Well, I am happy to report that I graduated yesterday from triathlete in training to sprint triathlete...I had an AWESOME time, I learned A LOT, and I WILL be back for more (actually went to see about some aero bars today)...

So, my first event was the Jacksonville Sprint #3. This is the last race in a three series held annually in June, July and August. Next year I will do the whole series.

I got up at 4AM to get ready and check all my stuff for the umpteenth time. I wanted to be there by 6AM to set up early and the ride to Fernandina Beach is just under an hour. Got there on time and got marked up and into transition set up (I had got my packet day before - a good idea I found out) The great thing was that racking was done by number and I was able to be the first bike on the first rack to the right into transition from the swim (no chance of getting lost!) The swim entrance was also the run exit so again, a great place to be for transition.

It was a gorgeous morning and the seas were really nice and calm. Perfect for a nice swim. I am really glad I took some time to swim at my local beach so I was really comfortable and I had no worries or anxiety about the race which is rare for me. I just felt like having fun with it.

I raced age group which if I would have known to race as a novice, I would have. Anyway, I was in second wave and we were off around 7:38. My swim was comfortable but I am pretty slow. I was tooling along feeling pretty good and a girl on the kayak asked me if I wanted to rest....I was like, no, I'm fine....just a slow poke! I got passed by just about all and a few feet in my face but overall it was pleasant. My swim time for the quarter mile was 13:16.1 (definitely some room to improve). I did keep with the crawl even though I was face out of water most of the time. I'm still working on stroke breathing. All in all a nice leisurely swim..but I felt pretty tired at the end. I smiled and waved at my wife to let her know I didn't drown! Off to transition I went.

Transition to the bike went pretty well and I was pleased with a 1:38 transition time which included socks! The bike leg went pretty well which for me is my most comfortable leg. While I'm relatively slow at around 17mph, I managed to eek out an 18.5 avg for the 10 mile ride with a time of 32.23.0. This is a personal best for me. The course was nice and flat which probably helped quite a bit. I felt really good and I found it amusing getting aced by a bunch of older folks! Good on 'em! Transition from bike to run went really well at :55 seconds! I was pleased to see that time.

The run....man, did I get my butt kicked. My bricks had been pretty good with 3 milers averaging 23:45 which is fast for me. Yesterday, my 3 mile pace was a 9:25 at 28.14.2 (waaaaaayyyy too slow!) I think that adding the swim and the heat of the day took a lot out of me as I came out of the water pretty beat but happy and smilin' about makin' it! I gave in to the heat and walked a bit on the run which I really shouldn't have done....I need to work on resolve!

Overall, I was 186 out of 350 something with a time of 1:16:26.2. (It's a really fast course with the winner in at just under 49 minutes) My three goals were to finish, not be last, and (a more lofty) try to beat 75 minutes. Well, I made two out of three and only missed the 75 minutes by a minute 26 seconds.

All I can say is that I had an awesome time and I was glad to have finished. Having been a sedentary 267lbs last April, I can be very, very thankful for the new life, health, and growing level of fitness I have. I'll definitely be back for more and can't wait for another race. I want to run the Jacksonville marathon in December so another tri may have to be on next year's menu but I definitely plan to do the whole Jacksonville series. I really had a great, great time and was happy to have run my first race. I also am thankful for all of the advice, support, and availability of this site that was so very helpful in getting me ready. Thank you!