SBR Triathlon Series: Race #1
0.5 mi swim, 16.0 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
It was nice to get back at it...though I was pretty nervous pulling into the parking lot and seeing all of the tri-bikes. There were so many people that looked so much more serious than me. And those were just the people in the parking lot...doesn't count those that decided that the race wasn't enough and actually rode their bikes to the park!
The overall course was fairly difficult. The bike course started with a slow incline that gradually led to an awesome 2-3 mile twisty, downhill that ultimately would be my favorite part of the course. I started out pretty hesitant on the downhill, afraid to get too fast for fear of flying off the front again. Once I got my nerves under control I let as loose as I could as was hitting 30-35 around the twists and turns...I forgot how great that feels. I was a little nervous about the amount of wobble in my front tire though...something I'll need to get checked out soon.
The run course was a mile and a half out and back trail run which was nice as well. It was wooded and the trails were maintained fairly well. I enjoyed being in the shade of the woods, which definitely kept things cool. And the trail definitely made my knees a little happier than the pavement would've.
I was disappointed that I didn't get a t-shirt (though I did get a bag that I'll probably never use) and feel the $80 entry fee was a little high with lack of any entertainment or anything to keep folks around after the race. The after race refreshments were pretty standard...bagels, bananas, and energy bars...with nothing special to talk about. In the end I'm glad that I did it and I met my goal of finishing under 2 hours (barely, but it still counts).
I'm starting to see why people say that these things are so addictive...I'm already looking at bumping the scheduled 3 races to 6...maybe more, hopefully with an Olympic at the end of the summer. And I even think that I'm going to fit in a 4 mile run on July 4th. The next couple tris that I am doing are a bit shorter, so I'm trying to decide what my goals will be for them.
