Race Report: Rumpus in Bumpass – Sprint

Yesterday was the Rumpus in Bumpass Sprint Triathlon. (Last year I swear they called the weekend's events Rumpass in Bumpass.) I have not done a Sprint event in over 2 years. That is, if you don’t count the very casual Independence Day neighborhood event I do almost ever year… My first Team Z tri event was the Kinetic Sprint!

And, not that I’ve worn it a lot, but yesterday marks the first time I really got my long sleeved wetsuit on ‘correctly’ so my shoulders did not get tired during the swim. Pre-race, I got in the water for a short warm up swim. The air temp was so cool that the water actually felt warm.

Swim: 15:38 – Speaking of the swim…that water got a bit choppy! The water was so calm when we got there but wouldn’t you know the wind picked up just as the race got underway. I don’t think it was quite as bad as the Olympic distance race from the day before. I got a good mouthful once when I breathed at the wrong time but did not choke or swallow water. Regardless, I think I swam pretty straight and had no problems sighting at all.

T1: 3:30 – Eh…could be better but could be worse! My last sprint with a wetsuit (the afore mentioned Kinetic) was in May 2008 and it was 4:40 – that seems to be my ‘norm’.

Bike: 45:10 – The bike felt pretty good except for one part near the end where I felt I had no power at all. It was a bit cool out and I opted to not wear my arm warmers. I did not miss them. Somewhere past the middle of the course there was stuffed animal road kill(?). Not quite sure what was up with that but some little kid might be missing his or her stuffed dog. Got passed by a lot of nice Z folk and others. I passed a few people myself. Made it back to transition without issue.

T2: 1:39 – I’ll take it! Much better than ‘normal’. Anything under 2:00 makes me happy. My feet were a bit numb after the bike – between the chilly temps and the shoes – I have not yet put the new inserts and wedges in my new bike shoes. I guess I’d better do that before too long.

Run: 29:43 – I am ecstatic! I have broken 30 minutes in a 5K again and did it during a triathlon. Yay! I was hoping to run a 5K in February but – in case you forgot – we had a little problem with snow. Anyway…possibly due to the shorter bike distance I had none of that wobbly leg feeling once I got moving. I was wearing my new-ish Zoot tri/running shoes. They felt great! This was not the first time I’d worn them but the first time in a race. I ran the entire race with the exception of a super short walk at the water station at the turn around. I had a few sips then got moving again. The coolest thing about this run course is the out and back feature when you get to see a LOT of Z green. Always good for a little cheer! I got to say ‘go Z’ so many times heading out and back. Boy, people who don’t know about Team Z must wonder… The one thing about this run course I do not like is the brief portion at the beginning and end where we run on the root-infested trail. The roots are unreal and I am so glad they mark them!

So…lots of Z cheerleaders and support make any race with Team Z great. I could really hear people yelling for me as I approached the finish. Of course they were there heading out and back in on the bike, too. Then there were the hand slaps. So cool!! Thanks, team!

PS - I got to meet this blogger, who was officiating, before the start! (Love your blog, by the way!)

Next up:

Friday, 4/23 – Colonies Zone 1000 Yard Swim at George Mason University

Saturday, 5/1 – ASFS 5K – A small, local run to support an elementary school in Arlington. This is an event Team Z supports every year. It is run mostly on part of the Custiss (I think) bike trail along Rt. 66. Nice and hilly. It will be good to see how I fare in that 5K after this. If this year is anything like the last two years – it will be hot during the run!

Sunday, 5/9 – Kinetic Sprint – Relay – I am doing the bike leg (must fix and test out the bike shoes before this day). My biking needs the most work so this will be good for me. I’ve now been a Z for a couple of years and two new Zs are doing the swim and run legs. So we are team The Old and The New…but I think I will/should change it to Z Old and Z New before race day.

Happy Training!