A few weeks ago I decided I needed "practice race" in anticipation of the Denver Triathlon, so I spent this past Saturday in Windsor for the Pelican Fest Triathlon. This fast, flat, short sprint tri was a great way to start the season and get excited and ready to race the Denver Triathon on June 10! With ½ mile swim, 10 miles on the bike, and a 5k run my drive to Windsor and back took longer than the event itself! Fortunately, when I race Denver in a week and a half not only do I get to race a sweet course, I don't have to commute! Hurray for the only triathlon in Downtown Denver!
For a day that dawned with hazy and grey skies, this less than 300 person triathlon kicked off right at the beginning of a beautiful Colorado spring day! The 8am start saw a glassy lake, perfect for an early morning swim, if only the water temperature were warmer! 62 degrees doesn’t seem that chilly until you realize you brought your sleeveless wetsuit, you’re all warmed up, and you have to get back out of the water for a beach start. The layout of the buoys made for a slightly longer swim if you were sighting them instead of the transition out of the water, but all in all the swim course was straightforward. If only I’d actually managed an open water swim in frigid waters BEFORE my first race of the season! And one of these days I’m going to remember to use my legs for more than rudders so they get a chance to warm up for the ride. Note to self for the Denver Tri: USE YOUR LEGS! And enjoy the warmer water! My swim performance wasn’t what I hoped it would be, especially after the shock of warming up waiting for the start only to submerge myself in Polar Bear Club worthy waters once again (the in and out three times trick didn’t work here…) but I survived and pushed on to transition one.
For a day that dawned with hazy and grey skies, this less than 300 person triathlon kicked off right at the beginning of a beautiful Colorado spring day! The 8am start saw a glassy lake, perfect for an early morning swim, if only the water temperature were warmer! 62 degrees doesn’t seem that chilly until you realize you brought your sleeveless wetsuit, you’re all warmed up, and you have to get back out of the water for a beach start. The layout of the buoys made for a slightly longer swim if you were sighting them instead of the transition out of the water, but all in all the swim course was straightforward. If only I’d actually managed an open water swim in frigid waters BEFORE my first race of the season! And one of these days I’m going to remember to use my legs for more than rudders so they get a chance to warm up for the ride. Note to self for the Denver Tri: USE YOUR LEGS! And enjoy the warmer water! My swim performance wasn’t what I hoped it would be, especially after the shock of warming up waiting for the start only to submerge myself in Polar Bear Club worthy waters once again (the in and out three times trick didn’t work here…) but I survived and pushed on to transition one.
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