Imagine running an Ironman and finishing with a PR of nearly an hour. If that race was an Ironman 70.3 event, it would be even more satisfying. And achieving that kind of improvement in an Olympic is huge.
So what about a 50 minute PR in an 18 mile sprint event? That would be truly impressive. Maybe, maybe not.
My return to the sprint distance was also my return to the Trinity Triathlon. Consisting of a 220 yard swim, a 15 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run, it was the scene of the first triathlon I ever completed. Or, as I refer to it, the scene of the crime.
After having a chain break at mile six of the bike and then running the next 6.5 miles barefoot, I completed that first race with a time of 2:04.
Things went much better, today.
We had a wonderful day for a race, with moderate temperatures and winds that weren't TOO bad. The water was only 58 degrees, and I wore my wetsuit despite the short distance. Any time lost in transition was more than made up in comfort in the water.
The winds made for a challenging bike. Luckily, we had the wind at our backs for the worst of the uphill portions. It's obvious I need more time on the bike prior to Spirit of Racine, or the 56 miles there will hurt unless I slow way down. Most importantly, no broken bike parts. (There were a few serious wipeouts and a "race ending" flat).
I was concerned going into the run. The bike had taken a lot out of me, and I haven't fully recovered from the marathon three weeks ago. In the end, things went well. As usual, the run was my best discipline.
In the end, I finished with an official time of 1:15:31 (my watch showed 1:16:31). That was good enough for 21st overall (108), 19th among males (58), and 7th in my age group (23). Most importantly, it was a 50-minute PR!
Editor's Note: The clown who ran the race and wrote the post seems incapable of actually stopping his watch at the end of a race. After a quick review, his watch shows a final time of 1:15:30 PLUS 42 seconds on a final "lap," most likely the time it took to get to the food tent.
By the numbers:
Swim - 2:46 (based on this, I REALLY doubt it was 220 yards. It's probably closer to 150. 22nd overall)
T1 - 2:17 (This isn't timed by the event. I went without socks, this race, which made a huge difference. Lost that time to getting out of the wetsuit.)
Bike - 46:28 (19.3 mph). For timing, they include T-1 time in the bike. They show me as 48:34 for just over 16 mph (25th overall). (I have NO idea how the calculate those numbers)
T-2 - 1:01. Continued without socks. Struggled with my gloves.
Run - 22:58 (they have 24:06), 19th overall.
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