Lake Bartlett Olympic Tri

I did the Lake Barlett Olympic distance Tri today. In short, it was tough! Really really tough.

Swim: That water was brrrrr cold! 60 degrees. 1500 meters. Good thing I had on a neoprene skull cap and neoprene booties. Those really helped out. I can't imagine doing that swim without them. Overall the swim turned out ok. Then again I had my own private freak out for the first 500-600 meters. My breathing was out of control and my heart rate was crazy jacked up. After the 3rd buoy I was able to get off my back and get back into the swim. Strokes weren't great, but I was get to get through it. Best part - no ice cream headache.

Bike: Bike was tough. Two out and back loops. The "out" was all up-hill. Most of the grade ranged between 5 and 10%. Started at 1812ft and went up to about 3000ft. Avg about 5-6 mph going up the hill and up to 36 mph going down. Really. It was spooky going that fast for that long. My legs were completely shredded by the end of the ride. Even though it was only 24 miles, it seemed much much longer.

Run: The 10k run was crazy tough too. About 400 feet elevation gain. Lots and lots of hills. Grade between 5-10%. Steepest grade at 14%. In short, it had lots of hills that were long and steep. My time was not good. For a good portion I averaged about a 12 min mile. I ended up with an 11:01 min mile. This is significantly slower than what I planned. Then again, I was able to finish.

I am wiped out. I will be sleeping well tonight. I am glad I got that cold open water swim out of the way!

Only 5 days to Carlsbad!