Lions Spring Sprint Triathlon
June 1, 2003
Pool Swim 250 Yds, Bike 9.3 Miles, Run 3 Miles
Living literally right next door to the wayside fitness center offered
little excuse for NOT doing the Lions Tri and certainly made the rainy
conditions on Sunday easier to deal with. Actually, when the alarm went off
at 5:45 am, the conditions weren't bad - low to mid 50s and very little
precipitation. However, upon picking up my registration stuff and dropping
off the bike and gear at 6:30, the rain was coming down and the wind
starting to pick up. I went for a quick warm up on the bike over part of the
course and got absolutely soaked! To quote a friend, the Marlboro Lions
"Aquathon" will be interesting!! For awhile, I was waffling back and forth
on what bike setup to use and what to wear on the bike course, eventually
deciding on the classic road setup and the tri suit only (no extra top or
jacket). Heck, I'm going to be cold and wet anyway...
It seemed there was a slight problem with online registration, so several of
the participants had to register again Sunday, which could have had them
starting the swim at the end of all the rest. But, Wendy was right on top of
the situation and allowed those of us who requested it to jump in line
during the swim where there was an opening. This allowed us to approximately
maintain the position we would have been in, given our swim time estimates -
an important detail in such a venue. Thanks much Wendy!
Swimming in a pool allows some semblance of order, more so than the
thrashing of arms and legs at the beginning of the typical open water swim.
Still, lots of water splashing around, and I managed to take in quite a bit
of it. Everyone says to keep hydrated during endurance events, but I don't
think this is what they meant! For me, the order was preserved, meaning I
didn't catch anyone and no one caught up to me. Exactly what I wanted. The
swim felt good, but I exerted a lot of energy and had a bit of trouble
pulling myself out of the pool and was fortunate not to fall back in on top
of the swimmer behind me. Now that would have been embarrasing.
The bike course without the rain is tough; a fair amount of hills, turns,
and a few roughspots along the road. All of these are exaggerated in the
rain. The conditions didn't make the course as tough as I thought - the one
spot where we really had to be careful was the tight turn at the bottom of
the long steep hill at mile 4. The best stretch is the first/last 1 to 1 1/2
miles - along Parmenter Road. Each way, it's fast, especially coming back
which provides the nice decent to get the momentum going. Even in the
rain... it was fun!
I had a pretty good transition from bike to run but my legs did NOT want to
move at the start. They were complaining for about the first two miles
which, not surprisingly, is nearly all uphill. I tried to remember: "shorten
your stride", but had to keep reminding myself. Once back onto Farm Road, I
knew the worst was over and I was pretty much home free, so I ramped it up a
bit for the last mile. The last stretch along Broadmeadow before the Fitness
Center always seems to last longer than expected, and it felt great seeing
the big finish line tent (balloon? what do you call that thing?).
My friends Rob and Ely came out from Quincy and Newton to show their
support, and ended up videotaping part of the event. Thanks guys for doing
that - it was great having you out there. As transition area spectators,
they relayed a couple of things afterward that made me laugh and had me
scratching my head, too. One worth noting was one ridiculous comment by a
local motorist halted by the marshalls at the entrance to the Wayside
Racquet parking lot. "Common on", he yells out the window after a few
seconds, "don't ya know... gas is expensive", in his 1972 Suburban that
MIGHT get 10 miles to the gallon. Yeah!
As usual, I was very impressed and pleased with the FIRM event. A top notch
organization - well organized, well marshalled course, and all of the
volunteers are great to work with. And, what a turnout - especially given
those conditions. Congratulations to everyone for sticking it out and
finishing the event! Thanks to FIRM, all the volunteers, and to the Wayside
Racquet Center. Oh yeah - thanks to my friends Rob and Ely for coming out!
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