Since I've not been able to run as I would like, and have been supplementing my running with biking and swimming, it seemed natural to bite off a little triathlon at some point. The BAM triathlon is up in Midway. The swim (.5 mile) is in Deer Creek Reservoir. The bike (22 miles) goes through Midway and Heber. The run (3.5 miles) traverses the cross country ski trails at Soldier Hollow. The swim wasn't too bad, except on the return I was blinded by the sun and my goggles were fogged so I was sort of swimming blind. Swim was a little over 13 minutes. The bike was a lot of fun. The course zigzagged trhough some beautiful country. No huge hills, but enough to give me some challenge and keep it interesting. And hey, you know what? Bike racing is fun! Zipping along the road, trying to catch people and make up time at a quick clip is pretty invigorating. My average pace over the 22 miles was 21.5 mph. Total bike time was 1:01. The run was tough. I got off the bike, put on my shoes, started to run and was disappointed to learn that I was running on someone else's legs. They were even bigger, heavier and more lumbering than my own. And filled with cement. And wrapped in spandex. The course was as hard as any local 5k, and brought to mind the Striders 5k with its non-stop climbing. I ran 21 something, which is very slow by road racing standards but was actually the fastest time in the race. My overall result was pretty good for my second tri. I am still way slow on the swim, but I could be competitive on the bike. I can see the appeal of this event; it is fun to mix it up.
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