Delaware Invitational 2010
By Jessica Johnson
A long-distance junkie attempts a sprint triathlon:
I’m new to triathlon but no stranger to long distance. The 70.3 is my favorite race across all disciplines, and I’ve always said I don’t like the shorter races, but I’d never done one (a little crazy, yes, but I didn’t start with a sprint). I had a free weekend here in DC and had the option of a 200mi bike ride or a sprint triathlon. To do the ride, I’d have to track down a tail light (required of all riders) and be on my bike by 4:30am, so I opted for the tri in Delaware instead. A little hometown race, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found a well-run event with a good course and great support.
The lake was long and narrow, much like Finger Lakes back home, but for this race, the buoys were set up to swim across it (!) rather than down and back. I’m not even sure we needed more than one buoy, but somehow they managed to fit 5 along the course. We went off in 5 waves, and with a small field, I think there were maybe 20 women in my wave, which meant no water wrestling – kind of nice, actually. I sighted once – first buoy. Sighted again – second buoy. Wow, this is short. Made the turn and headed back, then my hands hit the sand and I was done. I didn’t wear a watch, but knew it was short (short, not necessarily fast).
Transition was in the sand, but this wasn’t really a problem until I ran my bike through the mud left from a monster storm the night before. Good thing I didn’t try to clip my shoes onto my pedals (not that my coordination would allow it anyway). The bike course was advertised as flat and fast, but it had a lot of turns, so I was skeptical. Turns out the course was fast but my legs weren’t – maybe not quite recovered from the hills Thursday night or drained from Friday’s hot morning run – but whatever it was, it wasn’t pretty. I even checked to make sure my brakes weren’t rubbing, but alas, no excuse for the strained effort. But by mile 8, I was feeling better, and by mile 10 I was cruising. A long race is more forgiving, but in a short sprint, the bike was nearly done by the time my legs felt ready to race. Lesson learned: this is why people warm up before the short races. A 1.2mi swim, on the other hand, gives you plenty of time to wake up. . . .
Back to the sand/mud pit for T2, then off for the run. A few hearty fans braved the 90deg heat and cheered us on like rockstars out of transition. Warmed up now, I was feeling good, but it was hot without the wind of the bike. I passed a few guys and got passed by another girl in my age group. On the bike, this would have gotten me fired up, but the run isn’t my strong suit, so I let her go. That, and she looked way better than I felt. But to my surprise, I kept her in sight through the first mile, and even the second. And to my greater surprise, I passed her on a hill late in the third mile. Surely that pissed her off and she’d beat me in a kick to the finish. But I never saw her again, and was amazed to see my time at the finish – a 5K PR (!) and over a minute ahead of what I’d thought would have been a good race. I was pretty excited about that, and started to see why people might like this sprint thing. . . . 😉
My overall time was a PR, of course, but it was also good enough for 1st in my age group (13sec ahead of the girl I finally caught on the run) and 4th female overall (the perks of a small field). I’m trying to uphold the legacy of CMC 1000+mi away. . . . 🙂
I had a good time and enjoyed doing something a little different, but I can’t say I’m sold on the sprint distance, where it’s technically more demanding and physically intense in different ways. I like being able to settle into a rhythm and enjoy the day – sometimes a very long day. So after the awards, I grabbed my swim cap and goggles and swam the length of the lake this time, and felt a little more at home. 🙂
Enjoy the journey – short or long, fast or slow; enjoy it.
Jessica