LaPorte YMCA Triathlon - 2016

Triathlon is not something I have been focused on this summer.  I broke down earlier this year to get an MRI on my shoulder to figure out what is wrong with it & found out I have a ~50% thickness tear in my rotator cuff.  OK, now it makes sense why my shoulder hurts.  I have drastically cut back on swimming this year.  I have been averaging a little over 2,000 yards per month.   It's not surprising to learn my swimming has suffered greatly.

A friend of ours was planning to compete in her first triathlon this summer. She asked if I wanted to come up and do it with her and after looking up the swim distance (1/4 mile open water) I quickly agreed.  I have not done an open water swim in a few years but knew I could swim a quarter of a mile.

The race was on Saturday so we took Friday off & drove up to Northern Indiana.  We arrived about 5PM.  It gave us plenty of time to visit & have a fantastic BBQ dinner that Caleb made.   We all went to bed early. I got a good nights sleep & felt well rested when the alarm went off at 5:30AM.

We loaded up the car & was on our way by about 6:15AM.  We ate PBJ's on our drive up.  We arrived around 6:45AM, put our stuff in transition & went to packet pickup.  We were pretty much all set by 7:30AM.  We headed to the water & did a short swim warm up.  At this point, I knew this was probably going to be one of my worst  swims ever.

Iskra & I before the swim

There were 3 male waves, 2 female waves & 1 relay wave.  All went off 5 minutes apart starting at 8AM.  We started at 8:20AM.  It was awful.  I tried to stay to the side but was with people the entire swim.  I have no strength in my pull anymore.  Well, I do but my shoulder hurts if I try to pull hard so I don't.  Since my swim was so slow I was stuck in the breaststroking pack. You know, the ones with the crazy kicks.  Of course, I got kicked.....so.many.times.

Maybe I could just water jog this thing?

When I finally emerged, it was 14+ minutes later and only about 4 people still in the water.  I tried to warn Steve I would be slow but he was still surprised at just how slow I really was.

1/4 mile Swim: 14m26s.  14/14 AG --- aackk

T1 Time: 1m38s.  3/14 AG

The bike is where I spend ALL my time now.  I love to ride my bike and it loves me.  Not like swimming or running.  I had no idea what to expect on the route.  Iskra said it was a bit hilly but did that mean Kentucky hilly or Indiana hilly? I didn't bother to drive the route before. It did have some hills but nothing too bad.  There was just under 300 feet of climbing over 12.4 miles.  No biggie.  The course was an out & back.  The roads near the lake were rough but there was also newly paved roads.  I went pretty hard in an attempt to salvage my embarrassing swim.

12.4 mile Bike: 42m41s - 17.4 mph.  1 /14 AG --- yeeeessss

T2: 1m4s.  4/14

The run was lovely.  It ran around the lake & was mostly in the shade.  I have been maintaining about 10 miles per week all summer and my goal was to stay sub 11 minute mile which I did. The temperature was in the mid-70s which was a nice change from Kentucky.  I did pour water over my head several times during the run to stay cool. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the run.

3.4 mile Run: 37m03s.  8/14 AG --- Met my goal

Total: 1h36m50s.  7/14 AG --- Not too shabby for not being focused on triathlon training

I was equally thrilled & frustrated with my times for this race.  I am still shocked at how much my swim has declined over the last year due to this injury but I am very grateful that I can do this at all.   Thankfully the race didn't make my shoulder worse.

Iskra did fantastic for her first triathlon.  When we left for home she was already looking for the next race.

All smiles at the finish!

We spent the rest of the day touring the area.  We hit up the farmers market, a couple of breweries & a local distillery.  The visit made me realize I really miss Northern summers.  Not enough to move or anything - the winters still suck!

Next up...C&O Canal Bike Trip!