Jordanelle Triathlon 2007

I signed up for the Olympic distance at Jordanelle Triathlon this year, and it was a beautiful day with a beautiful course.

Swim (1500 m):
Took a little bit to get into my rhythm, but went surprisingly well considering how little swim training I've done in the past few months. My buddy saved the day by letting me use some of his BodyGlide. I'd have had some serious wetsuit chafing on my neck if not for him. Thanks Devan! [He went on to take 16th overall. Major stud.]

So hot! I hear wetsuits are all the rage in Paris these days!

Since the water is low at Jordanelle right now, we had a 1/2 mile run from the water's edge to the transition area (which was fairly long on its own). My trusty yellow velcro-strap shoes did the trick just right for that run.

Bike (24.8 miles):

I'd describe the bike as mostly a small incline for the first half and then lots of downhill with one big climb on the back half. I certainly didn't have a PR on the bike, but we rode by some pretty country-side and next to the river, so that was a good distraction. I tried a new energy drink called HEED, instead of my usual Gatorade (or occasional Accelerade), and I really liked it. Not too sweet, but enough flavor to be tasty.

Top speed on the bike: about 47 mph, coming down the hill from Francis. Gotta love being in your hardest gear and feeling the wind on your face!

Run (5.2 miles):
My right hamstring was getting a little tight as I finished the bike, but I was hopeful that it would loosen up once I wasn't in the aero position anymore. Fortunately, I was right. However, then my right quad started to hurt. So the first loop of the run wasn't as fast as I'd have liked, but I got into a groove and was able to negative-split on the second loop.

"I hurt!"

It was a fun race, and I'm really glad I did it. Doing a big race like this was just what I needed to get motivated again to train consistently and have a good last couple races of my season. If you've been inspired and want to join me, I've got Ogden Valley (Huntsville, UT on Sept. 15) and the Osprey Sprint Tri (Public Landing, MD on Oct. 6) left this year, along with some 5Ks. Happy training!