Take 3.
For the 3rd year in a row, we hosted the Mayor's Tri. This is a popular event for many triathletes in the area and also is a good event for many 1st timers. In 2013, this event was my 1st Tri ever.
The event continues to grow and we continue to refine our processes to improve the event.
As mentioned in recent posts, my diet and training has been much better of late. As a result, I was eager to race today, as I wanted to see how I would respond to the healthier behaviors.
My training had been slightly derailed over the past 2 weeks due to travel. While my running remained consistent, my swimming had decreased drastically, and, I had not been on the bike in 2 weeks.
We returned from vacation yesterday evening, and I prepped my gear for the race. I fought insomnia again last night (likely due to diet late in the vacation). I woke up at 1, 1:40, and 3. At 3, I was up for good.
I arrived to the race site a little after 5 and connected with several people I knew. JT and Urqhuart came down from OKC for this one. It would be Paul's 1st Tri. DTY was well represented, as Miraim, Chris and I all raced. Additionally, Jacqueline and Melody raced.
I learned from my last tri and changed my swim time to move me up in line. I hit the water and took off. This was my best pool Tri swim yet, as I encountered no traffic. 7:09. Slower than I hoped, but, steady. And, 30 seconds faster than last year.
Uneventful transition, then onto the bike. I wanted to really crank hard on the bike. As I watched my Garmin, I noticed that many of my bike splits were north of 20 mph. The only tough spot was the slow steady rise on Forest Park. Other than that, fast. 43:22 on the bike. A little north of 18 mph. And, almost 4 minutes faster than last year.
Another uneventful transition, and off to the run. I felt good as I headed out, and my 1st mile was under 9 minutes. I continued to pace fairly well through the turnaround, and to the bottom of jailhouse hill. I ran half way up the hill and walked the rest. At the top of the hill, I committed to running hard the rest of the way. I ran hard to Burnett Street, and, picked it up again to finish strong. 27:57, or, 9:16 per mile. Almost 2 minutes faster than last year.
Over all, 1:23:05. Almost 6 minutes faster than last year, and, improved in all areas.
2013: 1:31:26
2014: 1:28:50
2015: 1:23:05
It felt great to race today. I'm looking forward to keeping up the training and racing again soon. I'll run a half next weekend, and, likely, do my next Tri in 2 weeks.
stud
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