Amica Lake Las Vegas Triathlon II

Friday, September 10, 2010. Thats when it happened. I had been super pumped already for this thing, but that day I spent nearly the entire day visualizing and imagining what this race was gonna be like, and thus this led to whatever excitement/adrenaline level thats above super pumped. I lay down that night visualizing my warm up, my start, how my goggles and cap fit on my head, my stroke, the people that would most likely be behind me, getting out of the water, ripping that timing chip off, the run back up to the transition, and lastly the hand off to JB. I do this before any competition that I participate. I go through every little detail there is. Since I've already seen whats happened in my mind, I'm not nervous at all the next day. Anxious yes, nervous, never...

Saturday, September 11, 2010. Thats the day that the previous night's envisioning culminated in. 4:30. My dad comes in. Let's go. Head down stairs for my less than usual granola and yogurt, which does not taste nearly has fantastic as my usual mcdonalds breakfast sandwich. I grab my gatorade from the fridge and grab my groyo to finish in the car. I toss on (with some collaboration with my dad) what could possibly be the most amazing pre race playlist ever. "The Gift" is midway through when Chasqui group 1 rolls into the lot. My dad sets up transition. Since I dont really have a true transition spot, I just toss my accouterments at Jojo's bike. JB arrives shortly thereafter and we all get situated, meaning my dad and I go down to the water for some warmup and Jojo goes to the bathroom. ahaha :). I did a few laps to the bridge and back and then they called for the first wave to get in the water. GUN. They're off! I head over to stand by JB and Warnie to watch my dad tear up that swim. My dad gets back to the beach wayyyyyyyy ahead of everybody else. The next few heats seem to just speed by and before I know it the man with the megaphone is calling for my heat in the water. I toss on my neon green cap and my sleek speedo vanquisher 2.0's and get in the water. I had a few seconds before he started the countdown so I work my way up to the front. Before we started I had noticed this kid wearing a speedo leg suit (basically the bottom half of a wetsuit). I knew that I had seen this kid before at swim meets, I did not, however, know how fast he was. GUN. We're off. There was quite a few people who started off fairly quick and I pushed to get ahead of them and was shortly at the front of the pack. A few did get off before I could get to them. I would save them for later. No need burning out in the very beginning. I was so much faster than I had been last year*. I was pacing myself good, I was passing people left and right, some even from the heat in front of me. I was feeling awesome. I spot the kid in the leg suit up ahead of me. This acclaimed "always first out of the water" kid. Little did he or his team mates know that Tristan is always first out of the water. I get even with him at the turn around, and then pass him once we head our way back. This little crapball (for lack of a better, appropriate term) decides to basically draft off of me. We're heading directly into wind chop and Im getting the blunt of it while he has got glass water. What a loser. This really pissed me off so I tried to get ahead of him so he would hit the chop and fall back. Well I did manage to shake him a little about half way back to the beach and at that halfway point I fire all cylinders. I just give it all arms and maybe 70% of my legpower, because I still wanted to be able to pass people on the run up, which I did. I reach the beach first a good 20-30 before the other kid, tear the velcro and grab my chip. I run as fast as I can up this hill and pass more people from the heat in front of me. I was still feelin good. I get up to the transition area and there's JB all pooped out and ready to go. phew. I run up, hand him my chip, and he is off.

I think my arms felt worse about 5 minutes after I got out then during the actual swim itself. I stand with Tutu to wait for Jojo to come in and see Warren off. Then it's off the finish to watch him come in and see how my dad did. All in all it was an awesome race, although the swim courses were definitely not equal to what was advertised because I went slower than my time from last year. There is no way I swam equal distance slower than last year.

now time for that asterisk

*Prior to last year's triathlon, I was swimming with the intermediate group on my team. It was on November 1st that I moved up into the top group at practice. After having a year of swim training, increasing my yardage by at least 50%, and doing dryland training, I was so much more ready to swim this thing. My endurance was higher, my stroke was better, my cardio was better, everything about me that has to do with swimming has increased.

I am really looking forward to getting on a bike and doing next years spring distance solo. Sorry JB, you gotta get another swimmer haha.