My swim was awful. I had a plan, and as soon as I hit the water, it flew out the window and was replaced with a mild panic attack. Awesome. I was flailing around, all technique disappeared and I blew myself out, badly, by hyperventilating. While most people were putting in times of 11 - 12 minutes, it took me 15. Not insurmountable to finish respectably, especially with the bike, but not a good start.
I made up time on the bike, averaging about 21 miles an hr, which is decent. I could have pushed it harder, sure, but I am still so new to competition that I don't really have a good idea of how to pace myself throughout an entire race. I wanted to push, but I also didn't want to be completely wasted by the time I started the run that I sabotaged myself either. It was probably the swim that made me nervous. I exited the water drained, breathing heavy, and not feeling well.
My run portion was decent, though. I averaged a 7:15 mile, slower than the 6:30 pace I did for the 5k I ran in May, but I had wicked cramps this time as I started. I didn't take a lot of water during the bike ride, but I had swallowed some water during the swim. When I started the run, I ate a few shot bloks. And then, ugh......For the entire run I did not feel well at all, but I powered through, thinking and reminding myself that 3 miles isn't very long and it would be over soon.
I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:09:39, 63rd overall, 54th for men, and 9th for my division (M 35-39). My transitions were very good for a 1st timer, less than 2 minutes from swim to bike, and about 45 seconds from bike to run. Overall, I was pretty happy with my times, but I know I can do better next time. And yes, there definitely will be a next time.
You're not 35 to 39. Do you mean 25 to 39?
ReplyDeleteThey take the age you are going to be at the end of year, and do 5 year increments. So, yeah, 35-39
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