I can't say enough good things about this event. Needless to say, it was a blast. I had been disappointed in my performance last year and really had been focusing on improving my time and maybe getting a podium spot for my age group. The race is a Sprint tri with a 400 meter Swim, 20K (12 mile) bike and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. With this in mind, I worked on my bike and run speed as I figured I am not likely to get any faster in the water. Also, practiced transitions and dismounting off the bike. I also had done the Socorro, New Mexico triathlon as a practice event and felt good with my progress one month out. After 4 years of doing triathlon, I have been able to have steady improvements which has made for a great journey. My first was the Girl Scout triathlon at the Ascarate pool which was a reverse tri which they called F1 format with 1.5 mile run, 6 mile bike, 1.5 mile run, another 6 mile bike and then an 800 meter swim at the end. On that Labor day weekend, I was 2nd to the last participant and took me 2 hours to complete. (Bobby G. did it in a little less than 1 hour). On this Sunday, I was thrilled to have come away with 3rd place in my age group (45-49) with a time of 1:08:52. For those who are still with me and interested in more details, I will gave my race report.
The organizers improved several things from last year and one of those is to organize a package pick up on the west side of El Paso at the Coney Island Restaurant on the Thursday before the race. On Sunday AM headed out to the Tigua Indian Reservation recreation center at 0500 and was there by 0530 setting up my transition. After that, got body marked and picked up the timing chip for the left ankle. At 0700 we had a pre-race instructions and they started at 0730 with the first 50 people and as I was 190, I got ready to line up. There was a little bit of a wait as they allowed 10 seconds between athletes to jump in the pool. I talked to Rob L. (188) and Flip L. with his captain america swim trunks. Before I knew it, it was my turn to jump in and there I went.
The Swim 400 meters 9:06
I started as fast as I could but had to slow down a bit because I felt a little winded. I also got some water in my goggles and had to readjust. The pool is 50 meters so you swim one length and change lanes for a total of 8 lengths. I passed a few people along the way but there was plenty of room. Last year, my swim time was 9:24 so I improved very slightly. This is the portion of the triathlon where I could really use some improvement.
T1 0:56.8
I exited the pool and ran to T1, not jogged but ran. I had practiced this before and knew I could do it without passing out. Got to transition and put on the race belt, next shoes, helmet, and last sunglasses in that order. Off the start of the bike. My bike was next to the start as I had arrived early so that helped. This year, I did not bother with any shirts and significantly cut my T1 time from last years abysmal 2:30. Looking over the top 10 male finishers, their T1s were between 0:45 (Bobby G.) and 1:10.
The Bike 20K 32:57 Avg. speed 23mph
I clipped in and started out cautiously as there was a 90 degree sharp turn as you head out on Socorro road. I felt really rested and recovered which allowed me to take off faster in the beginning. I passed several people and was looking at their numbers and calves for age. I had to be careful not to draft as there was a good size group riding in front of me. There was great crowd support and a HS band was playing. The road was closed to traffic but there was 1 loose dog that could have caused an accident. I caught up to Rob. but I couldn't pass him for a while. I made a move but he passed me again just before the turn around. At the turnaround as I slowed down, I ate a gu and drank from my brand new water bottle which sits on the aero bars. Really cool little gadget. On the way back there was a slight tail wind so I again sped up and caught up to Rob and passed him again. I began to loose speed towards the end and got passed again. At this point I figured I best save some energy for the run and so I focused on increasing my cadence and easing the gears to wash off lactic acid before the run. (I read about that somewhere). Finished the gatorade as I arrived to T2. Last year, I raced the same course in 36:10, so a big improvement which was reflected in my total time.
T2 0:49.9
I had a great dismount off the bike leaving my shoes on the pedals. Carried my bike as I ran barefoot to my transition area. Got the helmet off, then cap on and put the Spira XLTs with elastic laces on. Grabbed a Gatorade bottle and ran with it to the start of the run. The top 10 athlete's T2 times were 0:36 to 0:57 so that is pretty good.
The Run 5K 25:02 Avg pace 8:05 min/mile
I started the run and tried to keep my pace around 8 min/mile. The crowd support was great and I specially enjoyed the kids with the water guns who sprayed us. They were very polite and asked first, if you wanted to be sprayed. The course is flat around the nearby neighborhood. I paced behind someone who passed me and was able to keep the pace. I sprinted the last half mile as I didn't want to leave anything behind. If I was going to miss a podium slot, I was not going to have any regrets. I crossed the finish and heard my name called. Got a finishing medal and picked up a delicious chocolate milk.
This was by far my best triathlon finish ever and I feel really happy to have come this far. In my age group, I was 3rd out of 22 and overall, I was 28 out of 205 finishers. The event is well organized and I got to see a lot of friends as this is my home town race. I really wish we could have more of them. For now my focus is on Nov. 6 when I will get to participate for the first time in the New York Marathon. After 4 times being denied entry via the lottery, I finally got an automatic acceptance.
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