Tomorrow is the first Tri of the season! I've already done 6 other races (4 run & 2 du) this year so it sort of feels just like another weekend and is probably the reason why I am neither nervous nor anxious for the race.
I went down to the race site this afternoon to pick up my packet and everything was all setup and ready to go. The swim exit is about .25 miles from transition, quite a nice little jog! I am guessing that the T1 times are going to be a little longer than usual! I took a photo of the Bay where we are swimming with my Blackberry and it looks pretty rough, some decent sized waves (sorry, I can't find my blackberry sync cord to DL the pic). Their were a bunch of other guys standing around the swim start and they were all concerned about how difficult the swim looked. I actually was the opposing voice because I thought it looked all hardcore and am excited to swim in saltwater for the first time during a Tri - weird considering the swim is the hardest leg for me! Can't believe I just looked at the swim portion of a Tri and got pumped up -- I don't even know who I am anymore!
After that I walked over to the transition area and found my assigned rack location and was excited to see it was very close to the bike exit. The bike leg has us going over the Kemah Bridge which is a lot steeper than I originally thought. My guess is a lot of us Texans who are used to riding nothing but flats will end up walking the bike up a portion of this monster - hopefully I am not one of these riders!
The run course is flat as a pancake right along the boardwalk. I plan to redline this leg.
Overall, it looks like it should be a fun but challenging course. The official distances are 500M Swim/12.5 Mi Bike/3 Mi Run. I am thinking I can do a 10-12 minute swim (not sure how the current will affect this time), 40-42 minute bike, and a 21 minute run. With transitions I will be pleased with a 1:20ish time.
All my gear is just about packed and I have decided to travel light. No Garmin, No Bento Box ... basically as little gear as possible. Helmet, Bike, Brooks Defyance, Shimano SPDs, race belt, water bottle, wetsuit and tri suit. That is all. If I get a flat I will take the DNF. On a Quarter or Half course I will carry all my gear, on a short Sprint like this I am just going to go all out and not sweat the small stuff. Fast transitions = faster overall finish!
Wish me luck and I will put up a race report and with Pics tomorrow!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
you are going to rock that sprint tomorrow! have a great race Jeff!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun race! Good luck! Can't wait to hear all about it. :)
ReplyDeletegood luck on your tri! Sounds like you've already had a pretty busy racing season! looking fwd to the race report.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Jeff! Im sure you going to tear it up! Looking forward to you race report as well.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing how it went. You will do great my man! Have fun and be fast!
ReplyDeleteThose longer runs to T1 are a bummer. Especially with running in the sand. However, I got a feeling you're going to tear it up!
ReplyDeleteHave a good race!
Looking forward to the report. We had 36.8 degrees on the thermometer this morning! Quite cold for anyone doing a tri in Atlanta!
ReplyDeleteGood luck Jeff! You can do this:) I can't wait for the pictures and report!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, have fun. Can't wait to hear how it went!
ReplyDeleteGoodluck tomorrow on your sprint. You will do great. I am like you when it comes to the swim leg, I get super excited, its the best part.
ReplyDeleteHave fun.