A
Adam T
Hey everybody, I'm so excited/relieved/happy today.
I've been holding out and not posting for a few weeks since I decided to do this race. I wanted to see how it went first. A couple of weeks ago, I talked two of my friends into entering the Kiawah Island Triathlon as a relay team. My cardio told me I could resume all normal activity on 9/1, so I decided to give my new valve and new bike their first test on a racecourse. It was a 1.5k ocean swim, 45k (27mi) bike, and a 10k run. Close to an olympic course, but a little bit longer.
I wasn't able to swim all summer, so my friend Steve was our designated swimmer, and my run is still very slow, so my friend Chris took that leg. They're both triathlon newbies, but very motivated and enthusiastic. I did the bike, which is by far my favorite part anyway. Team Triple Trouble (anyone catch the Beastie Boys reference?) was motivated and ready to go! Our expectations were to participate and have a good time.
The weather was beautiful this morning. Temps were in the mid 70's to low 80's during the race. We left before dawn and it was just getting light out when we hit the road to Kiawah. It's about a 10 mile stretch of overhanging live oak trees draped with Spanish moss with an occasional horse farm, all intersected by tidal creeks and salt marsh. The start was at a county park right on the beach with the transition area in the parking lot. It's the most beautiful setting I've ever raced in, I would highly reccomend it as a destination race.
Steve had a great swim, but they haven't posted the splits yet, so I don't know what his time was. It was point-to-point in very calm water from one spot on the beach to another with a short run up a trail to transition.
I started the bike pretty fast as I almost always do, but I was so pumped. I averaged about 23mph over the first 5 miles or so. HR was 140-145. I was pushing big gears because the course was pancake flat and we were protected from the wind by houses and lots of thick woods. Once we came out of the trees, the breeze slowed me down and my HR jumped up over 150 so I had to take it easier. I finished strong because I knew I didn't have a 10k to run and my day was done.
My split was 1:17:42 for 27 miles for an average speed of 21.0 mph according to my computer. I'm sure my actual split will be a little higher when the results are posted because of our transition time. My average HR was around 145, but topped 150 over the last couple of miles. I need to stick some aerobars on my bike next time so I can handle a headwind better. I did the whole race in the drops or on the hoods.
Chris took over for the run, while the rest of us (Steve and I and our wives) went to sit on the beach for a little while. We cheered everyone that came in until we saw Chris sprinting for the line. We turned in an overall time of just under 3 hours.
I should mention, we had an awesome brunch on the way home (shrimp and grits, my favorite) Not part of the race, but part of the experience for sure.
I was just happy to be out there competing again, feeling great, and taking in the atmosphere. I was very happy with my time, since I was only shooting for an average speed of 19mph. It couldn't have gone better. Now I'm motivated to tackle my next project, a 1/2 marathon Dec. 9th.
All-in-all a great race in a great setting. It's well-organized and supported. I highly recommend it. Here's the link: http://www.charlestontriathlonclub.com/kit2006/kit2006info.html
Thanks to everyone on this site for the inspiration and motivation to get out there after OHS and get back to doing what I love. To all those in the waiting room or who just had surgery, anything is possible.
I'll post a link to the results when it is available if anyone is interested.
Adam
I've been holding out and not posting for a few weeks since I decided to do this race. I wanted to see how it went first. A couple of weeks ago, I talked two of my friends into entering the Kiawah Island Triathlon as a relay team. My cardio told me I could resume all normal activity on 9/1, so I decided to give my new valve and new bike their first test on a racecourse. It was a 1.5k ocean swim, 45k (27mi) bike, and a 10k run. Close to an olympic course, but a little bit longer.I wasn't able to swim all summer, so my friend Steve was our designated swimmer, and my run is still very slow, so my friend Chris took that leg. They're both triathlon newbies, but very motivated and enthusiastic. I did the bike, which is by far my favorite part anyway. Team Triple Trouble (anyone catch the Beastie Boys reference?) was motivated and ready to go! Our expectations were to participate and have a good time.
The weather was beautiful this morning. Temps were in the mid 70's to low 80's during the race. We left before dawn and it was just getting light out when we hit the road to Kiawah. It's about a 10 mile stretch of overhanging live oak trees draped with Spanish moss with an occasional horse farm, all intersected by tidal creeks and salt marsh. The start was at a county park right on the beach with the transition area in the parking lot. It's the most beautiful setting I've ever raced in, I would highly reccomend it as a destination race.
Steve had a great swim, but they haven't posted the splits yet, so I don't know what his time was. It was point-to-point in very calm water from one spot on the beach to another with a short run up a trail to transition.
I started the bike pretty fast as I almost always do, but I was so pumped. I averaged about 23mph over the first 5 miles or so. HR was 140-145. I was pushing big gears because the course was pancake flat and we were protected from the wind by houses and lots of thick woods. Once we came out of the trees, the breeze slowed me down and my HR jumped up over 150 so I had to take it easier. I finished strong because I knew I didn't have a 10k to run and my day was done.
My split was 1:17:42 for 27 miles for an average speed of 21.0 mph according to my computer. I'm sure my actual split will be a little higher when the results are posted because of our transition time. My average HR was around 145, but topped 150 over the last couple of miles. I need to stick some aerobars on my bike next time so I can handle a headwind better. I did the whole race in the drops or on the hoods.
Chris took over for the run, while the rest of us (Steve and I and our wives) went to sit on the beach for a little while. We cheered everyone that came in until we saw Chris sprinting for the line. We turned in an overall time of just under 3 hours.
I should mention, we had an awesome brunch on the way home (shrimp and grits, my favorite) Not part of the race, but part of the experience for sure.
I was just happy to be out there competing again, feeling great, and taking in the atmosphere. I was very happy with my time, since I was only shooting for an average speed of 19mph. It couldn't have gone better. Now I'm motivated to tackle my next project, a 1/2 marathon Dec. 9th.
All-in-all a great race in a great setting. It's well-organized and supported. I highly recommend it. Here's the link: http://www.charlestontriathlonclub.com/kit2006/kit2006info.html
Thanks to everyone on this site for the inspiration and motivation to get out there after OHS and get back to doing what I love. To all those in the waiting room or who just had surgery, anything is possible.
I'll post a link to the results when it is available if anyone is interested.
Adam
