Triathlon Day!!!

So this was the day that I was waiting for. The time when all my training was set to pay off. Here is how it went:

Pre-Race: Woke up at 5:30am and had a breakfast of an english muffin with peanut butter, a banana, and a de-carbonated red bull. It was a good way to start the day. I left the cottage for the park at about 5:50 and was one of the first few cars there. The event was very organized (huge props to Elite Endeavors) and it made it very easy especially for a first time triathlete. I got my number (236) and my goodie bag, grabbed my chip, and headed back to my car. I wasn't sure how the bike number worked, but there was a really nice guy 2 cars over that helped me out and answered some questions that I had. Everyone in the whole triathlon community was super nice which made this a great first experience. After getting my numbers on I took my gear up to the transition and area and started setting up. Laid out my towel, shoes, and socks, pinned my jersey number on, set my bike on the rack, laid out my shirt, and put out my helmet and shades. After that I was ready to go so I threw on my tunes and took my backpack to the car. After a quick visit with Em, Ron, and Judd I was off to warm up and stretch. Then it was time to go.

Swim: I was in the 3rd wave which was scheduled to start at 8:15 but started at about 8:10. I felt ok during the swim but had issues staying in a straight line. Made it to the turn and the crowd had thinned out a bit. I never really got kicked because I started behind the pack. I did get groped a bit at one point. Once I hit the turn, I started picking up the pace and was passing quite a few people from my wave as well as the 2 in front of me which pumped me up. Once I was able to stand, I could heat Em, Ron, and Judd yelling for me which got me going as well. The announcer even said "Here comes Andrew Cavis from Eastpointe looking strong." Then Ron yelled to him that it was my first triathlon and he said something to the effect of "It's his first triathlon and it doesn't look like it. Did he swim in college?" They said "no, hes a math teacher," "A math teacher?!?! Way to go!" That was pretty cool. My swim time ended up being 16:47 I think which was faster than I thought I thought I was going to be.

T1: Transition 1 took longer than I thought it would. There was the run up the hill which took a little bit, plus I took a while trying to get the dirt off of my feet. The whole thing took about 4 minutes and change.

Bike: This was the hardest leg of the race for me mainly because I was on a mountain bike. Almost everyone else was on road bikes and flew past me. On top of that, the course was soooo hilly. It was a brutal ride on my thighs. I did not think that I was going to be able to make it at some points. The volunteer crew members were very supportive and helpful for letting us know which way to go. On my way into the transition from bike to run, I saw Emilee which lifted my spirits. I thought that they were leaving after the swimmers were done. The biking took 57 minutes and change.

T2: The transition was super quick. I racked my bike, sucked down a gel, took off my helmet and shades, stretched my quads, slugged some water, and went. I think the transition was 1 minute and change.

Run: The final stage and it was tough. When they said that it was a "true trail run," they weren't kidding. The whole course was sand, rocks, tree roots, and hills. My legs felt so heavy for the first mile, but by the time I hit the aid station at mile 2 I felt pretty good. I was passing more people than were passing me. It was definately tough to settle into a good pace because you had to dodge roots and manage all of the hills but I was able to do it. At one point, I thought that I was about 2.5 miles in and then I passed the mile 4 marker, so I kicked it into gear for the home stretch. This was the only time that I actually made it a point tot ry and beat someone from my age group. I surged past this guy and made sure that I went hard for about a minute after passing him, it worked. Once I made it up that final hill on Hankerd and could see the Police car at the entrance to the park, I was pumped. The downhill finish was nice and it was great to see all of the people cheering. I finished the run in 43 minutes and change which was better than I had hoped.

My final time was 2 hours, 3 minutes, and change. The was a fantastic experience and I am definately going to do it again next year. I will most likely try other triathlons (maybe the Port Huron one this year). Everyone was amazing and it was a great feeling finishing. I feel like I have accomplished so much and am extremely proud of myself. I was also able to work in a monster nap back at the cottage and rock the hammock :).