Yeah, I did another triathlon! This triathlon was a bit tougher. It took place at Lake Cammack in Burlington. Since the last triathlon, I have really been working on my swimming and biking. I have been swimming 750 meters every day at the pool and doing a long bike 3 times a week. I have cut back on running since the other two sports have been much more difficult.
This week, I truthfully haven't been feeling like myself. I don't know if it was the heat or a stomach bug, but going into this triathlon I felt more nervous about doing it than the last one. I had some stomach cramps this morning, so I wondered how I would do.
I biked the triathlon course over the past two weeks a total of four times which was a huge plus because I knew what to expect and when to expect it. I think this really helped because I biked the absolute fastest I've ever ridden on my bike- I averaged a 16.2 mph over 15 miles which was really something for me.
I was pretty determined to do better on the bike portion since I struggled in the swimming part. The buoys were small in comparison to the last triathlon and the course seemed trickier. It was a rectangle course and the buoys were hard to see after a while. Whereas in the last triathlon, it was a straight shot up and back.
The weather this morning was really humid and not even to the first buoy, my goggles fogged up and I really had a hard time seeing anything. This got me panicky and out of my groove with swimming. I was happy to get out of the water and onto my bike. Matthew saw that as I started, I was swimming angled to the left. I felt this as I was swimming.
The biking went much better. I stayed in a big gear as much as I could and the transition went well into the running. The running course was a trail run...soggy, squishy and very narrow with quick little hills spread here and there. Not my favorite running course at all, and I guess you could tell because my time was slower than in the first one.
All in all, the best part was seeing Matthew there rooting me on and crossing the finish line and of course coming home and taking a really long and hot shower.
Yeah! The Finish LINE!
After doing this triathlon, I am excited about training for the next one. I want to work more on my swimming strokes, running pace and get out more and more and bike but I think that's it for me this season for triathlons. The next big thing coming up will be a 1/2 marathon in November at Pinehurst, NC for the annual turkey trot. This is a really nice race, some hills but overall a good, fun run.
