Running The Race

“Ninty percent of life is just showing up.”
-Woody Allen

I am discovering as I get older the truth in this statement, particularly as it relates to age groups and races.

Gayle and I left the house about around 5:45 for the Gordon Jewish Community Center Memorial Day Triathlon. This is a great sprint tri that focuses on beginners (200m swim, 8.5 mile bike and 2 mile run).

This is the second year that I participated so I felt a little less apprehensive going into it.

When we got to the Center, the parking lot was filing up. Folks were prepping their bikes and gathering their gear. I left Gayle at the car and went and picked up my race packet, number and chip.

The line was moving slow but I finally got everything and headed back to the car. Got all my stuff together, checked the air in the bike tires and headed toward the transition area. Got body marked and then set up my stuff.

By then it was 7 am, just hung around with my friend Stephen from work.

Finally they started lining us up for the swim.

Last year, they had us get in the pool. When it was our time to start we ducked under the rope and stood by the wall until they said “Go” and off we went. This year was different. The had us stand on the edge of the pool and then jump in when they said, “Go”. From that point on the swim was a disaster! I struggled through and was just glad to make it out.

T1 went smooth and was on the bike in no time.

This was my first race with the bike I purchased last summer. I could really tell a difference. A lighter bike really makes a difference. The course is rolling hills with one big hill just after mile 5.

Made it back to the Center and didn’t crash getting off the bike. Changed my shoes and headed out for the run. As a ran out of the transition area there was a water station and I took some PowerAid from Lana.

It is really funny running after biking, you just feel like you are barely moving but you know you are moving faster that you feel.

By this time it was getting humid and I was just ready to be done. Made the turn and headed back to the finish line. As I made the final turn, I heard Lana cheering.

My time was 1:00:22.

I found Gayle and we hung around for a few minutes until Amy found us. She had trouble getting to the race because the roads were closed. I am glad she came.

Loaded up my stuff and headed home. About 11:00, Stephen called to say that I won 3rd place in my age group for beginners. I couldn’t believe it! I had only done a 1:15 better than last year and was last place in a field of 12. This year I was 3rd in a field of five.

Sometimes it increases your odds by just showing up…even for old guys like me.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Race Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.