Half way through a 20 week training program, on my way to my first
half Ironman distance triathlon on June 23rd. This past weekend was the
Grizzly triathlon in Missoula MT, and a great tune up race to see where
my fitness level is. Its great to be able to get outside and have a real race experience this time of year in Montana. The weather can always be iffy in April. The day started out around 40 degrees and rainy, but slowly warmed up. By the time I was cruising down the highway on my bike in nothing but a bathing suit and helmet, the sun was shining. The wind was gusty on the bike course, which made for a tough bike back into the wind, but the sun stayed out for the remainder of the day.
The race has a pool swim, rare for major triathlons, and I hoped in at 1:10pm. I swam a 16:06 1000M swim. exactly what I predicted and hoped to do. I jumped out of the pool second in my lane and on to my bike and took off for the 12 mile canyon ride. I had the wind at my back going out which helped my keep my speed up. After the halfway mark and turnaround the wind picked up and it was a battle all the way back. I handed my bike off, slipped on my running shoes and off I went for the final segment, a 5K run. I started strong, but felt that my legs were lead weights. I pressed on for the finish for a final time of 1:22:12, good enough for a second place age group award.
Training and races takes up a lot of time and so it need to be fun. I was having fun. There were moments, the last lap in the pool, when I was having type 2 fun (fun after the fact), but the race itself as a whole was fun. The crowd, the atmosphere, the local support and the positive attitudes of other races made for a great day all around.
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