I've again been peer pressured into running a few races with the guys from work. This time we've signed up for a Sprint Triathlon in September and a Half-Marathon in October. We've been training for the Spring Tri at a co-workers neighborhood. We swim, then bike, then run through his neighborhood.
This Sprint Triathlon is in Gainesville off Lake Lanier and it's going to be my first and I'm very nervous. This race is a 0.25mi swim, 14mi bike, and 5K run. At first I thought it wouldn't be too bad until I did the first 0.25mi swim training. I thought I was a good swimmer, I've been in the ocean, I've swam in pools, etc. What I didn't realize was that type of swimming was extremely different than straight out swimming 0.25mi. My first several training sessions I was sucking wind only two laps into it. It's been about a month of training and now I can go the entire distance without resting at the walls of the pool. I know swimming in open water in Lake Lanier without walls to hold onto every 25meters. Hopefully I don't drown!
The bike section should be the easiest for me. I usually go riding about 2-3 times a week and I think this section is what I'm strongest in. The only part I'm nervous about at this section is the transition points, from swimming to biking and from biking to running.
The race is 9/18 and I'll post my times once I find out. Pray that I don't drown!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Results
I know it's been over a week since the race has finished but I haven't been able to sit down and work on the site since my last post.
Our two man team was able to finish within the 6 hour allotted time but we were only able to get 1 checkpoint during the whole race! The course was too big and the checkpoints were too far apart for a 6 hour race. The 12 and 24 hour racers had plenty of time to get the checkpoints they needed. For the 6 hour people, we set up our bikes about 7-8 miles away and from the starting line, run to the bikes. There were four checkpoints before the bikes that were off the main trail a good ways. The first checkpoint we decided to go after was CP-11 and after 2 hours of searching down old trails and bushwhacking through the woods, we just couldn't find it. As we were passing other teams they told us that they couldn't find it either. So we wasted all kinds of time at that checkpoint. Then we started to the next CP and by the time we got that one, it was 3 hours into the race. On our way to the third checkpoint we got lost in a maze of trails and after about 4.5 hours in the race, we ran out of water and decided to head back to the finish so we didn't go over time.
This race was good in that you really had to know your navigation skills, most trails weren't labeled so you had to use a compass and look at hill tops and valleys and match them with your map. I just wish it wasn't so hot and the checkpoints were closer together so it keeps the moral up. I'll definitely do one again just maybe not this one.
Our two man team was able to finish within the 6 hour allotted time but we were only able to get 1 checkpoint during the whole race! The course was too big and the checkpoints were too far apart for a 6 hour race. The 12 and 24 hour racers had plenty of time to get the checkpoints they needed. For the 6 hour people, we set up our bikes about 7-8 miles away and from the starting line, run to the bikes. There were four checkpoints before the bikes that were off the main trail a good ways. The first checkpoint we decided to go after was CP-11 and after 2 hours of searching down old trails and bushwhacking through the woods, we just couldn't find it. As we were passing other teams they told us that they couldn't find it either. So we wasted all kinds of time at that checkpoint. Then we started to the next CP and by the time we got that one, it was 3 hours into the race. On our way to the third checkpoint we got lost in a maze of trails and after about 4.5 hours in the race, we ran out of water and decided to head back to the finish so we didn't go over time.
This race was good in that you really had to know your navigation skills, most trails weren't labeled so you had to use a compass and look at hill tops and valleys and match them with your map. I just wish it wasn't so hot and the checkpoints were closer together so it keeps the moral up. I'll definitely do one again just maybe not this one.
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