Triathlon

This is a fun event on a flat, fast course. Traditionally, it was held earlier in the year, but has recently been moved to July to take advantage of warmer water and weather. The Embassy Suites Mandalay Bay is one of the sponsors and is immediately adjacent to the transition area. This makes for a fun and comfortable weekend out of town.

On the weekend of May 2-4, the magic that is Wildflower took hold once again at Lake San Antonio, CA for the 26th time. However, this was my first experience of this legendary event and I can say quite emphatically - I was blown away! It was two days of world-class competition on challenging courses, an eclectic music festival for kids young and old, an expertly-managed event at a beautiful rural location tailor-made for it, and a general celebration of all things inspiring about this amazing sport.

Yesterday I began my third triathlon season with the Los Angeles Triathlon Championship #1 event. As it's name implies, this is the first of a series of events at Frank Bonelli Park in Pomona, CA. The first is a classic sprint event, followed by an international distance event in May and an olympic distance event in June. I really enjoy this venue and participated in the entire series last year. The course is challenging, but picturesque.

I'm no marathoner, but triathlon has rekindled my interest in cycling. With a new high-performance tri-bike at my disposal, I've been looking for opportunities to test my improved speed. So, when I learned recently that there's a bicycle tour staged in conjunction with the Los Angeles Marathon, I decided to give it a try. Technically not a race, this "tour" is attended by all types of individuals on all types of bikes - literally thousands of them. What was not immediately apparent was that, in order to ensure the bike course is cleared before the runners arrive later in the morning, this tour starts at the crack of dawn.

So, I found myself rising at 3:45am for a quick breakfast and a traffic-free drive downtown in time to join the crowd somewhere reasonably close to the starting line. There we were, a swelling throng of bodies and bikes, huddling in the pre-dawn chill alongside the Coliseum, trying to keep warm and waiting for our anticipated release at 6:00am. Luckily, it was not particularly cold, but after 45 minutes, I was ready to get going! Overhead, I spied brilliant Jupiter and a number of familiar stars, but the gradually approaching dawn soon overpowered them. Suddenly, fireworks erupted from within the Coliseum and I knew the start must be close! Sure enough, a horn blared shortly thereafter and we were off - well, sort of.

Today, I competed for the first time in the Los Angeles Triathlon. The event is unique in a couple of respects. First, the course covers a lot of ground, with widely displaced transition areas across The City of Angels. You start at Venice Beach and end at The Staples Center downtown. Second, the event simultaneously provides both "sprint" and "olympic" distance gauntlets. I opted for the "sprint" distance, since I felt I wouldn't really be trained enough for the longer "olympic" distance.

Under an overcast sky, we launched into the waves about 20 minutes late. The "sprint" divisions were scheduled after the "olympic" ones and some troubles with earlier starts kept us out of the water until almost 9:00am. I'd spent a lot of time in the ocean during the summer and swam the 2-mile Pier-To-Pier course in August, but the occasional series of 5-6 foot breakers I saw earlier groups contend with had me a bit apprehensive. Luckily, my group managed to avoid a big set and I was around the course and out of the water right on schedule. It's a good 100 yards or so from the water to the bikes, but I covered the ground smartly and was headed for the T1 exit soon enough.

This past Sunday, I competed in my third triathlon. Held in Redondo Beach, this one was a bit short, even by "sprint" standards: 1/2 mile in the Pacific next to King Harbor, 6 miles down Catalina Ave. and The Esplanade on the bike, and a 2-mile wrap-up run through King Harbor. With a 7:30 start time, I was up at 5:00 to eat a light breakfast and start battling the butterflies. At these distances, I wasn't really stressed, but competition is competition and in the back of my mind lurked the ugly truth - I'd not trained as hard as I had for previous events.