This was a total family event. Kandyce and I were doing this race for the 2nd
time. Last time, the three girls teamed
up to do the race as a relay. This time,
Devon, Chantelle, and Melissa were doing this distance for the first time. Brooke and Bryson were teaming up for the
relay with Brooke in the water and Bryson on the bike and run.
Chantelle has been on the Cross Country team so she has been
running regularly since early summer.
Melissa loves her new bike and she has been training in all three
disciplines. She has overcome plantar
fasciitis to be able to run again through Astym treatments, physical therapy,
and self exercises. Bryson got out and
did a couple runs and rides, but his fitness mainly revolves around
football. Devon didn’t do anything. He says he rides to his friend’s house and he
does parkour, so that should be good.
We’ll see. Kandyce has worked
hard at the gym and has done a lot of running as she prepares for the Gilbert
Half Marathon. She has done some
swimming and riding as well. Me? I was still in recovery from St. George
marathon the week before, but I felt I could still improve on my previous time
from 2 years ago.
I set the alarm, woke the gang, and loaded up the
bikes. Melissa and Bryson walked to the
start since they live so close. We found
them and started to get registered and marked.
The morning was comfortable and not too hot. The only problem during
setup was Bryson had a flat. We put on a
patch and hoped it would hold.
Brooke is a great swimmer and she started first. Then Kandyce followed me into the pool. I passed a few swimmers and a few passed
me. There was only one annoying swimmer
that passed on the inside and caused some problems. Out of the water and off to the bike.
I have new tri cycling shoes and I went without socks for
the first time. That saved about 15s (and
totally worth it:-), and it felt fine.
In fact, I liked the feel of the cool air on my feet as I started
out. In transition I saw Bryson saying
that his tire was low; dang. I told him
to go run anyway.
On the bike I started hammering up the hill on the first lap. Only one rider passed me during the whole bike
segment. I’m not sure if he was on the
same lap as me and I couldn’t see his number to find out how well he finished. I was aiming for 22mph average and nailed
it. On to the run.
I still didn’t put on socks figuring that 5km was not going
to cause any foot issues. It was getting
a bit warmer, but not overly so. I saw
Chantelle and Devon out on the bike, but not the others. On the run I was aiming for low 7 minute
pace, but I could not get there with the fatigue from the marathon. So I held what I could get. On the return I saw Kandyce on the other side
of the road. During the last mile a
woman passed me, but I stayed in her draft.
With about a half mile to go, I slipped past her and didn’t see her
again. The last bit of the run is on
grass so I was careful of my footing worried a divot would take me down.
Across the field and into the stadium for the finishing
chute. I saw Brooke and my parents on
the left. I was glad to have someone
cheering this week! I crossed the line
and did have a PR at 1:05:25. For a time
I was listed as first overall, but I could tell that the swim time was not
included. I told the timer and he didn’t
believe me at first, but he finally figured it out. I was 10th overall and 2nd
in my age group! A podium finish for my
sponsor.
Kandyce had a PR and won her age group. Chantelle was 3rd in her age
group. Devon came next and did
surprisingly well for the amount of training he did. Melissa finished the run and was pleased to
be able to run it out. Bryson ended up
doing two laps on the bike with a low tire, and then did the run. My cousin JJ brought up the rear and he was
thrilled.
It was so fun to do this event with the whole family. It has given us something to work on
together. I think Chantelle was the most
surprised at how much fun she had. I
think they will all want to do more races, but not next week though! Mesa Sprint is a great tri for beginners and
veterans alike. Very well organized and
a fun course. Maybe we’ll be back next
year!
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