Olympic triathlon complete, my first at that distance.  That was tiring.   The race took me 3:02:39.  Perfectly clear skies and it got a little warm, but not bad at all.

.63 mile swim:  25:59.  Down the river, back up the river, back down the river.  Plenty of room and I could just do my own thing.  No problem at all, except that I swim slow.  They say you can't win a triathlon on the swim but you can lose it.  I am certainly not doing myself any favors here.  I was one of the last out of the water.  No worries though.  I am just happy I can now swim this far.  My pace was 2:10/100 yards (that's how swimmers measure speed) and that was fast for me.

30.5 mile bike:  18.1 mph.  That is my fastest ride this year.  Solid.  The course is four times around a 7.5 mile loop.  I figured I could get through the run on dead legs, so I pushed the effort on the bike.  I was tired when I finished and was pretty sure I was about to suffer on the run.  My legs ached.  But I am a runner...

7.2 mile run:  7:29 pace.  Same loop as the bike course but took a slight detour the last mile.  I felt good and strong here and was surprised, though I suppose I shouldn't be.  The first mile was uphill so I was feeling it there, but I got loose and really picked up the pace.  I passed 20 people on the run and felt stronger as the run progressed.  I passed my last person in the dash to the finish line, as I saw he was in my AG so I hammered (age is marked on your leg).   I beat that guy by three seconds and that got me third in my AG.  I'm learning that I've got a real strong final kick in triathlons (final .15 miles was 5:43 pace).

Results aren't up yet so I don't know my split ranks or where I am in the OA field.  I am guessing well into the first half out of 100 or so.  There were a couple hundred other racers doing the sprint triathlon (about half the distance).  Anyway, I am really happy with my race today.  I did better than I thought I would.  I am probably done with triathlons for the year.  Time to dial in the marathon training.  Bacon shrimp tacos for post-race reload.

DW took some good pics.

Pre-game, setting up my crap:

Swim.

Bike.

Run.

Outkicking the competition at the end.

Podium!

Pretty good swag.  Mug for the AG prize, small medal, water bottle, shirt, and came in a shopping bag.

Thanks for reading and putting up with all the triathlon speak.

The race took me 3:02:39. 

You have my permission to Eat. Shit. Up. Dayum!

Very impressive!  I'd be too chicken to ride a bike so fast. 3rd in AG is amazing. Congratulations!

Awesome job!  I love that the AG is marked on the contestants so you knew that your final kick meant something in terms of standings.

When do you go full Ironman.  

Very impressive!  I'd be too chicken to swim in any water where I cannot see the bottom. 3rd in AG is amazing. Congratulations!

Wow, that's impressive!  And great pics by DW. (I'm glad you labeled them so I could tell which leg was which. )

 

I was getting a little frustrated on the run because I was passing so many people and none of them were in my AG.  Lots of 50-somethings.

 

Heh...my triathlon friends are asking about the Ironman too.  I've gotten to witness DW train for one (two weeks to go!).  Shit, she trains a lot.  A lot.  

She's got stones!  There is absolutely no way I am doing anything on the day of the marathon except run the marathon. There might be some ESU and DSU but other than that, hell no. lol

 

I figured out why you love triathlons so much. Every running race, the last third sucks major balls. In a tri, for you, that's the best part.

It's the only part I'm good at!    I've actually gotten very confident in the run.  I know that if I see somebody in front of me, no matter far ahead they are, chances are I am going to catch them and pass them.