Several weeks ago I finished my first half-iron triathlon in Miami, and needless to say, it was quite an experience. Of course, it was longg, but it really made me realize how difficult it can be. So what was my next triathlon? An olympic distance one, of course!! Several weeks ago was the Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon, with its 1.2m swim, 56m bike, and 13.1m run. And just recently was Key West’s first ever USAT sanctioned triathlon, and thanks to Powerade, got to compete in the Olympic/International distance of 1.5km swim, 40km bike, and 10km run. Both races were well run, which for the Key West Tri was a feat considering it was the first; the Miami Man was the 30th annual.

So what did I learn, from either of them? That long races are long and that I am getting better at the shorter ones. Also, I am never fully trained for the longer triathlon the first time I do it; my first olympic distance triathlon (Nautica SoBe) took me 3:45:00+, the Huntington Tri was about 3:30, and this Key West Tri ended with 3:21. My first half-iron took 7:28, but I wasn’t going for time. I was surprised that I completed the swim in about 45 minutes, although I have noticed that the swim legs always feel that they take longer to complete than what the clock shows. That Miami Man swim felt like an hour!! So when I was on the bike and also during the run, I was calculating what my time was (even though I wasn’t going for time). Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by my final time and swim leg. The same could be said of the Key West swim leg as I paused a few times to get my position, clear my goggles, and spit some ocean water out. I like snorkeling in the ocean, but swimming a race in it is quite a salty affair.

So what is next? More training for Texas with some long runs the next few weeks to prep for a goofy weekend in Orlando the beginning of January. Yeah, there is smart marketing person in Orlando to have come up with the Disney Goofy Challenge. What is it? Run a half marathon Saturday morning and a full marathon Sunday morning. It is crazy, goofy, and just a bit nuts. So it is perfect for members of Try-a-Tri!!