my bike. I reluctantly removed my warm shoes and walked barefoot through the cold, wet grass to the swim start.
While the mini tri was well attended, it failed to simulate the "Sea of Bikes" that often exists on a real "Race Day". I didn't have to practice locating my bike from the Swim Finish as well as scoping out the "Bike Start/Finish". It was refreshing to just practice setting up my transition area and preparing myself to combine sports again as I have been training single sport since the beginning of the year.
Wave #2 had beautiful Yellow Swim Caps neatly imprinted with the CWW Logo on the side. We
would be swimming in a lap pool instead of open water, and we would swim "two to a lane" for the length of 400M or 10 minutes, which ever came first.The first wave of swimmers were coming out and we aligned by our lane counter who would signal us when we were on our last lap. The water was warm, which was nice to enter after standing in the chilly morning air.
I had goals of swimming two-minute hundred splits for my 400M... but to my surprise my splits were closer to 2:07:00... I know I've held a sub-two split during my practice swims, so I was left wondering what had added to my time that morning.
Off to T1 (The first (Swim to Bike) transition of a Triathlon)
I ran to my bike simulating a hurried pace... volunteers and coaches were clapping and cheering us on. I put on my running shoes because the bike I would be riding had "Look" clips which were different than the SPD's on my cycling shoes. I knew I only had to make six miles, so I thought it was ok to ride with my feet on top of the clips instead of clipping in.
I headed out for two laps around the outter edge of Wash Park. Round and Round my legs went. It took me a while to get use to the aero handle bars and the gearing... but after awhile, I felt comfortable and shifted with ease and grace.
My goal was to "not be caught" by anyone from Wave #2. I'm not sure if I met my goal or not, but I felt good and reasonably fast riding that cool morning.
Bike leg over, off to T2 (The Bike to Run transition)
My T2 was faster than usually because my running shoes were already on. I put on a second shirt that I had pinned my race number to, and off I went.
Now when I run, my legs usually don't move very fast... and my gate never seems to be very wide... but my goal for the run leg was to "Run". So I trotted along... one foot after the other... we had to do three laps around the lake. There was water at the half way mark of the loop where two pleasant volunteers served those of us that were runners.
Round and round I went... one foot after the other. There were times when I felt like I wasn't moving at all...
Now when I run, my legs usually don't move very fast... and my gate never seems to be very wide... but my goal for the run leg was to "Run". So I trotted along... one foot after the other... we had to do three laps around the lake. There was water at the half way mark of the loop where two pleasant volunteers served those of us that were runners.
Round and round I went... one foot after the other. There were times when I felt like I wasn't moving at all...
...but eventually I made it around the lake for my third loop and headed down the finishers shoot! CWW had a pink ribon as our target... so I did the "Vanity Sprint" toward the ribon... feeling like an "Ironman Finisher" as the ribon fell against my body!
I was also given a finshers trophy! It read, "I did it!" A tiny tear formed in my eye as I thought about the sense of accomplishment that I often experience by participating in and training for Triathlon's. There's so much more involved than a simple "Swim, Bike and Run". I find that my self confidence and over all self esteem is tied to my performance and careful execution of the goals I set for my tri training. I also notice my committment and desire to improve is lifted as I participate and connect with others who also enjoy share in this lifestyle.
I conclude this race report in gratitude for all of those who participate in this lifestyle and sport... and for all who coach athletes like myself... who believe in us until we can believe in ourselves.
I was also given a finshers trophy! It read, "I did it!" A tiny tear formed in my eye as I thought about the sense of accomplishment that I often experience by participating in and training for Triathlon's. There's so much more involved than a simple "Swim, Bike and Run". I find that my self confidence and over all self esteem is tied to my performance and careful execution of the goals I set for my tri training. I also notice my committment and desire to improve is lifted as I participate and connect with others who also enjoy share in this lifestyle.
I conclude this race report in gratitude for all of those who participate in this lifestyle and sport... and for all who coach athletes like myself... who believe in us until we can believe in ourselves.
Thank you for your inspiration and motivation... I am grateful to your contribution to my life!
~~ Carla Lynn 5/17/2008 - CWW Mini Tri
~~ Carla Lynn 5/17/2008 - CWW Mini Tri
Swim: 8:27.3
T1: 2:34.8
Bike: 17:55.6
T2: 1:00.0
Run: 26.29.5
Total: 56:27.2
