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!