Salem Spring Triathlon (Sprint)
Brian has done the Salem Spring Triathlon three times. The first year they had a great shirt, great organization, fun atmosphere. It has gone a little bit downhill every year (since 2005), though. Last year he got a shirt with a drawing of the sun on it and the words "It's an amazing day to swim, bike, run." Ew. Anyway, the swim is what has kept me from doing this one. Salem Pond is full of moss monsters that grab at your legs (I have practiced open water
swims there) and make me feel like the ghosts of Christmas past are trying to get me. The swim starts very wide and narrows to the equivalent of three swimming pool lanes around the buoys (that looks so weird). Lots of pushing and shoving. No, thanks. The bike has some great stretches of slightly downhill when you can really pick up speed. But then you have to slow down for the turn. The run is really nice and over before you know it. The finish line has been in a different spot every year, but it's usually near the water and in the shade. Hard for cheering because they have it behind a makeshift gate. For shorties like me, that's no good. (The top left photo is Brian and his parents after Salem Spring in 2005. In the photo at the right, Brian is the one with his wet suit half off checking his watch. Hubba hubba, zing zing!)Burley, Idaho Spudman (Olympic)
Brian did the Spudman in 2005 and LOVED it. Extremely well-organized race (a big deal when it comes to triathlons) and a great course for first-time Olympic-distance triathletes. The swim took him half the time because it is in the Snake River going downstream. The bike course has changed since 2005, but when Brian did it the course was on mostly flat road out about 12 miles and back about 12 miles. The 10K run was through farmland and on either road or packed dirt ending in the best finish line either of us has ever seen. As you can see from the picture, Brian was flying as he came into the very large, grassy park at the finish line. The shirt? Not so much.Desert Sharks "Shark Attack" Triathlon (Sprint with reduced swim)
This was my second triathlon (after St. George) in 2006. They've moved it to some unknown location in north Utah, but in 2006 it was right down the road from us. I chose it because the swim was supposed to be 300 meters near the shore of Utah Lake. It ended up being 400 meters of a lot of kicking and dunking. My goggles fogged up after a few minutes in the water and like an idiot I tried to get them off to clean them. I spent a lot of time flailing around and going the wrong direction in the water, so I didn't gain any time there. (Speaking of time, that's what is cool about triathlons. It's just you against yourself in the last race. Unless you're a jerk or you write for that piece of trash TriUtah "magazine.") BUT, I redeemed myself on the bike and on the run. The bike and run course made loops around and around the neighborhoods of Saratoga Springs. I felt so good at the finish line when I still had some gas left in the tank and I could sprint. (The photo is of my transition from swim to bike. It's always disorienting to come into the transition area after the swim.) Really great shirt, too. :)Provo Triathlon (Olympic)
Brian did the Provo Triathlon last summer. The swim course for Olympic racers means getting out of Utah Lake and running around to the start again. Huh? The bike course loops around the same area four times. Eh? And the run is mostly on packed dirt with no shade. Ah, man. Lots of photo ops, but standing around in a parking lot with a baby in a stroller for three hours was not the best idea we've had. Before the race started Brian dropped his phone in the toilet for safe keeping. Just kidding, he dropped it in the toilet so that he would never be able to touch it again. Ha! This particular race aspires to be as "big" as the St. George Triathlon. I think one of those is enough. Hmmm. Maybe this race is banned too. I can't decide.Camp Yuba Triathlon (Sprint)
I did the Yuba Triathlon last September. I loved everything about this triathlon - great location, great organization, great course. HOWEVER, they don't use timing chips because it's on the same weekend as about a hundred other events that use timing chips. When I saw the water and how far everyone was swimming, I felt some serious panic. The water was warm, though, and after waiting around for people to pass me (trying to avoid getting kicked in the head was my strategy)
I discovered that I was the stronger swimmer and could be the one to pass them. What an amazing feeling to conquer that fear that had been building since St. George more than a year earlier! I felt so powerful! (That's me in the pink swim cap in the picture at left.) The bike course was an out and back on mostly road and some packed dirt road. The run was in a field full of dried cow pies. That is where my 30 seconds could have been trimmed. You see, 30 seconds separated me from the 30-34 year old woman who took 3rd place in our age group. I feel pretty good about 4th place in my age group, though, considering I barely survived St. George. :)So there you go! All the sudden I'm more excited to train for another race. Training for them is a big commitment (that's why I'll never do anything bigger than a sprint), but being physically ready for a triathlon kind of creates balance in the rest of my life as well.
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