Race Report - Danskin Tri June 6, 2005
Posted by vollenda in : Race Report , add a commentMy first tri is done! I am officially a triathlete now! Woo Hoo! I had a total blast and it was an amazing experience. I am so happy, I’ve had a huge grin on my face since I crossed the finish line. Not only did I finish, but I beat my time goal! 
Here are the details…
I woke up at 4:30, ate breakfast, and finished packing up my stuff. I’m so glad I made a list so I wouldn’t forget anything. At 5:15 I got on bike and rode the 4+ miles to the race. I didn’t know if I should, but since I didn’t have a car, I had to. But I took it nice and easy, especially up the hill since I would be doing that 2x during the race. I think it helped keep the nervousness at bay and I had the added plus of not worrying about waiting to get in the park and finding parking. I made it into the transition at 5:45. I relaxed, organized my area, and got my wetsuit on and went down to the beach for a quick warm up swim. I thought, piece of cake. Wrong!
The race started at 6:45 and I was in the third wave that went at 6:55. The swim was crazy, just like you all said. And despite knowing better, I somehow ended up right in the middle of my wave! Go figure. So I ended up sidestroking for a while til it thinned out. I felt like I swallowed half the lake but I didn’t do too bad, although my form went right down the tubes. 
I finished the swim in 18:05.
T1 had issues. I couldn’t get the wetsuit off! I could not get it off my right ankle. Then I realized I was trying to get the chip strap off along with it. Duh! Once I figured that out, it went much smoother. My time was 6:15.
The bike was a blast. It was a 2 loop course. A few rolling hills and the one big hill I mentioned. Once I was on the bike, I was much more comfortable. Love the bike. Love passing people. So glad I rode my road bike and not my mountain bike. Finished the bike in 54:33.
T1 went much smoother: 1:14. I did forget to take off my cycling gloves though so I ended up running with them. First wearing them and then carrying them. They’re my favorite pair of gloves so I didn’t have the heart to toss them.
The run went really well for me too. My legs weren’t too bad off the bike. By the time I got out of the transition area, they were fine. It was a mostly out and back course with two little hills. I finished the run in 30:48. Yea! That is my fastest time ever for a 5K, let alone one at the end of a tri! My pace was 9:46. I finally broke the 10 minute mile! I am so very pumped about that. There’s hope for this penguin yet!
My overall time was 1:50:56. My first goal was, of course, to just finish my first triathlon. But I also was hoping to finish in 2 hours and I made that goal! Yep. Uh huh. Woo Hoo! I had a huge smile on my face when I crossed the finish line because I knew I had given it everything I had, that I had done the best I could. I am most proud that I paced myself just right thru the whole thing and was totally spent at the end. I love that feeling.
I think the Danskin Tri was a great first experience for me. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and I felt like I was racing with friends because everyone was so nice and supportive. Sure it was competitive too, but there were women of all shapes and sizes and ages there too. Most of all, it was fun and exciting and wonderful. Can’t wait for my next one… I'm hooked!
Lisa