Tri Raider Triathlon

Look Mom real race numbers, just like Kona!

    Buffalo Springs Lake is one of the best places to do a triathlon.  This past Saturday I competed in the Tri Raider Sprint Triathlon which was a great event.  The package pick up was at the Holiday Inn Plaza in Lubbock, TX and had an expo going on due to the 70.3 event which would be held on the following day after the Tri- Raider.  Marti and Mike Greer are the race directors and do a fantastic job organizing three different triathlons in two days.  The goody bag had a cool cotton t-shirt, power bar, advertisements,  and new race numbers called Tri Tatts.   I was really impressed with the numbers this year because it sure looked professional.
This triathlon has surely gained in popularity and broke the record for the highest attendance in its history. 
    This triathlon starts with an open water swim that is a beach start.  The water temperature was 74 degrees so I did not use a wet suit for the short 500 meter swim.  This year had two different waves, all of the guys and three minutes later, all of the girls.  Thank goodness none of the girls beat me out of the water.  I will have to say that the water was a bit choppy due to the windy conditions but I think the number of swimmers getting around the first buoy was the biggest hurdle of the swim.  I was quite happy with my swim time of just under nine minutes which is fast for me.
    My T1 transition was fast and I was on my bike quickly only to hit the first hill of the 17.6 mile coarse.  The bike coarse is an out and back route and has two decent climbs heading out of the park.  After getting out of the park I had a great tail wind heading toward the turn around point.  I took advantage of the tail wind and hammered hard on the pedals.  As soon as I reached the turn around point it was like hitting a wall.  The wind was brutal and everyone felt it.  The wind was blowing hard enough that I had to lean into the wind several times to keep balance on the bike.  I say that I actually like head winds because these conditions are favorable to strong cyclist.  I broke my PR for this coarse and finished the bike in just over 54 and a half minutes.  At this point I was doing great and was leading all of the Clydesdales, then disaster struck!

Trying to manage to run after falling

    I had a great T2 time and started out of the transition area.  As I ran onto the carpets leading out of the transition I tripped on one of the sand bags that was being used to keep the carpets from blowing away.   I landed right on my left knee which just happens to be my bad knee.  I quickly got up and started the 3.1 mile run.  As I was running I could feel my knee pulsating and I knew that it was not good.  About a mile into the race Martin Farrell past me like I was standing still.  My knee was bleeding, swollen and aching and there was no way to respond.  Truth of the matter is, Martin is such a great runner I don't think I could have done anything about it with a healthy knee.   God has His reasons for everything, and maybe I needed a piece of humble pie.  Even though I was injured I managed to finish the run in just over 28 and a half minutes.  I finished second in the Master Clydesdale division and really enjoyed the race.
    The day after the race not only is my knee swollen and achy but my calf muscle feels strained.  This has been a season filled with injuries, however, I am just thankful that God has given me the ability to do triathlons!  I just ask for those of you who read this blog to please pray that God would heal my knee and calf if it be his will.  Despite my mishap at the Tri- Raider I highly recommend this event and will return to do this triathlon again, if God is willing of coarse!

Ruidoso Triathlon

  The Ruidoso Triathlon is one of the shortest distance races of the Southwest Series Challenge, but one of the toughest courses.   This is a reverse triathlon that starts with the run which includes about two thirds of the coarse being on trails.  The event description states the the run is 3.5 miles in length but according to my Garmin it was 3.2 miles.  The trail, which goes around Grindstone Lake definitely makes this a great race.  Not only is it challenging but the run offers some great views.   During the run you will have to jump over roots, rocks and carefully navigate up and down the trial.  Passing other participants can be a problem because at many points along the coarse the trail is only wide enough for one person.  I would highly recommend some hill training before taking on this coarse.
   The bike coarse is not a picnic by any means either.  According to the Garmin the length of the bike coarse is 9.8 miles.  The coarse is out and back and the majority of the first half of the ride is an up hill climb.  The ride passes by the Inn of the Mountain Gods Hotel and Casino and offers some fantastic scenery of the lake and forest.  Of coarse what goes up must come down, so the second half of the coarse is mostly down hill.  I managed to hit a top speed of 43 mph and enjoyed every minute of the decent. The last part of the ride (a little less than half mile) finishes with an up hill climb, but nothing to serious.

