February 13, 2005-Redlands Triathlon

This was a fun race. It started out with a 5K run, then a bike ride of 10 miles and then a 100 yard pool swim in a HEATED pool. The swim was VERY different than my first triathlon which was an ocean swim.

The Run
The run went very well. Since we ran first, my time ended up being 23:30 which works out to a 7:33 pace. Which was pretty fast. I was very happy about my run, considering my training.

The Bike
Again the bike was a blast. I even ended up passing some guy all decked out on his expensive tri-bike at the end of course. He of course did a double take as I passed him on my mountain bike. I finished the bike with an average pace of 16.4 MPH for 10 miles.

The Swim
I jumped into the heated pool and swam to the end of the lane. At the end of the lane, I went under the rope to the next lane and swam again. I did this four times and then went up the ladder at the end of the last lane and there was the finish, only a few yards from the edge of the pool. My time was 2:10 for 100 meters.

The Results
In this race I didn't compete as an Athena as my 145 weight was too low. In this race an Athena must be 150 pounds or more. ( I found out later that 150 pounds is the usual cutoff.) I competed in the 40-44 age group instead.

When the race results were posted, I had no idea what to expect. When I looked on the board I was fourth in my division! I was thrilled. But, I knew I could do better.