Beaver Freezer Triathlon
Last weekend I completed my first triathlon of the season in Corvallis at the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon. The race takes place on the beautiful campus of Oregon State University. It was so much fun! A completely different experience than I thought it would be. The race was blend of experienced triathletes and newbies. Fabulous people watching! I spent the night before at my sister's apartment and was ready to go bright and early the next morning!
While setting up my transition area Julie, next to me started chatting. It was her very first triathlon. In talking I mentioned that I was going to work on open swimming and spending more time on my bike this season. Julie mentioned that she does cold water open swim. We hit it off. We finished only seconds apart!
I was really surprised by how relaxed the swim was. I got few laps to warm up before starting, which was awesome. The ladies swam out of Dixon this year. My three swim lap buddies were super friendly and we all exited the pool at about the same time. I felt good on the swim. In retrospect I could have pushed a little harder. I was worried about bonking at some point as I was not familiar with the bike course. My last triathlon afterwards my blood sugar dropped scary low. I didn't want a repeat of that. I ate a protein bar a half hour before the swim. Before hopping on my bike a guzzled some Nuun and downed a Cliff Shot Block.
The bike. Now I know why they call it Beaver Freezer! Thankfully the day of the race was rain free! It was foggy and cold. A brisk 34 degrees when I arrived at transition. This is going to be the year of the bike. My bike "Johnny Cash" and I got passed a lot during the race. I have to say for the most part the ladies that I encountered on the bike portion of the race compared to the men were super fabulous. Offering words of encourgment and alerting me of passing me. Come on dudes, at least shout out "bike on left." As everyone passed me I channeled my friend Anne. I offered words of encouragement as they whizzed by. Girl power! One of the many reasons why I love this sport so much! By the time I got off the bike my feet where numb.
Run. I opted to forgo music. I had my Garmin but in the rush of getting off my bike neglected to start it. I grabbed my Nuun and downed another Shot Block. Off I went! My legs where heavy. I was trying not to trip. I got into a zone. It was three loops around campus then to the finish. The run is my strong point so this leg of the race I was the one who was passing people. I could have kept running. I felt strong. I didn't feel overly fast. I was blown away at my time for my 5k. I PR'd on my 5k time: 26:54! More importantly I felt good after the race. There was a good spread of food afterwards. I am really proud of my time. I cut a few minutes off my swim time. I know with more time with Johnny, my bike time will improve as well. It was a great first race of the season. My next triathlon is next month, Stayton Sprint Triathlon.
While setting up my transition area Julie, next to me started chatting. It was her very first triathlon. In talking I mentioned that I was going to work on open swimming and spending more time on my bike this season. Julie mentioned that she does cold water open swim. We hit it off. We finished only seconds apart!
I was really surprised by how relaxed the swim was. I got few laps to warm up before starting, which was awesome. The ladies swam out of Dixon this year. My three swim lap buddies were super friendly and we all exited the pool at about the same time. I felt good on the swim. In retrospect I could have pushed a little harder. I was worried about bonking at some point as I was not familiar with the bike course. My last triathlon afterwards my blood sugar dropped scary low. I didn't want a repeat of that. I ate a protein bar a half hour before the swim. Before hopping on my bike a guzzled some Nuun and downed a Cliff Shot Block.
The bike. Now I know why they call it Beaver Freezer! Thankfully the day of the race was rain free! It was foggy and cold. A brisk 34 degrees when I arrived at transition. This is going to be the year of the bike. My bike "Johnny Cash" and I got passed a lot during the race. I have to say for the most part the ladies that I encountered on the bike portion of the race compared to the men were super fabulous. Offering words of encourgment and alerting me of passing me. Come on dudes, at least shout out "bike on left." As everyone passed me I channeled my friend Anne. I offered words of encouragement as they whizzed by. Girl power! One of the many reasons why I love this sport so much! By the time I got off the bike my feet where numb.
Run. I opted to forgo music. I had my Garmin but in the rush of getting off my bike neglected to start it. I grabbed my Nuun and downed another Shot Block. Off I went! My legs where heavy. I was trying not to trip. I got into a zone. It was three loops around campus then to the finish. The run is my strong point so this leg of the race I was the one who was passing people. I could have kept running. I felt strong. I didn't feel overly fast. I was blown away at my time for my 5k. I PR'd on my 5k time: 26:54! More importantly I felt good after the race. There was a good spread of food afterwards. I am really proud of my time. I cut a few minutes off my swim time. I know with more time with Johnny, my bike time will improve as well. It was a great first race of the season. My next triathlon is next month, Stayton Sprint Triathlon.
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