Simply put, Memphis in May was a fun race!
It was my first triathlon to witness from the "inside," so to speak. I participated in a relay team with a couple great guys who were also new to the experience of triathlon. Weeks before we settled the business of who was going to do what leg of the race and I found myself oddly enough volunteering for my weakest event - the swim! As nervous as I was to take on the swim, I had resigned myself to the fact that I needed to get some open water experience and Memphis turned out to be the perfect opportunity to have a good swim experience in a nice lake that was warm.
The trip down to Memphis was a great ride as we caravanned down with a crew of ET athletes and Run Club members. It allowed for a opportunity to pick brains about race strategy and transition set-ups and preparation the day before and the day of the race. I know that in any group of people you will always have a variety of personalities, but I tell you what, I was so impressed with the triathletes I hung out with - so very laid back people that let stress and life's little challenges just roll of their back. That's a lifestyle I hope I can achieve someday!
Race day was so exciting and started soooo early in the morning. Arrived at 5:30am in the early light of dawn to set up the transition area. I didn't have much to do other than to have my wet suit ready and do some stretching prior to the race. The relay groups started the swim as a wave by ourselves since we didn't have a large group compared to the individual racers. We started the 1500 meters via the boat ramp entry area and quickly moved into the deeper, cloudier waters. I was able to get a good pace going from the start as I carved out my own space to swim without crossing over someone else. The water was warm and calm without any breeze to stir it up. Previous practice sessions in the lake showed that I was pulling hard with my left arm causing me to veer to the left away from the buoys. With a little advice from Coach Greg, I found myself maintaining a straighter line with a more concentrated effort to pull uniformly with my right arm. Coach Joe helped with tri-site swimming that further allowed me to swim the shortest course. Pretty soon, I was overtaking a number of swimmers and before I knew it, I had completed the third side of the triangular course and I was running up the boat dock and into the transition area to trade off my timing chip to one of my partners for the bike ride. It was exhilarating! I wanted to jump onto someone's bike and finish the rest the rest of the race! However, with the rest of the race, my job was to cheer on my partners and the rest of the ET gang. Watching everyone come in with huge smiles on their faces was so cool to see and just fuels my passions to see the finish of my first complete triathlon.
So here's to a great race and a great group of people to race and party with. Finally, here's to the opportunity to race a complete race in the upcoming triathlon in Batavia. Go Experience Triathlon!!!!
