Santa Fe Triathlon
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." -Christopher McDougall
Today was our third year participating in the City of Santa Fe Triathlon! This is a fun tradition and I enjoy the race order of Run-Bike-Swim. We both had a good race and my hubby placed first in his age group again. Here's the breakdown of my race:
5K run (time: 25:54):
The race begins with a long, steady downhill for the first mile, then gradually climbs back up to complete the loop. I started out fast on the downhill, settled into my pace after the first mile, then tried to pass one person at a time during the last uphill portion. I have really been feeling slow lately because I've been doing a lot of long-distance running and not enough speed work, and during this run I really felt more like the gazelle than the lion. A few people passed me during the last mile and I just couldn't seem to catch the people ahead of me, but I was ecstatic when I glanced at my time as I ran through the gate and realized that I set a new personal best for my 5K! I finished the run portion in second place in my age group.
12 mile bike (time: 41:52):
I was in really strong biking shape earlier this spring and trained hard for the Half Century in May, then focused on my mountain biking for the majority of the summer, but I admit I haven't been road biking enough in the past few weeks. I started off the bike portion of the race feeling strong. It was a beautiful morning -- even a little chilly, which sure beats the heat -- and I spent a few moments admiring the mountain view during the bike ride heading south over rolling hills. On the return trip, though, my legs were sore and I could feel that I wasn't able to maintain the same pace. On this route I often make the mistake of thinking I am almost to the end, when in fact there is one more big hill to go. I finished about a minute slower than last year's time.
400 meter swim (time: 11:24):
I've had a few disastrous swims in my earlier triathlons this season. I really struggle with breathing during open water swims when I'm in "race mode" and feel like I can't fully exhale long enough to get my face in the water. Thankfully the swim portion of this race was in a warm pool! I took a few deep breaths when I hopped into the pool and was able to maintain a steady stroke with my normal rhythm and breathing throughout the swim. The pool didn't seem as crowded as previous years so I didn't feel anxious. I needed to take short breaks after each lap, and I was almost a minute slower than last year, but I'm satisfied that I was able to swim consistently.
I got passed by three people in my age group during the swim and finished fifth overall for my age group, and two minutes slower than last year's time. Overall, though, I'm happy with how I felt during this race and am thrilled about my 5K run time! It was fun to see some of our friends and coworkers at this local race.
Upcoming Races:
Only 6 more days until my sister and I run the Nashville Women's Half Marathon! And next month Jaycob and I are running another half marathon in Moab on our anniversary. I'm looking forward to taking a break from swimming and biking for a few weeks.
Today was our third year participating in the City of Santa Fe Triathlon! This is a fun tradition and I enjoy the race order of Run-Bike-Swim. We both had a good race and my hubby placed first in his age group again. Here's the breakdown of my race:
5K run (time: 25:54):
The race begins with a long, steady downhill for the first mile, then gradually climbs back up to complete the loop. I started out fast on the downhill, settled into my pace after the first mile, then tried to pass one person at a time during the last uphill portion. I have really been feeling slow lately because I've been doing a lot of long-distance running and not enough speed work, and during this run I really felt more like the gazelle than the lion. A few people passed me during the last mile and I just couldn't seem to catch the people ahead of me, but I was ecstatic when I glanced at my time as I ran through the gate and realized that I set a new personal best for my 5K! I finished the run portion in second place in my age group.
12 mile bike (time: 41:52):
I was in really strong biking shape earlier this spring and trained hard for the Half Century in May, then focused on my mountain biking for the majority of the summer, but I admit I haven't been road biking enough in the past few weeks. I started off the bike portion of the race feeling strong. It was a beautiful morning -- even a little chilly, which sure beats the heat -- and I spent a few moments admiring the mountain view during the bike ride heading south over rolling hills. On the return trip, though, my legs were sore and I could feel that I wasn't able to maintain the same pace. On this route I often make the mistake of thinking I am almost to the end, when in fact there is one more big hill to go. I finished about a minute slower than last year's time.
400 meter swim (time: 11:24):
I've had a few disastrous swims in my earlier triathlons this season. I really struggle with breathing during open water swims when I'm in "race mode" and feel like I can't fully exhale long enough to get my face in the water. Thankfully the swim portion of this race was in a warm pool! I took a few deep breaths when I hopped into the pool and was able to maintain a steady stroke with my normal rhythm and breathing throughout the swim. The pool didn't seem as crowded as previous years so I didn't feel anxious. I needed to take short breaks after each lap, and I was almost a minute slower than last year, but I'm satisfied that I was able to swim consistently.
I got passed by three people in my age group during the swim and finished fifth overall for my age group, and two minutes slower than last year's time. Overall, though, I'm happy with how I felt during this race and am thrilled about my 5K run time! It was fun to see some of our friends and coworkers at this local race.
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| Setting up my transition zone in the dark |
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| Getting ready for the start |
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| Jaycob receiving his age-group award |
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| Winner winner chicken dinner! |
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| Watching awards with our friend, Marek, who came to cheer us on. |
Upcoming Races:
Only 6 more days until my sister and I run the Nashville Women's Half Marathon! And next month Jaycob and I are running another half marathon in Moab on our anniversary. I'm looking forward to taking a break from swimming and biking for a few weeks.
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