2022 Riverbluff Triathlon: Was it Really 102º?

Originally, I wanted to do the Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon in Gulf Shores, Alabama on September 10th. But, after laying out my event plans back in January, the leadership team of Accelerant where I am employed selected to host an off-site all-hands meeting in Asheville, NC between September 8th and 9th. And, after the experience of Do you need emergency assistance? after a recent race, I am glad I decided to not pick travel experiences so close together and changed my race plans for my last triathlon for 2022. 

I booked an Airbnb accommodation in Nashville, TN which is about 35 minutes from Ashland City, TN where the RiverBluff Triathlon was held. Betsy, my wife, had originally planned to accompany me and we were going to spend some time in Nashville. But, upon reflecting on her experience of such adventures in the past, she realized that meant she would serve this itinerary:

• Friday
  3 hours for riding in a car
• Saturday
• waiting on the round trip to the site for registration
• waiting on me to bike for 45 minutes, run for 30 minutes, and swim for 15 minutes
• waiting while I attached stuff to the bike, the helmet, and me for the race the next day
• waiting while I prepare my nutrition and hydration for the next day
• waiting while I inventory and organize the stuff I would stage in transition the next day
• hoping there is a few hours remaining to spend some time in Nashville for the two of us to just have some us time
  WAIT
• Bob will be conservative on what he eats and drinks
• Bob will want to go to bed early
• WAIT, why did I sign up for this...
• Sunday
• Get up before 5:00 am
• Ride to the race site where
• Bob sets up transition to which I am not allowed to enter
• Stand around with Bob while he waits for swim start
• Yell when
• Bob gets in the water
• Bob gets of the water
• Bob starts the bike
• Bob finishes the bike
• Bob starts the run
• Bob finishes the run
• Wait a lot
• Ride in a car for 3 hours
• WAIT, why did I sign up for this...

Betsy is a very supportive person when it comes to my athletic adventures. She has accompanied me and participated in some of them herself many times over the years. But, there comes a point where it becomes yet another instance of the itinerary outlined above and over a short weekend, it can be a lot of waiting. So, I agreed that her realization was accurate and, in fact, the weekend would have left a small amount of us time that was not focused on the triathlon as we both realized. So, she stayed home and I went alone.

Since the race was out of town, I didn't really know any of the athletes at the venue. But, that doesn't ruin the experience for me. As I had noted in this race report from 2016, these events feel like you are a child on a playground where the people around you are there to play just like you are and that alone forms a shared kinship.

The swim was shortened to 1100 yards from 1500 yards and the buoys were arranged to not swim all the way across the river as was done the year before. I had looked at the water the day before and I can say the current was obviously very strong. The first swimmers in the water had to fight to turn upstream to ensure they went around the first buoy. Those of us behind them recognized this and started our swim by starting as if we were swimming to a target well left of the first buoy. My approach was perfect in this regard. We swam downstream near the middle of the river, then turned towards the bank and swam closer to the bank as we swam upstream to the swim exit.

I had a good race and enjoyed playing on this out-of-town playground with a large number of new kids. I started up the car while I packed up my transition gear and the bike and noticed that the car's report of the weather was alarming high as seen on the car's dashboard presentation.

I finished loading the car and left the race site. I was wearing sunglasses and feeling good. Shortly, after starting I lifted the sunglasses off of my eyes to see something on the dash more clearly and my view of the world was extremely over-saturated with bright white light like photophobia. It was so bright, that if I continued, I would surely have an accident because I could not distinguish most of the objects that should have been in my view in front of me. I felt fine and completely lucid and could see just fine while wearing sunglasses, so I continued. I decided to assume that I may have approached the edge of heat exhaustion. So, I focused on hydration, getting cooled off, and upped my intake of calories. Who doesn't need a good excuse for a Jack's Espresso Chocolate Chunk Milkshake? I was fine after that.

I have added two run events to my schedule

• New November 5 BTC Vulcan Run 10K
• 2023
  New February 12 Mercedes Marathon

Roll the race highlights

Results

August 28, 2022: Riverbluff Triathlon, Ashland City, TN | Olympic Time: 3:06:25
	Swim	Distance: 1100 yds Time: 28:12 1:53 per 100 yds
	Transition	Time: 4:22
	Cycle	Distance: 23 Miles Time: 1:12:31 Rate: 19.0
	Transition	Time: 2:19
	Run	Distance: 6.2 Miles Time: 1:19:00 Pace: 12:44
	Weather	Fair Temperature: 66-89° Humidity: 79 - 59%

2022 Buster Britton Memorial Triathlon: First Podium for Triathlon, EVER

I went back to where my triathlon experience began in 2009 and did a longer distance and took second in my age group in this year's Buster Britton Memorial Triathlon. This is my first podium for Triathlon.

First Podium Ever: Second Place Male in 65-69 Age Group

I had a good race and enjoyed the camaraderie of the fellow triathletes. I had a strong bike given the terrain of Oak Mountain Start Park. A fellow and much younger triathlete even called me out for putting in such a good bike as we started the run. I also donned my new Vulcan Triathletes Tri Kit. And, based on a video posted on the Vulcan Triathlete Facebook page about how to get on and start the bike for the race, I:

• did not touch my watch while approaching the mount line or while mounting the bike
• used a rubber band to hold the right pedal in place so it was forward, mid rotation, and ready to push and go

Results

August 13, 2022: Buster Britton Memorial Triathlon, Birmingham, AL | Olympic Time: 3:03:49
	Swim	Distance: 1200 yds Time: 28:12 2:21 per 100 yds
	Transition	Time: 2:47
	Cycle	Distance: 24 Miles Time: 1:29:17 Rate: 16.1
	Transition	Time: 2:31
	Run	Distance: 5.5 Miles Time: 1:01:01 Pace: 11:05
	Weather	Partly Cloudy Temperature: 69-82° Humidity: 58 -81%

History

Year	Time	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
2009	1:25:43	11:07	4:13	42:36	2:11	25:38
2010	1:32:10	11:53	3:10	43:48	2:10	31:11
2012	1:27:09	10:02	2:31	42:23	3:13	29:02
2013	1:24:30	9:52	2:23	43:02	2:04	27:12

Fastest component in red.