So, for a while I thought I'd take it easy this season. Instead of doing long races, I would concentrate on "sprint" triathlons--these are the shortest triathlons there are. Only triathletes call something a "sprint" that takes nearly everyone more than an hour to complete. Still, you do not have to train as long to get ready for a sprint triathlon.
Overall, I was pleased with my race. It took me 1 hour 28 minutes and 44 seconds. I did the race last year in 1 hour 33 minutes and 11 seconds, so I shaved off 4 1/2 minutes. My swim was faster, my bike ride was faster and my run was faster. But one thing was WAY slower--my transition from swim to bike. It took me 70 seconds longer than it did last year.
Many triathletes skip putting on socks during triathlons, or at least short races. The clock continues to tick as you move from swim to bike and bike to run, so there is an art to transitions. The overall winner of this particular race was Coach Michael, who did T1 (transition from swim to bike) in under 1 minute. I did it in 3 minutes and 33 seconds.
I blame the socks. I usually wear pretty skimpy socks, but the night before this race I noticed some fabulous socks--with IRONMAN AUGUSTA on them. I earned those socks and decided to wear them. During transition, though, they did not want to go on. My feet were wet. I struggled mightily. I stopped and dried my feet. I tried again. I hopped. I considered sitting down. Coach Dave was nearby, and he said, "Amy, I love those socks! I am getting to see a lot of them because you have been here FOREVER putting them on."
I guess the solution is to do some longer races, so the time in transition doesn't seem so long in comparison! And maybe get some new socks.
Results
7:53 swim (300 meters)
3:33 T1
39:54 bike (12 miles)
1:31 T2
35:53 run (5K)
1:28:42 total
