Ayerd{dot}com :: Triathlon

This weekend was the Skyland's Triathlon. Just a wee sprint race. But a local race and I had been signed up to compete in it. Then the injury. No impact = no run = no race. So I watched while many friends and the Loving Wife™ partook.

It was a great day for the race. Highs in the upper-70s. Sunny. Low humidity. /sigh. It is harder to spectate than I thought it would be. Man, I just wanted to be out there.

Things I did notice:

• It was a sprint, but, whoa, the folks watching with me were fairly uninformed about triathlon. Swim, then bike, then run?! Why are they not swimming right in the middle of the course? Can that person really hang on to the kayak?
• Transitions look a lot slower when you're watching. I knew a few of the folks racing and know my transition times are about on par with theirs. They moved so slow and seemed unfocused. I wonder if having a tape of my transition would make me better at it. I've had my swim stroke, bike position, and run taped. All led to improvements. Why not the same for transition?
• To the woman who effected the most complete swim-to-bike transition I've ever seen. Thank you! Whoa. Where most larger (cup size) women will wear a sports bra under/over a swim suit, this lady didn't go in that direction. She wore a bikini top under the wet suit. After bouncing into the transition area (and no, I wasn't the one who noticed her — the guy next to me pointed them... er, her out) she pulled off the wet suit, put a towel around her neck so the ends covered the front parts and let out a "don't look" loud enough to guarantee anyone close by would look in her direction. The then undid the bikini top, bent over looking for a sports bra undoing all the goodness the towel was providing, took her time putting that puppy on, and then pulled on a bike top. Did I say "whoa" yet? While I didn't mind at all, I can only hope someone pulls her aside and suggests wearing the sports bra under the wet suit next time. It would have been faster, if less enjoyable to watch.
• There was the woman who got carried from the water to T1 and then placed on the ground next to her bike... and her bike leg. Looked like a mid-thigh amputee. She wasn't last out of the water and wasn't the last on back from a very hilly bike course. Didn't see her run, but, I'm pretty sure she finished. Very inspiring!

Overall a great day to race. Friends and Wife all finished. Spectating makes you just as tired, if not more so than racing. Lesson learned and I now really understand why it is extra special when the roads and start/finish area are full of people cheering for the racers.