An early morning Sprint distance triathlon in Yorktown, Virginia appears to be my third and final triathlon of 2015. A swim of 750 meters, 12 mile bike, and 5k run were the distances for this event. I previously completed this event two years ago. I completed as a Clydesdale that year and competed in the 35-39 Age Group category this year.
The swim was the same length, but on a different course from my previous attempt. Previously, athletes swam out around a large orange cone and back; this year there were three right hand turns and one left hand turn to create a swim path in the shape of an 'L.' Knowing that I hadn't spent much time in the pool preparing for this race, I had no desire to work too hard and raise my heart rate during the swim. Calm waters in the James River enabled me to sight the turn cones well, minimizing my time spent off course. Within my age group I finished 5 of 13 swimmers.
The bike course was the same as I remembered it. Strait out and back on open roads. The volunteers kept traffic at bay for turns, but on strait aways the roads were open to traffic. I thought I was going faster than I did. The 12 mile ride time was a 41:18, which was good for 8 of 13 cyclists. Normally I'm closer to the mid point of racers, this is likely indicative of the lack of training on the bike this year.
The run was also the same course as before. Having put some time into running at lunch during work, I was looking forward to this split. I did improve from my previous 5k times this year, ultimately crossing the finish line at 27:52. Previous times this year included 30:17 at the Smithfield Sprint and 29:30 at the Tidewater Triathlon. What I truly value is that I was able to see improvement after about a month of moderate running activity. One day, when I have tons of time and energy, I hope my body still responds to exercise with similar results.
Unless I find a triathlon in Sep/Oct, this is likely my last event of 2015. Things to build on for next year:
1) While at a challenging job I still found time to participate in three triathlons (that seems like just the right amount to me). My family gave me the time and I found the time, that's good.
2) My body still responds positively to training. Though I didn't train much this year, the little I did for running prior to the Patriot's Sprint Tri showed results.
3) I'm still heavier than I desire. Volume control, sugars, and snacks are my downfall. That needs improvement.
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