ADPiathalon

I had my first triathlon of the season this past weekend. The race was held on the MTSU campus and was hosted by the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. I chose this race over the Trideltathon that I did last year in Knoxville because of its close proximity to Nashville. My primary goal for this race was to practice going through the transition areas on a much smaller scale to better prepare myself for the half ironman this coming weekend. The swim distance was 300 meters, snaking down 12 lanes with 5 second interval start times. There was a 50 yard run from the pool to transition area 1 where the bikes were set up. The bike distance was 10.32 miles and was really flat. The run was a little longer than a 5k at 3.14 miles (think alpha delta PI!)Just like the bike, the run was really flat and fast.

I started the swim 1:10 after the first person jumped in the water. Last year I did a pool sprint during the Trideltathon and I started in the middle of the pack. I learned my lesson from last year and started closer to the front. This helped out considerably. I didn't have too many issues with people getting backed up on the walls trying to duck under the lanes. My time was 5:07 for 300 meters. My pace was 1:42 per 100. It's definitely not where I want to be but it is a huge improvement over last year. Almost one year ago from this race, I averaged 2:15 per 100 in a 400 meter race.







Running into T1 went really smooth. My transition time was pretty fast given where my bike position was on the rack. I especially wanted to do well on the bike. The course was pretty flat and I wanted to prove to myself that I could average over 20mph on the bike. I averaged 23.38 mph for the 10.32 mile ride. The first 5 miles out were a little slow. There was definitely a head wind and some false flats that snuck up on me. The 5 miles back to campus were fast. I kept a blistering pace where I really didn't fall beneath 26 or 27 mph. If this course was stretched out longer, I think I could maintain 22 mph over a 56 mile course. I didn't feel like I put 100% into the bike but I think leaving a little on the bike set me up for a good run.







The bike racks in the transition area were built about a foot too tall. That meant your bike hung off the ground and it made the rack unstable. I ran in full speed to T2 and tossed the bike on the rack. The force made the rack tip over and I caught it just before it crashed to the ground. I probably wasted about 15 seconds trying to get the rack back together.



The run course didn't have mile markers so I had trouble gauging how fast I was running. I haven't done any training for a race that required me to sprint after I finished biking so I had trouble judging my speed. I decided to keep my pace fast but not so fast that I might get injured or affect my fitness level. In all seriousness, I was a little worried about that part. My "A" priority race is Lonestar 70.3, not a short sprint triathlon. I caught a few people on the run and maintained a good pace for the 3.14 miles. I averaged 6:08 minutes per mile which allowed me to finish 1st in my age group and 4th overall.




I have really improved a lot since last year. I need to keep reminding myself that I've only been doing this sport for a year. I've started from scratch in both the swim and the bike and I continue to increase my speed and endurance. Right now I feel pretty confident in my ability to perform this coming weekend at Lonestar Ironman 70.3