Breezy Point Triathlon

If you're ever in the area check this race out. It takes place on the Norfolk Naval Air Station, aka Breezy Point. We got to ride and run by helicopters, barracks, bases, MPs, grunts, generals, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

The swim is in a saltwater sheltered waterway, so no waves but plenty of wind chop. There were some fast young guys here and I swam next to one guy on the way to the first buoy, then felt like he was crowding me outside the buoy line, so swam over him. I will do this to you if you insist on swimming right next to me and push me in one direction or another. Finished in 3rd position, about 10 seconds down on the first swimmer (a collegiate mid-distance swimmer).

Had a good transition, hopped on my bike, and got my shoes on, and found myself in the lead on the bike. Pushed it as hard as my training would allow, and finished about 90 seconds up on the next competitors. The bike was flat and fast, except for the choppy conditions of the road.

On the run I felt OK, not great but not bad. First mile was 6:15, but it crept up from there. We run around the complex, with some nice views of the water and the helicopter launching area. At mile 1.5 I glanced over my shoulder and saw that two guys were quickly approaching. Pushed it and went to my "hurt box," but they caught and passed me with about a half-mile to go. I hung onto third, about 20 seconds down on 1-2, and came home with $200 for my efforts.

I am going to focus on some run conditioning for the next few weeks and get back to sub-19 off the bike shape - this 5k was 20:21, which is good but not great.

Bri had a great race, finishing just under three minutes slower than me, and won the women's division by two minutes.