2008 Tri the Creek

Prologue
It's the start of the triathlon season and the return of swimming in Cherry Creek where I swam over twenty years ago growing up. Triathlon season was supposed to start four weeks ago but was put on hold after the tornado wiped out Windsor. The race was originally postponed and was finally cancelled for the year. So it Tri the Creek at Cherry Creek.
I wasn't sure how the race would go since I've been traveling for work the last week. I didn't get in a lot of swimming and very little cycling. I was in St Paul and no one knew where a public pool was. Life Time Fitness wanted $25 for a single day which seemed a little steep so being cheap meant no swimming.
Act 1 - The Swim - 800 meters? - 17:27.7,
It's the first open water swim of the season. I've been working on my stroke, getting good pool time and hopefully it will pay off. The course is a very slanted triangle that almost parallels the shore on both the out and back. The first buoy seems to be missing or it's just a long way out. Either way, it's the course that's set and it's what we'll swim.
There are eight waves but for some reason the waves start only eight minutes apart. It spreads the crowd out a little but the swim is still crowded. I move to the start of my wave for the start and start out with a quick minute sprint to get into clear water. That doesn't last long as I start to catch the earlier wave and after three or four minutes, I'm in the thick of the earlier waves.
I had a little trouble staying focused on the way back to the shore and I found myself having to work to keep my head in the game. I saw some people stand but I think I misjudged the depth once when I tried to stand. Time to keep the head down and swim to shore.
T1 - 1:12.6
Like always it's uphill to transition. I've spent a little time practicing transitions and one thing I've learned is it's not about speed but about patience. Slow down a little, focus and don't make mistakes and you will get out faster than if you rush and forget something. I run out passing a couple in transition and a couple more as they mount up. Jump and start to ride.
Act 2 - The Bike - 14 miles - 33:06.4, 25.4 mph
A quick out and back from the marina to the spillway loop. The course started with a little downhill stretch and then flat across the south end of the reservoir. There were some small climbs on the east side which helped break up the ride and I tried to stay on the aerobars the whole way.
The turnaround was the parking lot by the dam spillway where I used to fish growing up. Even though it was early, there were fishermen out just like I was years ago.
Most of the way I was doing the passing but on the return leg someone finally passed me. The P2SL rode great and it's a lot of fun flying by people on bikes that are much more expensive. I was also reminded about the discussion I had about wheels at the bike store. The aero wheels look great but you need a good engine to make them work.
I kept with me for most of the way to back to transition and felt pretty good about my ride. I was in the aerobars almost the whole way including up the hills. Another interesting thing was that I rode near the front of the saddle most of the way. It wasn't really a conscience decision, it was just how I became positioned.
T2 - 45.8
I left the shoes on the pedals and on the way into transition I heard some kid comment that they don't even take their shoes off the bike.
Act 3 - The Run - 5k - 19:40.4, 6:20/mile
A quick downhill to start the race and then out on the bike path. I tried to get the legs to stretch out but settled for turnover. I had some right calf cramping on the bike and it was a little tight on the run which I think kept the stride short. I was able to keep the turnover high which helped keep the speed up. I caught someone around half a mile into the run who I thought would be good to pace off of but passed him after about ten seconds when I figured I should run my race. About twenty seconds later, a young shirtless guy passed me and I couldn't go with him. I kept the pace for the rest of the race and at the turnaround I was the sixteenth person. I passed two more of them on the way back to move up to being the fourteenth person over the line.
Total Time: 1:12:12, 6th overall, 1st AG M40-44
Epilogue
Wow, my first age group win at a competitive race. It was hard to know where I was on the course since the swim start intervals were so small and body marking didn't include age. After the race I met Ed the shirtless runner and Brian Todd from ski patrol. Brian's wife was racing so he was cheering her on with their daughter. For the first race of the season, I was really pleased with my effort and the results. Hopefully the rest of the season goes as well as the start.