Olympic Triathlon

I kicked it up a notch this weekend and did a Olympic distance triathlon. My goal was to finish between 3hours 30min and 4 hours - well I did just that with a time of 3:45:54 The race conditions were pretty perfect for New Mexico - it was hot in the 90s but amazingly there were clouds out (usually there are hardly any clouds here) so it was a bit of a break from the intense heat. The race elevation varied from 5200-5700 feet above sea level.

My breakdown times were:
0.9 mile(1500meter) swim: 38:56
25 mile bike: 1:44:01
6.4 mile run: 1:16:59

Each leg was about 10-15minutes longer than if I only did that single event in training but I was trying to pace myself and just finish more than anything else. The swim was definatly the hardest part for me. Swimming in a lake with waves and other people is kinda overwhelming, the first 500 meters took a lot out of me and I found myself just flipping over to my back several times to just relax and breathe easier.

My next race is back to a sprint distance (400meter pool swim, 15 mile bike, 3.2 mile run) and is in 2 months. Although it is a shorter distance this one is in the foothills of the Sandia mountains so it is going to be very hilly for both the bike and run. Also part of the run is on trails so it will be a different type of challenge!

The picture is of my friend Kim and me right before the race. Kim kicked my butt and finished in 3:28:45!!