Running from the transition area to the pool

  Finally the swim is in an indoor pool which was my least favorite part of this race!  The pool is very small and very crowded.  It is difficult to swim because it is up and back in each lane (total of four lanes) and when completed you have to get out and re-enter the pool and do the swim a second time.  I think it would be more pleasant in a mosh pit.  Once you finish the swim you have to run out of the building, across a parking lot and to the finish line.  Some of the participants at the race said they were not aware of this. 
    All in all this is a great race and I would highly recommend it as long as you train for hills for both the run and the bike.  The two main complaints that I have is the thin air, but I don't think the race director can do anything about that.  The elevation is about seven thousand feet so if you are not use to the thin air the race becomes so much more of a challenge.   During the run one of the girls read the back of my FCA tri-top which says "Why do you race"?  I really wanted to turn around and tell her for the Glory of Jesus Christ, but I was so out of breath I could hardly talk.  The second complaint that I would have, which I already mentioned, is the swim.  It would be great if the swim could be held in either Grindstone Lake or at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.  It would be my guess that some politics may be in the way of using either lake.  As far as the goody bag it came with race numbers, fliers for other events, gel, chap stick and a cotton t-shirt (which is a down grade from last years technical t-shirt).  In addition burritos were provided for the participants after the race and they tasted great (being a Clydesdale I am not sure I really need a burrito)!  The trophies where really cool! They were carved out bears from the pine trees in the area.  If only I had placed to get one. What is really important for me is not the trophy, but racing for the Glory of God!

Milkman Triathlon

  The Milkman Triathlon is one of the best events of the southwest series in my opinion.  This triathlon has been going on for 27 years and the race director, Larry Marshall has all the little details worked out so the event is very smooth.  I was especially pleased that before the race Larry said a prayer, praising God and also thanked the men and women who are serving our country.  As a matter of fact the t-shirt for this event says "God Bless America" and has a picture of three cows dressed in military attire, one cow holding swimming goggles, one with a bike helmet and the other with running shoes around his neck.  I would just like to thank Larry Marshall for acknowledging our one true sovereign God.  After the race the sponsors give lots of goodies to the athletes such as honey milk and ice cream (after all it is called the Milkman triathlon).  The awards for the top three finishers in each category are top notch.  The awards are old style milk Carafes and also coffee mugs are given to all first time triathletes.

Russ and I praising God for giving us the strength to race

  This triathlon is a sprint distance with a 500 meter swim, 12 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.  The race is organized by waves, spaced apart by about 5 minutes.  The water this year was cold (68 degrees) but doable without a wetsuit.  I have never seen the water so clear which was a nice surprise because last year you could not see your own hand in front of your face.  This year was really special because my good friend and brother in Christ, Russell Shute,  joined me for the race.  Russ is such a blessing, as I mentioned in one of my first blog entries God introduced us and used him to inspire me to lose over 180 pounds competing in triathlons.  Both of us got into the water before the race to get use to the temperature which was a tremendous help. As the start gun went off I swam hard because my other friend and top competitor Robert Lovett was also part of the race and he is really fast!  One thing about open water swims is that they can be like a mosh pit and this year was no exception. I was hit, kicked and bumped into, several times, but that is just part of the sport.  This year I broke my personal PR for the swim so I was pleased.

Not for my glory but for the glory of God!

  The bike portion of this race is somewhat hilly but nothing to serious.  If I had to complain about anything, it would be that the roads on this race tend to be bumpy but that is also part of the race.  I pedaled hard and at the turn around point it felt like I hit a wall because of the head wind.  Also shortly after the half way point I spotted Robert Lovett which made me pedal harder.  I finished the bike slightly behind my PR by about 30 seconds.
  As I started the run I new that I would have to push the pace because Robert would be right behind me since running is his strength.  Half of this run is on pavement and the other half on trails which makes the changing terrain nice.  The run goes around the lake and about half a mile into the run it detours onto a trail which goes around a fishery.  Every year it never fails, around a mile and a half into the run you really feel the heat beating down on you.  A little after mile two the trail comes to an end and the final mile heads back around the lake and on pavement. I pushed during the final mile of the run and broke my PR for this race by 17 seconds.  No big deal but I am happy with any improvement.  The best part of the race is the many blessings that God has given me including the ability to swim, bike and run for his glory.