2009 Aquathon #1 Race Report

All of us in the upper Midwest are waiting for summer to arrive. We get hints of 80 degree days now and then, but nothing has stuck thus far. This was more than evident in the water temperature of Lake Mendota on Thursday evening. For the first race in Fleet Feet Madison's Aquathon series, the City of Madison declared the water temp at 62°F. Yikes. To warm up (if you could call it that) I waded in and took my time getting used to the water. It was cold and hard to maintain a smooth stroke. I just had to remember that everyone would be going through the same thing.

SWIM
Lots of young'ns from the UW were there racing as a team, so there were plenty of us by the first buoy. Also, I need to figure out how to get a black line on the bottom of the lake because I couldn't swim in a straight line at all. The cold water forced me to breath every stroke, and with it, I kept veering right. WAY right. By the second and last turn, there were only three of us. And on the way in, only two. I never felt warm on the swim and my muscle tightness reflected it. I missed the $50 gift card by a few seconds, but was happy just getting out of the water second overall.

T1
I nearly toppled over in transition from dizziness. It was extra difficult putting socks and shoes on really cold feet.

RUN
Out on the run, there must have been a nicely sized group behind me, because I was passed relatively quickly by about five people. But, they weren't pulling away as fast as they have in the past -- a good sign. I held my pace, keeping it as steady as possible, as I tend to let the mind wander and my pace slows. It was hard to do with numb legs for the first mile or so. Up and over the final hill, I gunned it for the finish, keeping my promise to myself to not let anyone pass me on the finishing straight.

Final numbers:
1K Swim: 11:47 - 2nd Overall
5K Run: 22:48 - Aquathon split PR!
Total: 35:23 - 11th Overall (2nd in AG)