Race Report: Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon

Fam and I post-race

A little late for my post, but things have been quite busy and hectic in the Hohman house.  So--better late than never, right?  Philip and I (and my sissy Emilie) once again competed in the Bryan Indoor Triathlon in Lincoln.  We were so impressed with the event last year--a chance to get a good tri in during "off season".  Last year, we felt like we had discovered a diamond in the rough...the event seemed relatively small and we knew no one else competing.  This year, the cat was out of the bag as several of our friends were entered into the mix.

The event has heats going off all day with 8 participants competing at a time.  I signed all three of us up to be in the same heat so we'd be able to spend the afternoon together (our heat was set to go off at 12:05).  The race consisted of 10 minutes of swimming, a 10 minute transition, 30 minutes on the spin bike, followed by a 5 minute transition, and finished up with 20 minutes on the bike.  After checking out where each portion of the event takes place, I learned that the leading female (a team NE runner) had made it 3.05 miles during the run--my goal, in addition to a high placing, was to run farther than that in the time slot.  I was pretty sure that I ran farther than that last year, but wasn't sure how good of shape I was in this year.

The Swim
Each swimmer was assigned a lane with another swimmer.  Upon checking in, Philip and I discovered that we were sharing a lane.  Philip and Em got in a quick warm-up while I stretched by the side of the pool.  A couple minutes to start, we adjusted our goggles and got ready.  As I don't swim much (actually, I haven't swum since last summer's half ironman), my pacing isn't the best.  I started out a little fast...but after settling in, I felt pretty good.  Emilie finished one lap in front of me and Philip finished one lap behind me.  So far, so good.

The Bike
After changing out of our swimsuits, we made our way to the biking studio and adjusted our bikes.  The bike portion of the event was measured in average watts (output of power) divided by your weight.  This was a new scoring method this year--the race organizers hoped that this would make things more fair as bigger people most likely had more power than smaller ones.  (Philip pointed out that the opposite was true on the run.)  There isn't much for entertainment during the bike ride, so this year opted to run listening to music on my phone, which really helped out.  I can't say that the 30 minutes went by quickly, but was over soon enough.  Philip completely destroyed the competition by coming in with an average of 270 watts compared to my 152.  I was a little disappointed.  Despite many hours in the saddle, I haven't seemed to find much success there.  Onto the last portion!

The Run
This is my strength.  I hadn't turned in the strongest swims and bikes of the day, so REALLY had to get after it on the treadmill.  Once we were allowed to start, I set my treadmill at 9.8 MPH, which is a little over 6 minute miles.  I was able to hold this pace until shortly after two miles, but then my legs started feeling like jello.  I wasn't sure if I control my legs at this point and was seriously worried that I might crash off the treadmill.  I backed off to about 9.2.  As the finish drew near, I was able to finish a little bit faster and ended my 20 minutes with 3.19 miles.  This I was happy with.

Philip, Em, and I showered and got a quick lunch at Five Guys (so yummy, so unhealthy).  As there were still several heats to go, results would not be posted until that evening.  After church that day, we learned that I had won with Emilie getting third for the ladies.  Philip came in number two for the guys. Way to represent, family!

Next up is the ultra competitive Leprechaun Chase...stayed tuned! :)