OT-my training paid off...

[billb]

I competed in and completed my first solo sprint triathlon yesterday. What a rush! White Lake, NC. 750m swim, 14mi bike, 5k run. Finished somewhere near 1hr45min (results not posted yet), and had a heck of a time. Water temp was 67.3F, VERY wetsuit legal. There were folks being pulled out of the water after 100m (and they were the dummies in speedos). You might recall my wife and I did a relay tri last fall in Wilmington. She swam, I biked and ran. Note to all: I am NOT a swimmer, but I did begin training in January for this. My previous longest continuous distance swimming (without taking breaks, hanging onto the wall, etc.) was 200yds, so I am very excited about finishing 750m in about 26 minutes!

Here's a pic of my bike in transition area, just prior to me donning the wetsuit. Me in a wetsuit is a picture that I hope never gets taken...I'm number 671 (appropriate name, as I was huffing and puffing like a blower the whole race!) Gear: 2000 Giant OCR3 w/bottom of the line Shimano Sora components, new Michelin ProRace tires, fresh service from the local bike shop, new chain and cassette, and the rest is stock. Rented the full wetsuit from a local running/tri shop for $33/week.



This is a sport I could get into....if I were independently wealthy and didn't have to work, and could train all the time.

[Brian C.]

Visions of skanky bowling alley shoes are scrolling through my head.

Actually, I'm not phobic about things like that, afterall.....I've stepped in plenty of mung in my day! Now Bill, are you gonna be one of these folks that run the Death Valley Marathon or something? I've got a few disgustingly healthy friends who do all the local 10k's and ocean swins and stuff like that. My co-worker even did the "Seven Mile Bridge Run" a few weeks ago down in the Florida Keys. Me.....I try to do the "Seven Minute Walk" to my Qwikee-Mart every Saturday morning.

So is it more fun to feel your thighs burn after the bike ride, or to put Junior in a tight downhill turn and hit the gas?

Brian C.

[Patrick]

Hey Bill -congrats on your PR.

[billb]

So is it more fun to feel your thighs burn after the bike ride, or to put Junior in a tight downhill turn and hit the gas?

Brian C.

I'll have to wait until July 3rd to answer that...NOT! I felt physically fine during and after the race (was REALLY tired yesterday about 3pm), but managed to scrape my heel when my storm door closed too quick against my heel while barefoot. That hurts more than anything else after the race. Guess I wasn't pushing hard enough!

Oh, and I weigh in at about 182, so, no I am not one of those nutso-health freaks. Pretty close to what they call a Clydesdale (200+ lbs).

[Paul in NZ]

so a century's next???Get in a local bike group,thats a rush too,going 30mph in a good co ordinated line no sound good draft........

[Black 535i]

...if you replaced the cassette and chain and they had wear on them you would be wise to replace your rings as well or you might suffer from chain skip or jump at the front end under pressure or force out of the saddle. Usually it is wise to replace all three parts of the drivetrain at the same time. Look over your derailleur pulleys as well for wear. Don't forget to clean the chain every 1000 k or so and don't be afraid to use lube.

so a century's next???Get in a local bike group,thats a rush too,going 30mph in a good co ordinated line no sound good draft........

[billb]

...if you replaced the cassette and chain and they had wear on them you would be wise to replace your rings as well or you might suffer from chain skip or jump at the front end under pressure or force out of the saddle. Usually it is wise to replace all three parts of the drivetrain at the same time. Look over your derailleur pulleys as well for wear. Don't forget to clean the chain every 1000 k or so and don't be afraid to use lube.

I agree, that would be the ideal scenario. Derailleur pulleys in good shape as well. Not putting too much into this one, as a friend's dad's Specialized is available to me on an installment plan...hee hee. But thanks for the advice!

Results are posted: 24:52 swim, 3:09 T1; 45:13 bike, 1:25 T2; 29:49 run; 1:44:26 overall. 31/45 Novice Men, 298/346 Overall Men. Even better; no penalties! Overall winning time was 1:05:11. Ugh.