1500M Canal Swim, 25 mile bike, 10K run

In May, a hip specialist told me I should stop running and probably not do any more triathlons until my pain goes away.  I figured it was the perfect time to switch from sprint to Olympic distances!  Actually, I took two full months off from running and focused on swimming and biking, and my hip actually felt healed, which after hurting for about a year, was quite a relief!  I had originally intended not to do any more races, as I had already missed the national championship in Grand Rapids, and I couldn't run.  HOWEVER, I had bought a new bike.  I had bought lots of new gear.  I had trained, and trained, and trained.  I was swimming in the lake almost daily, I was doing CrossFit, and my endurance was strong.  In my mind, I convinced myself that if I did a longer race I wouldn't have to push as hard as I did in a sprint.  Because I am dumb, I signed up for my first Olympic race and very nearly died.

400M cold and rough Lake Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 5k Run

​For my second race in 3 weeks, Logan and I drove on up to Prairie Creek Reservoir near Muncie, IN to compete in the first open water race of the year.  I had spent the previous week and a half working on my open water swimming skills and was feeling really comfortable, despite the 62-degree water temps.  Luckily on race day it was probably closer to 68, which is way nicer than 62.  I rock a sleeveless wetsuit due to my broad shoulders, so cold water still feels pretty cold.  Race weight was around 229, so still too heavy, but still not running.  Pre-race, my hip hurt, and It would get much, much worse quickly. I asked a guy how the run course was, as I hadn't scouted it out prior to the race (rookie mistake), and he told me "it's pretty flat, some slight rolling hills."  I guess that guy must have lived in Boulder, because his definition of "it's pretty flat" does not line up with mine.

400 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike, 5k run
Long story short, someone bet me that I wouldn’t actually do a triathlon, and stoked the fires just enough for me to find the next race and register for it.  The 2014 Carmel Swim Club Sprint Triathlon was just 8 weeks away, and I hadn’t swam in close to 20 years, I had never cycled, and although I had pretty much a lifetime of running for other athletic reasons, running just for running was never something I enjoyed.  In summary, a perfect recipe for a triathlete!  In truth, I was just getting back in shape from a three-year injury induced break from exercise and I needed a challenge to keep motivated.  Training for three sports seemed like a great way to spend my time and avoid some of my other favorite things, pizza and beer!  Armed with the internet, a hand me down bike, and a little bit of determination, I set off on a quest to become a “triathlete.”  This is the race report however, so let’s just get to the race!