Sunday, January 3, 2016

Life Time Athletic Indoor Tri

This was my first indoor tri. I wasn't sure what to expect. Since Bill M. was visiting, he decided to get in on it, too (his first tri since his 140.6 in 2012- way to go, Bill!). (times will be updated when the official results are posted)

It began in the pool, swimming as many laps as you could for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes ended, they told you how many laps you had completed and you had 10 minutes to get changed and get upstairs to get on a spin bike. The bikes were equipped with look pedals so I was excited to realize that my bike shoes were compatible. What I was NOT prepared for was how difficult it was to change into a sports bra and running tights when I was damp and how long it would take. I ended up starting the bike portion 30 seconds late.

Once I got going on the bike, I was cooking. Literally. It was hot and I watched pearl-sized beads of sweat bloom on the backs of my hands. I was glad I had towels. The volunteers were great, grabbing me water and a banana. I probably should have had a gu before or after the swim but half a banana did the trick to keep my blood sugar from tanking. One volunteer even brought up Eye of the Tiger on his phone and blasted it in my ear for the last 5 minutes of the 30 minute ride. I also did not realize for the first 5 minutes on the bike that the distance would increase faster with higher resistance. According to the bike computer, I was pedaling about 20-23mph the majority of the time, regardless of resistance. I had issues adjusting my saddle height and was pedaling standing for about 5 minutes while volunteers and a maintenance guy tried to fix it. I finally told them not to worry about it and sat back down.

We had 5 minutes after the bike to wipe off, grab a drink, and change our shoes. Running on the treadmill was great. I could set my pace and forget it. I meditated most of the run, with the exception of the few times I tried to rally the crowd. We ran for 20 minutes and it was done. What a great way to start the new year! If the run had been outside, this may have counted as my favorite race of all time!

Bonus: great t-shirts!

UPDATE: Finished 4th out of all the women! 17.5 lengths of the pool, 10.3 bike miles, 2.12 run miles