2017 Vermillion Olympic Triathlon
I did my first sprint triathlon in 2015 and caught the bug. The first triathlon that I did was called "My First Tri", which was a race that geared toward first-time triathletes (only 500m swim, 10 miles bike, and 2 miles run). In 2016, I signed up for the Olympic distance triathlon at Brewhouse tri in Duluth, MN but, unfortunately, we moved to OH in July (the race was in August). Nonetheless, I managed to do another sprint tri in Eau Claire (EC triathlon) before we left.
This year my goal was simple. I wanted to try the Olympic distance to gauge how much I like the sport and if I want to do longer distance tri (Ironman 70.3, or a full Ironman). Some people told me they did not like this distance because the swim is almost a mile (0.9) while the half Ironman swim is 1.2 miles.
I left home at 5am and it took an hour to get to Vermillion, OH. The race started at 7.30am, which gave me enough time to pick up the package, set up the transition area, and use the restroom. One tip that I received from the OWS workshop was to arrive at the beach early and look for something that I can sight while swimming.
I was super nervous before the start. The good thing about Vermillion Tri was that they did not use the mass start. Instead, they let 3-4 athletes get in the water at a time and about 3-5 seconds apart. So, that really helped calming me down. Once I got in the water, the anxiety was gone (that might be because I was the last person to start lol).
Olympic distance swim went through the yellow buoys twice (1500 m). Since they let male athletes started before female, some fast guys already started their 2nd loop while I was still on my first (some kicking and chaos).
Transition 1 (T1) was smooth. I set up the transition area and repeated it so many times that I knew what I was doing. The first couple of miles on the bike was hard due to rocky road surface and my arms were still sore from swimming. I was able to pick up the speed after we entered the smooth road section but I was still slow.
Transition 2 (T2) from bike to run was quick. I ran to the transition area, hung my bike, put on running shoes and took off. My legs at that time felt like jello but that was expected. I tried to practice more bike-to-run transition and that helped a bit. I took the Honey stinger chews as my nutrition during the run. The run was at a good (to me)/easy pace - around 10 min/mile. Since the run was an out-and-back course, I started seeing fast people coming back from the other direction. The weather was hot and running on road in 85 degrees was my least favorite :( I slowed down from Mile 1.5 to 3 and walked through the water stops. Six miles may not sound much for ultra runners but if they come after 25 miles of biking and 0.9 mile swim, it could add up. I was glad it was only 6 miles.
By the time I finished, most people had already left the race area. Most people did the sprint distance and they started and finished WAY before I did. I also got to talk to a guy from Cleveland Triathlon Club while running. He was injured and had to walk a lot during the run. I met the same guy after he crossed the finish line so we chatted a bit before I left (still had an hour drive home).
My time was not good at the race but that was expected given that my goal was just to "try" this distance and to finish the race. Most importantly, I had fun during the race. That's considered a success!
This year my goal was simple. I wanted to try the Olympic distance to gauge how much I like the sport and if I want to do longer distance tri (Ironman 70.3, or a full Ironman). Some people told me they did not like this distance because the swim is almost a mile (0.9) while the half Ironman swim is 1.2 miles.
I left home at 5am and it took an hour to get to Vermillion, OH. The race started at 7.30am, which gave me enough time to pick up the package, set up the transition area, and use the restroom. One tip that I received from the OWS workshop was to arrive at the beach early and look for something that I can sight while swimming.
I was super nervous before the start. The good thing about Vermillion Tri was that they did not use the mass start. Instead, they let 3-4 athletes get in the water at a time and about 3-5 seconds apart. So, that really helped calming me down. Once I got in the water, the anxiety was gone (that might be because I was the last person to start lol).
Olympic distance swim went through the yellow buoys twice (1500 m). Since they let male athletes started before female, some fast guys already started their 2nd loop while I was still on my first (some kicking and chaos).
Transition 1 (T1) was smooth. I set up the transition area and repeated it so many times that I knew what I was doing. The first couple of miles on the bike was hard due to rocky road surface and my arms were still sore from swimming. I was able to pick up the speed after we entered the smooth road section but I was still slow.
Transition 2 (T2) from bike to run was quick. I ran to the transition area, hung my bike, put on running shoes and took off. My legs at that time felt like jello but that was expected. I tried to practice more bike-to-run transition and that helped a bit. I took the Honey stinger chews as my nutrition during the run. The run was at a good (to me)/easy pace - around 10 min/mile. Since the run was an out-and-back course, I started seeing fast people coming back from the other direction. The weather was hot and running on road in 85 degrees was my least favorite :( I slowed down from Mile 1.5 to 3 and walked through the water stops. Six miles may not sound much for ultra runners but if they come after 25 miles of biking and 0.9 mile swim, it could add up. I was glad it was only 6 miles.
By the time I finished, most people had already left the race area. Most people did the sprint distance and they started and finished WAY before I did. I also got to talk to a guy from Cleveland Triathlon Club while running. He was injured and had to walk a lot during the run. I met the same guy after he crossed the finish line so we chatted a bit before I left (still had an hour drive home).
My time was not good at the race but that was expected given that my goal was just to "try" this distance and to finish the race. Most importantly, I had fun during the race. That's considered a success!
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