Race Report - Janet's Triathlon (West Yellowstone)

This race is part of an annual family trip to Yellowstone National Park's west side, where the fishing is good in mid-June on the rivers there. We camp at Madison Junction, do the race, and then fish Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

The race is at Madison Arm Resort and is a fund raiser for the resort owner's daughter who died of cancer a while back. Race site is http://www.janetstriathlon.com/.  Elevation is about 6,500ft. The water is always cold, and this year was about 54degs. The weather FINALLY broke into a summer day for the first time in recent memory on the day of the race...very nice. This is my favorite race because it has a small family/community feel to it, the lake is awesome, the bike and run trails are great (ie flat and dirt!), and it's simply a great family weekend every year.

Here's the race wrapup:

Tri started at 10am. Felt good going into it, not sure if I had maintained fitness, though, after two weeks of tapering/no real workouts because of a race the week prior and an off week to prepare for that race.

Pre-race went well. Got in a good 200meter swim warmup. Transition area seemed smaller than last year, with less people. Bike setup where I wanted. Ran back to car to get my helmet with only ten minutes left til race time cuz I had forgotten it. Good thing only about 100yds to car! I love the smallness of this race.

Swim: Good start. Pushed out in front of everyone, a bit of competition for that front right spot on the lane rope, but I eventually got it. Swam well the entire way. Had to breaststroke twice at the 300m mark to catch my breath. Overall went exactly as planned. Hard first 200m, cruise 200-500m, push 500-750m, pace into the 1k finish. Came in about 4 or 5 out of the water, including relayers. Followed a guy's feet into the finish the last 200m, decided not to try to pass him cuz it would have really pushed my limit. Water was 54 but didn't feel as cold as last week's 58. My hands didn't "claw up" and feet were ok and not cramping.

T1: slow! but faster than normal cuz I figured out how to use my right hand to undo the velcro and left hand to unzip. That works much better. I thought of that at the start line and decided to do it! Had pulled up my suit very tight into the crotch and shoulders. I think that helped me get some material into the chest area to make room for expansion of my chest/lats during the race, which made it more comfortable. Anyway, that made it harder to get off! Kind of slow. 14:38 for 1k.
Bike: Started really well. Thought I was pushing my luck by starting with a worn out tire and then running over some sticks and such. Eventually, one guy blew by me, and I realized my tire was flatting. At mile 7, it was done for. It was the back tire, which I have trouble getting off in my garage, and it was a slow leak, so I decided to pump it up, ride, pump, ride, pump for 7 miles(!). Lots of people passed me. It was hard to finish that way, but I thought that it was for a cancer fundraiser, so I didn't want to get all pissed off. That and the fact this trip is a fishing trip with a triathlon, so I needed to keep loose. Finished in about an hour(!). Pretty sure I could have gotten a 42min on this bike.

T2: Fast. Decided to push Paul on the run.

Run: Took it kind of easy and pushed Paul and missed last year's time by only a minute (I raced with a calf strain at last year's race).  AHR was about 150 on the run instead of 164 like the run the week prior race. The cruiser is incredibly smooth. Got passed by several more people. Paul slept. It was his first race!
 
We then went on to catch some small brookies in a bend on the Gibbon River at Elk Park. I've always to fish there but have never stopped there. This was the first time that I've gone to a place I've thought I'd like to fish and then proceeded to catch fish with no pointers from anyone; that in and of itself was a major accomplishment for the weekend!