So I did my first triathlon - started with a super sprint, but it still counts!! I was hoping to do it in May of 2020, but covid!  I appreciated the extra year anyway! :)  I found two other newbies to share a hotel with so that was very nice! We bonded and shared ideas and information...and the cost!

I thought I got to the site very early with plenty of time.  But I was slow and casual about it and then still felt rushed at the end!  I checked in, set up my spot with all my gear. I wanted to go to the bathroom before the race but I didn’t quite need to yet.  So I went for a 10 minute brisk walk to warm up. Then went to the bathroom, then had to squeeze into that wetsuit that may or may not be too small!  The water start line was .65 miles away so the guy was up there telling us we needed to hurry up and get down there - no pressure or anything! AGH!  I got my stuff on and got down there. Hoping into the water at the finish line and swam to the start for my warm up.  The water felt not too cold and all was well!!

I registered as Athena (which is code for fat person) so I got a 5 min head start, which meant I got to head out first!  Start bell blasts and off we go into the water.  I don’t know if I started too fast, even though I intentionally started towards the back, or what the deal was, but I was quickly out of breath!!  I was struggling with freestyle so I tried backstroke - still too many waves and people and they were splashing water into my face.  Back to my front.  But I needed to keep my head out of the water and I was very much struggling to breath.  I stopped at EVERY kayak to catch my breath!!  It was really hard and I hated every second - and I LOVE swimming!  My guess is it was the wetsuit! I’m hoping my next tris will be without it and will be better!  I kept thinking “good thing Bertha didn’t do this” and “no wonder Jenni does duathlons!”  I eventually came to the end, peeled off my wetsuit, put on my old shoes and WALKED back up to the transition area!  I was definitely looking forward to “resting” on my bike.

The bike ride was cool.  It was in the foothills on curvy rolling hills.  It was a lot of working shifting and I took it slow and cautious.  There were a couple hard hills but mostly it was very nice and enjoyable!  I was wanting clip-on shoes cause a few times I lost my pedals when I didn’t shift quick enough for the downhills!

The run was on a narrow trail, mostly pack sand.  It was also small rolling hills so I walked the uphills and tried to run the flat and down, but sometimes that was too rocky or uneven so I walked that too.  It wasn’t terribly hot or hard though so that was nice!

I certainly didn’t win any speed contests, but I wasn’t last! :)  There were 3 people who finished after me LOL  (also fellow fat folks!).  As I came in to the finish line I FINALLY noticed that my kids were there with signs and cowbells!  No one has ever been there to cheer me on before!!  So the fact that they woke up early on a Sunday, drove 1 ½ hours, and paid $12 parking, to cheer me on for my first triathlon on Mother’s Day was very special!  Afterwards we ate a bit, I showered and checked out of the hotel, then we walked/hobbled around the galleria and refueled! My left piriformis was sore, but was better the next day with lots of stretching!

For starters, this corner of Utah is beautiful. Lots of interesting rocks and hills, if you like that sort of thing. (I do!) I also just spent a significant time working out _outside in May_ and am not fighting allergies. (Major bonus!) So there's that: definitely a destination race. The race itself is huge: upwards of 3,000 racers. It's also the North American Pro Championship, so if you ever wanted to share a course with a lot of people who will pull off sub-4 times, here's your chance. The race has a reputation for wind and heat, and is a 2-transition race.

Today the weather was very nice. No wind until _after_ I finished, and although the temperature was 85-90 on the run it's a dry heat and the sky was high overcast so it was actually comfortable. Locals tell me that this is unusual.

I did mention rocks and hills, though, right? The swim is flat. Enjoy the swim (36 minutes for me, AGAIN!) because other than one 200m stretch between two hills on the bike course the swim is the only flat. It's not bad, mostly, but there are several mile-long stretches where you will be in your lowest gear and wishing you had lower. In between the uphills there are some screaming descents on smooth asphalt: I just tucked in on the aerobars and maxed out at 48 before traffic --it's a big race-- slowed me down.

At mile 23 there's the one patch of bad pavement (tar-snakes) and I launched a full bottle of Perpetuum directly into oncoming traffic where it was run over by a truck. For this race I'd taken the unusual step of actually _planning_ my calories and fluid intake, so that put a kink in the plan! Fortunately I could fall back on my usual haphazard guzzling of whatever the aid stations had in stock. Unfortunately the aid stations stocked that awful Enduralite Gatorade stuff, orange flavor, and it messes up my stomach. Oh well, suck it up and keep riding.

The last and worst hill on the bike leg is miles 40-45 or so, through Snow Canyon Park. Gorgeous terrain, but even geared 36/26, with Q-Rings, I was down to 52 RPM at the top. From there, it's a 10-mile fast descent (on pretty good pavement) to T2. I pulled a 2:54 bike split: pretty happy about that given the amount of vertical involved. (3200' according to my Garmin.)

