Breezy Point Triathlon 6.3.12
A beautiful race at the Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia. As always the men and women in the armed forces were graceful and supportive as we disturbed their time to relax on Sunday morning. Living in this part of the country with the high military population has continued to increase my pride and respect of the lives they lead. Maybe it's the testosterone in me but I can't help but feel a sense of jealousy at their commitment to a greater purpose and a great country. Thank you to all those who have served and are serving!
On to the race...
The Swim
The water was surprisingly warm feeling at 76 degrees in the sheltered bay this morning but the 60 degree temperature and medium winds made it quite cold when exiting the water. The swim was a triangular 750 meter course that swam directly into the current to start, followed by a sideways path, and finishing with a back and cross current which pushed everyone around me well wide of the buoys towards the finish.
As for my swim, it was a nightmare. After the normal kicking and bumping of the first 100 meters I popped my head out to spot the path ahead... just in time to meet what in my mind was a tidal wave but most likely was no more that a 1-2 foot little swell. Either way, my mouth was open and the intake of salt water would lead to a race of vomiting. I don't think I will ever be in love with salt water swims. As expected my swim was incredibly slow, I was shooting for 15 minutes and came in at 16:33. At that point I was a running behind, especially since I was only giving myself 3 minutes of total transition time.
The Bike
As I burped and jogged my way through the transition area I couldn't help but appreciate all the pretty triathlon bikes that fellow competitors had. It was a time to be envious. The bike started with spitting and coughing trying to get rid of my new stomach ache combined with attempting to hydrate.  |
| The Entry Point and the Exit |
As usual, once the legs hurt enough and the air wasn't entering too well, a nice stream of neon was exiting me in bursts. Luckily this is nothing new and I didn't hoped it would give me new life. Unfortunately, I'm not sure all those spin classes prepared me for the continuous effort to start the year. In the end it was a status quo effort, I passed 1 and was passed by 1. I finished middle of the pack with a 36:57 bike time. A solid 1:57 slow.
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| Transition Area |
I was happy to hit the transition area for a second time. Running is my strong event right? As anyone who has competed in a triathlon knows, your legs just don't feel good going into a run directly off a bike. Your quads are shot and the heavy gait takes a few minutes to normalize. I felt like I was barely moving for the first mile, and unfortunately I wasn't too off base. During the remaining miles I was able to track down another 3 competitors and move up the ranks a bit. I finished my slowest 5K of the year in 18:23 and in 10th place.
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| Starting the Run |
I met some really good people and multiple athletes during the race. The racing community always feels like home. Sadly, our home is about to change as this is our last week in Virginia. We are looking for jobs in Colorado. I will be finishing our experience in VA with another triathlon in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday before we hit the road. Hope you had a nice weekend and thanks for stopping by!
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