Snake River Sprint Triathlon
March 28-29, 2008
Clarkston, WA – Lewiston, ID
40 degrees, wind 14mph, mostly cloudy, blowing flurries
500 yard swim (pool), 12 mile bike, 2 mile run

The Snake River Tri was a fun laid back early season test race put on by the Lewis and Clark State College cross country team. The swim was held on Friday evening – first come first serve. They started you as the lanes opened up, so you were not really directly competing against anyone. The bike and run were held on Saturday morning. They lined everyone up outside of the transition area and started the clock. You got to enter the transition area when your swim time hit the clock.

This year, I started a triathlon club for Whitman College. This was my first big organizational undertaking so I was more nervous about the logistics and everybody else’s enjoyment of the event than my own race. There were 10 of us attending the event. We loaded the van and left campus on schedule (we are NOT the cycling team). After the swim, we checked in at our cheap crummy hotel and then went for a delicious dinner at the little Italian place called Antonio’s. We arrived at the bike/run nice and early so I had time to go over people’s bike mechanical issues, claim a good spot in transition and do a warm up. I definitely got a kick out of driving the giant cargo van with all the bikes :-P

Swim 500 yards, 6:31. That’s spot on for my prediction of what I am in shape for – same speed that I was when I was 12.

Splits for the bike and run are from me looking at my watch because there weren’t any official splits for the bike/run portion of the race.

T1 ~15 sec – just ran straight through the transition area with my bike shoes and helmet on and jumped on my bike.

Bike 12 miles, ~32:50 nearly 21.9mph!! My fastest bike split ever by a whopping 0.8mph. Makes me wonder if the course was short, but even if it was, there is enough cushion so I am confident that it was my fastest bike split ever. The tri bike must help more than I thought it would. The conditions were not easy either (like most of my races in the midwest). The course was an out and back uphill (400ft) for the first 6 miles, downhill for the second 6 miles. Apparently people from the hilly part of the country thought that it was very gradual, but I did the whole uphill portion in my 34. The wind seemed to be mostly crosswinds, but I’m not really a good judge of that and I wasn’t really paying attention. When it was snowing, it was coming sideways, not down. I’ve certainly never done a tri where there was snow before, even weird blowing snow where half the sky is sunny, so that was a first.

T2 ~30 sec – I was wearing thick gloves and wasted a bit of time fumbling with my helmet.

Run 2 miles, ~13:45. Not really my best run, but ok for early season. I think I was just super excited about my amazingly handsome new boy (my Orbea Ora, BEAST!) that I killed my legs before the run. Based on the way I ran last season, I’d expect more like a 12:50-13:00, however last season, I never biked 21 mph, so I think I’m ok. My heels were all bloody by the end – definitely should have practiced with those new racing flats first. And my little toenail decided that race day was the day it was going to break in half. But I didn't notice any of that during the race.

Total time: 53:53
11/134 overall
2/65 woman (by less than 30 sec)
1/14 F20-24

Results here:
http://www.lcsc.edu/crosscountry/2008SnakeTriResults.htm

I had fun, my team had fun, for all its low-key-ness, the event was run smoothly, and I have a better idea of my fitness level...

I also got to meet fellow trifueler derek5. Really nice guy with the cutest little baby boy I've ever seen. I was amazed to hear some one recognize me as catwood from trifuel as they passed me on the bike.

Trifuel article contributor Ben Greenfield was also at the race, though I didn't talk to him.