This past weekend I competed in the Tri The Parks sprint triathlon at Mistletoe State Park. I did not have this race listed on my schedule because I have been taking things one week at a time training and racing wise.
Tri The Parks is a really neat race series with races at different state parks around Georgia. Most of the parks are within a 1-2 hour drive from Atlanta, so it makes it pretty easy for the triathletes around here to compete in them. The races are also mostly sprint triathlons, so the distances are perfect for beginners.
I have been wanting to go to one of the Tri The Parks races since 2002. For the past three years, I have been hearing about how much fun and how well run these races are. I planned on doing one almost every season, but would then end up getting hurt or would have to go to an ITU race to earn points. I was so excited to finally be able to see what a Tri The Parks race was like.
I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed my experience at Tri The Parks this past weekend. In fact, I was not even going to do a race report for this race, but after seeing what a great job the race organizers did, I just wanted to write a report if for no other reason than to say what a great race the organizers put on.
The race consisted of a 600m swim, an 11.6 mile bike and a 5k (3.1) mile run. Overall, I was pleased with my race. I was first for the females and fifth overall. I also found out that I set a course record by three minutes which was a nice surprise, because I did not even know what the record was before the race.
What I continued to be impressed with throughout the race, was just how organized it was. Despite having heard great things about the Tri The Parks races, I have to admit I was a little skeptical going into the race. After my most recent experiences in both national and international races with the lack of traffic control, I just did not expect much. I was even more concerned when I found out that they were going to hold a duathlon (run, bike, run) at the exact same time as the triathlon.
I was pleasantly surprised when I did not have any incidents on the swim, the bike, or the run. The courses seemed to be very well monitored. I would have to say that the run was my favorite part of the race on Saturday because half of it took place on these really neat single track trails. I love running on trails, so this was especially fun for me. There was one really challenging hill that was so steep that the back on my heels kept coming out of my shoes. However, I heard other competitors talking about it after the race and while all said that was hard, everyone also had a good story about it. The entire run course was lined with these little orange cones, so we did not have to worry about getting lost on the run. Having gotten lost during some high school cross country races, the added detail of the orange cones was just one more thing that impressed me with this race.
I really enjoyed this race and I highly recommend the series (especially for new triathletes). I hope to be able to participate in another one in the future.
I am still working on getting ready for some big races in July and August. I am finally starting to get some answers health wise. I had an endoscopy this morning which seemed to go well. The hardest part was not being able to eat or drink fluids from midnight until late this afternoon. I made it, though, and the doctor was able to take some biopsies. I have to wait a week or so for the reports to come back, but I feel optimistic about everything. I am just happy to be getting some answers.
I hope all of you are doing well! Thanks again for the support and friendship!
Kelly
