Rumpass in Bumpass Sprint Triathlon

What a name for a triathlon. How could I pass it up? The race venue was in the actual town of Bumpass, Virginia.

I knew going into the race that it would be strictly for kicks and giggles. Get a little exercise, have a little fun, and call it a day. Triathlon training has taken a back seat to most everything else as of late. Sure, I've been keeping in shape, but it has generally consisted of a 30-60 minute workout at the gym per day.... something along the lines of what "normal" people do.

A positive aspect of an early season race is a late start. The 10am start was welcomed. I could get up at a relatively sane hour, drive down morning of, and set up in daylight. I carpooled with Nicolas, allowing for company and pleasant chit-chat for the drive.

SWIM - 18:53 (12/26 AG):

I know the first rule of triathlon is to never try anything new on race day. But I did it anyway. It was only a minor infraction. I used new swim goggles. I tried them during my warm-up swim (mostly necessary to get adjusted to the 62 degree water) without any problem. I brought my old goggles just in case, but all seemed to be well.

Nevertheless, the goggles weren't on quite tight enough. They leaked a couple times during my swim, forcing me to stop and tread water briefly as I readjusted. At least I finished the swim without the tell-tale goggle eyes.

T1 - 3:00:

I keep debating whether to share a funny story about T1. Something along the lines of "in true triathlete fashion". If you really want to hear about it... ask me about it sometime.

BIKE 12 miles - 43:31 (13/26 AG):

Upon exiting T1, and mounting our bikes, we had an immediate short climb, and someone wiped out in front of me. Yow! Near miss. I was glad to see that no only was she ok, but there was no chain reaction.

It's apparent I have not been biking much. Although I fell in the middle of my age group, many of those out there were utilizing hybrids or mountain bikes. (There's nothing against that; after all I did my first triathlon on a mountain bike.) The roads were not as smooth as I would have liked, but overall, an enjoyable course. It was nice to take the Red Baron out for a spin. (As a reminder, my Guru red triathlon bike is affectionatly known as the Red Baron...)

My bad knee was bothering me a bit on the bike though. Biking is generally kind to knees, as it's low impact, so it may be time to check the bike fit.

Run 3.1 miles - 33:36 (19/26 AG)

Luckily, when it comes to the bad knee, either it tends to hurt while biking or while running, not both in a given day. In other words, I correctly predicted it would be fine on the run.

Nevertheless, I was not a fan of the run course. It started on rather technical terrain on a rooted trail, onto a gravel road, then onto a relatively hilled paved road. It was out-and-back. The plus side of the out-and-back format was, as always, the chance to see a friendly face for a cheer or a wave. Team Z has grown significantly in recent months, and I know so few new faces unfortunately. (I'm getting to know the new people... slowly.)

Now, although the knee was in check, I knew running pain free was too good to be true. I began to suffer from a minor case of shin splints. I really do not know what causes shin splints, or what is truly affected, but I do know that my shins hurt. Ugh! I think it may have been partly resulting from my lack of running as of late. (To save the knees, ironically, I've been doing my "running" primarily on the elliptical trainer.) Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps I'll do a bit of research on shin splints to try and prevent the problem in the future.

I was not going to let it down my spirits though. Friendly faces were abundant. I ran a bit with Kate Morse, who was also suffering a bit (probably from the warmer weather we are not quite used to yet... been a long winter....)

Overall finish: 1:40:45

So-so. Nothing spectatular, certainly not even close to getting a space on the podium. But, I got a lot more exercise on Sunday morning than most people (sad, but true), and managed to have fun doing so.

As the weather improves, I look forward to getting more back into the swing of things. Perhaps I'll actually train for my next race?