Why You Should Write Race Reports.

The other day I went back and looked for what was my first triathlon race. People are always asking me how long have I been racing and doing triathlons, and I usually just have to give an estimated guess, but now, I can tell you exactly when I first started this journey.

Feb 25, 2008, just over 8 years ago, I did my first indoor triathlon. It consisted of a 500 yd pool swim, an 8 mile stationary bike and a 2 mile treadmill run. The reason I know this is because I created a race report for this race. It was pretty interesting and a little bit comical going back and reading my report.

To bad we did not have spell check back then!

So my assessment of this first ever triathlon was that the water was a little choppy. A pool swim was choppy. See how I complained about the water being dirty??  LOL  I had no idea what I was in for as you can tell from the next race I did. My first Olympic and first open water swim!

I can vividly remember that race and thinking my race was over before it started. I also remember thinking "why am I doing this? This is nuts!" At that moment in the water, I thought my triathlon career was over!

And I can pretty much go back and review every race I have ever done. It is a feature on the website Beginnertriathlete.com. This website has really helped me in just about every phase of my triathlon journey, from training questions to racing, so if you are looking for a good site on triathlons, you should check it out.

Other comments in other races speak of how proud I was that I did not float on my back for any of the swim. It was also cool to see the comments people left that read my report. All in all it is a good look back at this journey I have been on for 8 years.

I have race reports form setting PR's and feeling great and I have reports from my 1st ever DNF at Ironman Branson 70.3 (which still stings). I remember everything about that race, and the frustration I had in not finishing, but then I also got to read about the joy I had from coming back and getting my redemption on that course!

A race report can help you remember little things about a course you might not find on a race website, and it will also not only help you, but it can help another fellow racer competing in that race for the first time. So I would urge you to blog, journal or whatever about your races. You see, sometimes a blog is not really about writing stuff that everyone will like, it is often about talking to myself. Cause if you learn nothing else from me, remember this:

I am going Old School...

Do you remember your first triathlon? Do you remember the first time into the water, the first bump, the first transition and so on? I do. I remember almost every little detail about my first real triathlon. (I say real triathlon because I do not count my indoor tri in the same manner as I do outdoor ones.)

I remember it because it was simply horrifying!

This was my 1st triathlon and I honestly thought I was either going to quit because the swim was killing me or that I was going to get pulled by the lifeguards before the first 200 yards! The water was so cold it literally took my breathe away. I knew there was no way I was going to finish that swim and I was not even sure if I wanted too! I swam a speedy 2:16 pace. I remember feeling dizzy coming out of the water and wondering how I was going to ride my mtn bike with slicks when everything was spinning! I remember taking 10 minutes in transitions! And I remember my first Olympic time of 3:44:03.That triathlon was none other than the Memphis in May Triathlon at Orgill Park on May 18, 2008. You can read my race report here if you'd like.

Now you may be asking yourself, why is he talking about this again? Because the Memphis in May Triathlon is going back to Orgill Park! The last few tears, the race has been held at Tunica, in an ideal venue. I set my PR in this new venue (2:47:58), and I loved this venue. So let be clear on this next statement. I DO NOT LOVE ORGILL PARK.

I have nothing but bad memories of that place. So when I got the email saying that MIM Tri was going back to Orgill, I was alittle excited and a little freaked out. (MIM lost the venue in Tunica when the host hotel closed, so the race was in question of even happening) I mean I am thrilled that the MIM tri is happening, but I am not looking forward to Orgill, because of the above paragraphs. So will 5 years of triathlons make a difference?

You bet it will. After a few minutes of thinking about this race, I am attacking it. I am going back to Orgill to make it mine. While I am only doing the sprint this year, I am going to after it like it stole my girl scout cookies! (Tag-alongs please) I have my training plan set, my race fee paid and the best part is I know a bunch of first timers that are going to be there,  which always ups my game!  (Vanity at its best right?)

So with this race going back old school, I thought I'd leave you with some old school music. Enjoy and your welcome!

Memphis in May Triathlon Report

Pre Race:

This race was at a new venue this year. Tunica, MS, the Vegas of the Mississippi River! The venue was great overall and I am glad we made the decision to come in the night before and stay at the hotel. The kids loved staying in a hotel and I loved rolling out of bed and being at the swim site. Since I was able to rack my bike the night before the race, the morning went smooth.

I woke up around 5 AM and got ready. I drank some Gatorade, but didn't really eat anything. I felt pretty good overall that morning and was not that nervous. I was able to take my bag to the transition area and get everything set up. I got my body marking the night before, so setup did not take me long. I went back to the room to use the restroom and grab my wetsuit.

Before the race, I was able to get in the water and swim around. The water was almost warm enough to go without a wetsuit, but the added speed I have with the wetsuit made it a no brainer. This swim was in a man made lake which was no deeper than 4-6ft the entire way!

The swim went great for me. I got into a "zone" after about the first 500 yards and I felt comfortable the rest of the way. After the third buoy, we got to swim through a channel, you could see people standing on the bank cheering us on. I almost lost my sighting and swam into the wall, but was able to correct. The only other thing that happened in the swim was that some guy whacked me in the head pretty hard! Thankfully, I have a hard head and was able to swim on.

I ran up the ramp to T1 and I had a long run to my spot since I was such a low number (#155), which was OK, because it meant I did not have to run with my bike on this transition, It was starting to rain once I was at my spot, but I had no idea about the rains that were coming. My wetsuit got stuck on one of my ankles, but a quick jerk got it off and I was on my way.


It immediately started to rain as I got on my bike, which remained steady until it was a full out thunderstorm. We had a headwind for the first 12-14 miles. I am not a huge fan of riding in the rain, but I was thankful to be out riding. As you know if you read this blog, my bike was stolen on the Tuesday before this race and I was lucky enough to have a friend offer to let me use their bike. So even though there was a lot of rain, thunder and lightning, I was glad to be out there. We finally got a tailwind with the last 12 miles or so. Overall I had a pretty good bike for only riding it for two days and not having a bike computer.

Coming in to T2, I wasn't able to get my right shoe off before the dismount line, so I ran with one shoe clipped to the pedal and the other on my foot to my rack. Some a-hole had racked his bike in my spot which threw everyone off.


So here was my decision to make. My shoes and socks I had placed out were soaking wet, so I decided to go without socks. I took off running and stopped about a half mile in to adjust my laces. At about Mile 2, I could already feel the blisters rubbing, and it got worse as the run went on. I was 1:50 into the race when I started the run, so I knew I was on track to meet my goal time, but the run got me. It seems to be my weak area again. The run turned out to be 1/2 mile longer than it should, but I was doing so much run/walk that it did not matter. My feet were bloody from the blisters all over my feet that I was so glad to see the finish line.

I finished the race in 3:00:37. I was hoping for 2:45-2:50. I am OK with that overall time due to the weather and using a new bike, but I am disappointed in my run, it is something I will really have to work on going forward!