Then there's the run. I'd like to preface my commentary by noting that I have completed Auburn Long Course, AKA "The World's Hardest Half." This run is not _that_ hard, but you have to give the race director full points for trying. On miles 3, 7, and 10 there were more people walking than running. By continuing to 'run', I was able to pass some of those walkers. Barely. The middle 3-4 miles are marked out on a road that goes up and over a steep hill: by using both lanes AND a parallel jogging trail they were able to make us zigzag back and forth over that same damn hill four times. But all good things come to an end; in this case with almost two miles of uninterrupted descent into downtown St. George. I am happy to report that I finished this insane run course in under two hours! 1:59:57, to be exact.

Total time: 5:39:47. Not my best half-Iron time, but given the course I'll take it. It's better than I expected, and better than I deserved given my dismal state of training right now. (The only part of my training plan that I actually followed was the taper!)

Would I do it again? Yes. Next time I'd like to combine it with a VRBO and some other families, and maybe a day-trip or two to check out nearby Zion and/or Arches National Parks.

Oh, but BYO. This is Utah, so the beer at the finish contained no alcohol.

Swim, Bike, Run & Smile

Sponsors:

This month we want to highlight our sponsor Merrell, Irwin & Associates.

With tax season here make sure you give have them worry about your taxes, so you can keep training 😊. Here is the link https://www.micpachico.com/

POKER RUN:

Congratulations to Justin C. Waller for winning the poker run with 2 pair (Queens and Fours). For his efforts and good luck, he received $100 to Mom’s and the Bear. Thank you to all of you who came out and participated!

Strava Competition/Athlete of the Month:

The Strava competition is now going to be combined with the Athlete of the Month. We will be holding a monthly contest for members only. We will utilize the Strava data in helping to pick the Athlete of the Month. The time frame will be from the 1^st day of the month until midnight of the last day of the month. You will have to send in your completed training log to https://www.strava.com/clubs/ChicoTriClub by the 2^nd of the next month.

February’s winner is KATIE CARPENTER, congratulations and keep up the inspirational work!

Training:

Swims: The One Mile open water swim workouts should return in May 2021.

In Motion is partially opened and the pool is open. They have moved some of the equipment outdoors by the pool. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE CLUB.

The River Road TTs:    Will start on Thursday April 1, 2021.

This is a no-cost no-prize barely-organized race series, put on by yours truly in memory of Rodney, who is apparently dead or something because nobody's seen him at a bike event for years now. 😏 They will be held on the first Thursday of the month until October or so.

The course is a nearly-flat out-and-back beginning where 5th Street becomes River Road as it leaves town heading west. Sign-ups begin at 5:30 PM (ish) and riders will be started at 1-minute intervals beginning at 6:01 PM.

The rules:

(1) Helmet required. The road is open to traffic; assume all the drivers are homicidal maniacs talking on cellphones.

(2) No drafting, as defined by USAT rules: If you come within three bike-lengths of someone, pass them on the left within 25 seconds. If you get passed, drop back to more than 3 bike lengths behind them before attempting to re-pass them. Nobody is enforcing this rule, though: it just comes down to this being a race between you and the clock so keep other people out of it.

(3) Attempting to bribe the timer by bringing a dog treat for Suki is allowed.

(4) Times will be posted on the Chico Triathlon Club website when I get around to it.

 Thank you, Eric Ayers, for hosting the TTs.

Rides:  (Sorry Still on Hold)

The Sunday ride is run by Jenni Merrell. Location, route, and distance vary from week to week. Email Jenni to get the weekly details (treasurer@chicotriathlonclub.com). Also keep an eye on the Facebook page, she will usually post details there as well. Rain typically cancels. There is also a community Sunday 9:00 a.m. LSD (Long Steady Distance) ride that meets at One Mile. Pace is typically 18-19 mph and there are many options for early turns back into town during the ride.

The Friday Rides:

The rides will resume in the Spring of 2021. Email Shawn Hughes at amigohughes@gmail.com if you are interested in receiving notices of ride date and times.

Runs: (Sorry Still on Hold)  

The Saturday Beginner LSD is at 9:00 A.M. It is a slower paced beginner run going for up to 60 minutes. Meet at the 5-Mile Recreation Area near the bathrooms. There is also an LSD run on Saturday’s meeting at the 5-mile bathrooms at 8:00 AM. The Monday Night Run meets at Wildwood Park near the bathrooms at 6:00 P.M. bring headlamps. The run is posted on Facebook weekly.

CTC Track Workout: (Sorry Still on Hold)

Every Thursday meet at the Chico State track at 5:45 PM. Updates are made on the Facebook page.

Black Butte Tri/DU:

Race date is September 18, 2021. Registration is open NOW!!! The next price increase is April 1, 2021.

Race Results:

This is a shout out to anybody who has participated in a recent race. We would love to hear from you. Please send me any information on a race you have participated in.

This could be as simple as your name and the name of the event, your results or a race report outlining your personal experience.

Hope to see you soon,  

Shawn Hughes   CTC President