Date: July 31, 2011
Distance: .75 Mile Swim, 13 Mile Bike, 4 Mile Run
With only a month out to my scheduled Ironman, I headed into the sandman triathlon with no goals or expectations, but just to have fun at a local event. I really just wanted to enjoy the race before the last few weeks of training. I think I should have this thought more going into future races, as this kept me very calm and collected before the race, which was a first.
The blood in my body must have been thickening over the years of doing this race, because the water did not feel that cold. Sure, it was the North Pacific Ocean after all, but I never really had that "omg, I'm gonna die" thought when first entering the water. In fact, I was able to settle right in and swim with the pack the whole way.
The bike portion was similar. I kept a pretty high pace, but still relaxed enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed at any point during the race. I had really felt like my training was paying off. Even though this was a very short race compared to what I had planned to do in less than a month, I felt like it was easy, and I was at the head of the pack of racers.
The run was an enjoyable 4 miles out and back along the beach. It was fun to pass by someone I met in the transition area, chat with them a little bit before making a hard effort back to the finish line. My final time would be 1 hour and 35 minutes and 53 seconds. Good enough for 36th place out of almost 180 racers, and I felt great afterwards, ready to do the whole race over again.
Unfortunately, that would also be the day where my 2nd workout later in the evening would reveal a pain in my right ankle. That would later turn out to be the stress fracture that would delay my Ironman race another 12 months.
Links:
Official Website and Results: http://www.sandman-triathlon.com/
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