* From: Andrea
* Event Details
The parking was plentiful, right next to the transition area. I participated in the Olympic triathlon; the lake was calm & beautiful. They set up everything outside. I had registered & picked up my packet the night prior. I was one of the first that night, no lines, no problems.
They provided a nice workout shirt, coupons for stuff & a free brunch-access wristband. All this pleased me. I’ve received bars & things at previous events, but i always pack my food/drink so don’t “need” the food I’ve received in swag bags.
It was the smallest race I’ve attended, so there weren’t any sponsors or vendors set up.
They started a half hour late which was a bummer. I was enjoying my morning meditation & mind prep that morning & would’ve welcomed some more time to mentally prepare myself.
* Race Details
This was the most challenging race so far. I’ve done the super in so cal & that was tough, I’ll be doing the beast in killington & will be much better prepared for that thanks to this race.
The mile swim was calm & warm. I don’t do well with lakes & creatures so when the amazing athletes I swam with darted forward, I panicked, realising there wasn’t as many people kicking & scaring creatures away! There were a few people who were at the same pace as me so once I calmed the hell down, remembering I was trained & ready for this, I was able to swim with eyes closed in water & opened with my breath. That worked & the swim wasn’t terrible after the first 1/2 mile.
The bike ride was not what I expected. From what I knew about the course, there was only one major incline. There were 4 plus a good half of it was hilly. I will invest in bike shoes to help in future races. My legs worked harder than they ever had on any bike ride. At home I trained on a few hills here & there, focusing on distance. When I went in long training rides, I focused on distance & would go mostly flat. That was a good training gap.
The run was lovely. There were rolling hills, but it was the easiest leg for me. It was just over 6 miles & was beautiful.
For the beast, I’ll be tackling more hills & mountains with the goal of running longer up the inclines. I’m excited to see how my future training preps me for this race next year.
* Rating
Average
