I love Winding Trails in Farmington, Connecticut. I’ve done nearly 20 races there over the years. The venue is excellent for trail running, mountain biking, cyclocross, adventure racing, and triathlon. Debbie and I even had our Jack & Jill party there nearly nine years ago. Last night, I did the third race in Winding Trails annual triathlon training series. The race consists of a 1/4 mile swim/8 km mountain bike/5 km run.
For $20 (non-membe of Winding Trails), you get some pretty good value. You get a number and the privilege to go out and hammer your arms and legs. Nearly 150 athletes turned out on a Tuesday night, which is fabulous. The popularity of triathlon, despite all of the gear, training, and logistics; has never been greater. An awesome mix of folks came out to enjoy a summer evening together. It was my first time doing a race in this series, so I had to learn the ropes. Everyone I asked questions of (volunteers and athletes) were helpful.
Special thanks goes to Curt Pandiscio for zipping up my wetsuit. Without Debbie (she was at home) and without Curt, I’m not sure what I would have done! All of us were very happy that the thunderstorms held off until after the race. During the race, the breeze picked up, it got dark, and you could feel the moisture building in the air. I had my fingers crossed that we would stay dry (even though we had already gotten wet in Dunning Lake) because I didn’t feel like washing my bike and stuff. During my warm-down, I started to hear thunder rumble in the distance, then lightning flashed across the sky. Everyone had scampered to their cars. The streetlights were on early, and then it really downpoured. Fortunately, I was on my way home.
I’m not sure how many more races in the series I will do. I used last night’s event for training. I’ve been trying to race less and train more. This is good advice that I got from some peers and my coaching friend, Will Kirousis. The old adage “race to train” is how I used to do it. Now, with a little more focus, I’m “training to race.”
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