On August 16 I did the Rush Triathlon in Rexburg, Idaho. Question: which is more fun, (a) running 26.2 miles or (b) swimming 1 biking 26 and running 6? The answer is (b). What a blast! It was a cool morning, so the water at Rainbow Lake felt warm. I was one of the few who didn't wear a wetsuit--I figured it would save me time on my first transision, and it did, which I needed because I'm not a fast swimmer. After the horn went off and we scrambled into the water kicking and splashing, elbowing and bumping. I have a hard time swimming straight and had to keep looking up to adjust, but I finished the swim in 33 min., which was good for me. Then I dizzily scampered to my bike, took of my goggles and cap, slipped on a shirt, and headed out. I didn't wear socks, but pedaled on top of my shoes until I could coast, then slipped my feet in. I really enjoyed the bike race. It was the first time I had ever raced anyone on a bike since I was a kid. I knew the course well since I had been training on it, so I knew where to excellerate and where to conserve my energy. I passed serveral people, and towards the end of the bike portion I was with a few who would pass me, then I would pass them, etc. About 100 yards before the transition area, I slipped my feet out and pedaled on top of my shoes, the jumped off and hobled to my transition spot. I slipped my running shoes on, my hat, grabbed a drink, and was off again. I averaged about a 7:00 minute pace on the run and finished in fourth place in my division at 2:41. Training for a triathlon was time-consuming, especially the bike/run days, but the race itself was a lot of fun. Much more intense than a marathon. It was a good goal to help me get in shape for the St. George Marathon in October, where I hoped to qualifay for Boston by runnning in under 3:15.
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