Swim: 750 meters; Time: 16:59: Pace 2:15 per 100 meters.
The morning of the race was the first time I’d put my wetsuit on in 2024, and it was also my first open water swim of the year. If you’ve never done an open water swim in a race before, it can be stressful. I’ve had to stop in the middle of a competitive and crowded swim and just tread water for a minute or two to calm down, freaking out a bit after getting kicked and/or swallowing water. Windy conditions can also mess with your mind and resilience.
But it was a perfect morning, and I got to the Boulder reservoir early enough to warm up and get the feel of my wetsuit again. I purposely started the swim slow, just trying to find a groove, and it worked. I was able to swim continuously and build my speed throughout the race. My time was slower than I’d like. I was hoping to swim closer to 15 minutes flat, at a 2:00 min./per 100 meter pace, but I am still pleased with my swim for this race, knowing I can get faster. It was the first race of the year and I held back which is fine.
T1: 1:22
Just like the swim, I jogged slowly to the bike racks, conserving my energy. A few people ran past me, but I was in no hurry. My wetsuit came off quickly and I went shirtless since it was an early morning race. My plan was to be done with the race before sunscreen or water would be needed. And it worked. I didn’t take a sip of anything or need any sunscreen throughout the race and felt great, apart from the usual suffering associated with pushing your body way past the point of comfort.
Bike: 17 miles; 48:21: Pace 21.46 mph
Much like the swim, I had barely taken my road bike out until race day. I have two triathlon bikes: a 2011 Kestrel Talon and a 2021 Trek Speed Concept. I keep the Kestrel in a small room in the basement on a trainer all year round, and I train on that primarily. I’d been doing at least one, hour long ride every week in the basement. I affectionately call the workout room the “hurt locker.” But I hadn’t taken the Trek out on the road until the Friday before the race, and it was a 10 minute ride – just to test out the gears and brakes. The bike felt great, so I wasn’t too worried about my lack of outdoor training rides.
The bike is also my favorite part of the race, because I’m a slow swimmer and there’s all kinds of people I get to pass on the bike. I like to check out all the bikes, people’s racing outfits, and you can see people’s age and race category written in Sharpie on everyone’s calves. I must admit, I enjoy passing 20-something-year-old dudes with bikes much nicer than mine. And the beautiful scenery. Riding around Boulder is awesome.
Again, I purposely held back. A few people passed me, but not many. Mainly I was cruising by people and in the last couple of miles, I picked up the pace. The last stretch into the Boulder Reservoir is uphill and I felt strong heading into transition.
T2: 1:31
My transition was smooth, and I didn’t even stop, doing a flying dismount into a run, just like Roy Rogers on a bike. But I probably lost 20 seconds here, just standing in place in the middle of the bike racks, trying to figure out where the hell my station was. So what? 20 seconds was meaningless, as I was having too much fun to get uptight about it. Boulder is an awesome triathlon venue, and I’m just happy it was packed. I finally found my wetsuit hanging on the bike rack, put my running shoes on and was off.
Run: 24:09; Pace 7:47 per mile
Same plan here: start slow and build. Right off the bat, I started out with three other runners within a few feet of me. I just tried to hang with that group and find my groove, seeing how my legs felt. Much to my relief, my legs felt great and I still had some bounce, a little pep left in my step. At the aid station after one mile, all three of those guys stopped for water/Gatorade and I left them behind. From there it was trying to catch as many people as I could, until the last half mile. Then the 20-something generation blew by me in the form of a 21-year young lady that reminded me I’m 52 years old and was never that fast anyway. I tried to keep her somewhat close, and had a strong run throughout. A 7:47 pace is decent. I’d like to get that down to a 7:30 pace. More room for improvement.
Overall Time: 1:32:24. Out of 336 competitors who finished the race, I was 35th overall, 26th male, and 3rd in my Age Group (50-54 men).
All in all, it was an excellent first race of the year. I was 3rd in my Age Group, which was a pleasant surprise. Getting on the podium at a race in Boulder was more than I expected. Sometimes things fall into place.
I’ll end my first blog entry here and will post something again soon, introducing the criminal justice side of my social media profile. Until then, peace.