I looked forward to this afternoon all week!

The women’s Olympic triathlon was held today (at 4 AM; I recorded it), and when I had a free moment, I hopped on my indoor trainer, pressed play, and settled in to watch an amazing race with a literal photo finish.

Coolest race course ever!  I want to do a triathlon in the middle of London.

The race was an Olympic distance (duuuuh!), which involves a 1,500 meter swim (0.93-mile), a 40K bike (25 miles), and a 10K run (6.2 miles).   I finished my last Olympic triathlon in 3:11 – these ladies rocked it out in 1:58.  Olympic athlete, I am not.  I’m still obsessed with the sport!

My ride involved watching the race, doing speedwork, practicing clipping in and out, and tending to Henry.

Henry’s triathlon involved sleeping, dirtying a diaper, and nursing.  Go baby, go!

All in all, I rode for about 30 minutes while watching the race.  I was most impressed by the athletes’ very, very fast transitions – we’re talking a few seconds to go from the swim to the bike or the bike to the run.  I take two to three minutes (but I’m horrendous at transitioning).  I really enjoyed watching the event because the commentators were full of great tri tips for amateurs, such as:

• The white paint on the road is the slickest part; so if the road is wet during the cycle, proceed with caution!
• When you sight (look up) during the swim, don’t pull your head all the way out of the water – just look for the bubbles the athlete immediately in front of you created.
• Take in as many fluids as possible towards the end of the bike because it’s easier to drink while cycling than it is while running.

I was so pumped by the end of the race – and by my ride, which was my first time on a bike since Henry’s birth – that I finally signed up for my next triathlon.  It’s a sprint event at the end of August.  Watch out, here I come!