Tri the Parks

Elberton, Georgia
(We'll call this one a training event)

After watching the first half of the triathlon season pass by while I rehabbed, I considered Tri the Pee Dee last month as an initiation back into the sport. This weekend's event will have to go down as a training event in preparation for The Patriot Half in three weeks. The Richard B. Russell state park was a great place to hold an event such as this. It had no auto traffic to worry about except for the middle section of the bike and the area was so secluded that I didn't see a single car on the entire route. They had a calm cove of the lake for the swim, a white sandy beach, that my grandchildren just loved, and showers with changing rooms to make that ride home comfortable. I had only done one mile long open water swim this year without a wetsuit, and that was just a week ago. So, I was a little short on swim confidence. About half way through the second loop of the double loop swim I began to worry just how deep this part of the lake was. The two loops were separated by a 150+/- yd dash before you waded back in. The run from the water to transition was about 300 to 400 yd's. I was hoping that we got extra credit for those two runs. The bike section had two 180 ft. climbs and the 10 K had two half mile sections on dirt trails through the woods. This was my first 10 K wearing a hat and glasses for the entire distance. The sun was out in full force after about the first 6 miles of the bike segment. Every time I came by the base camp area I got wet high-fives from my grandchildren that were enjoying my away time in the lake. Team Whetstone had a nice shaded picnic area that over looked the lake to enjoy while I was touring the countryside. Again, I was blessed with an advantage by having so much loving support out there for me. It's always nice to have an excuse to get our family together. I imagine that each of them are looking for a better excuse though. After the race I helped the grand kids cool off in the lake. Boy they needed that!! About 4 miles into the run I began to wonder "who in their right mind would sign up for a race twice this long?" Now it's time for 3 weeks of serious training and/or a mental check-up.