Solana Beach Triathlon
The Solana Beach Triathlon was today and I took part in a relay race with my brother and my nephew Conner. I was very nervous heading into the event. That feeling only intensified when I saw all the extremely fit people getting ready in the transition zone as the start time for our division approached.
But it all turned out okay. My brother got through the quarter mile swim and run back up the bluff to the transition zone. I finished the nine-mile bike leg in about 29 minutes (209th place overall). Conner (who runs track in High School) did fantastic during the three-mile run, fully sprinting it out to the line with another racer there at the end. His split was the 121st fastest.
We finished in 1:03:29 and landed smack in the middle of the relay standings bell curve: seventh in our relay division, seventeenth place for all the relay teams. So while we didn't blow any doors, we didn't completely suck. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun.
But the real highlight of the day was my sister's performance, who placed fourth in her division with a time of 1:02:03. She's pretty amazing.
Check out the results here.
Team O'Brien kills time before the start of our division.
Janet, just a few minutes before her division took to the waters of Fletcher Cove.
Janet did great during the swim portion (which she says is her weakest discipline), and was in the top ten when she left the water.
Mark gets ready to hit the surf.
Janet, already off the bike and into her run -- where she really rocks.
Trying hard to smile as my heart rate hovers at 170. It was fun to ride down the middle of Coast Highway, and I was happy that I was only passed once.
Coming back in to the transition zone after an all-out 27-minute effort. Getting in and out of the transition area was the hardest and slowest part.
Conner, our secret weapon, starts the run.
Conner, sprinting it out to the finish line.
Janet, fourth place.
What Janet looked like when she saw the results. What an awesome smile.
Smiling so much that her cheeks started to hurt. What was especially impressive is the fact that she did a half Ironman just last weekend in Northern California.
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