Following a an 800-meter walk to the swim start, the gun went off at 7AM and the first wave of athletes plunged into the 58-degree Tennessee River. My wave's start came up a few minutes later and to my surprise I found the water temperature rather comfortable. Swimming against the slight river current for the first 1/3rd of the distance, I was quickly able to get into a rhythm and find enough open water. I felt very good during the entire 1.2-mile swim and smiled when I finally reached the swim exit in 35 minutes. It turned out to be the fifth time split in my age group.
Next, a 500-meter run to the transition area. As soon as I peeled off my wetsuit I started feeling the effects of the cold water swim coupled with the cold ambient air temperature and a steadily falling rain. This was not the first time I have raced in such challenging conditions, except that this time I may have underestimated the potential deleterious effect of the cold air and rain combination. Nevertheless, I decided to start the bike in my singlet and tri-shorts. My thinking was that in the course of the 56-mile ride I will soon warm up and be able to handle the inclement weather conditions. Well, I should have thought twice about that. As soon as I left the transition, I realized that I may have made a tactical mistake. Within the first couple of miles I felt my body becoming hypothermic, even though, I was able to ride the first 10 miles at about 20 mph. The next 10 miles became tougher. The speed had dropped as my body continued losing temperature. Holding the handlebars became more challenging especially during the descents, and later during the ascents, as well. Eventually, by the 30-mile mark my vestibular system started to get affected, and while I dreaded that moment, I decided to make the decision to call it a day. By that time, the temperature dropped down to 53F.
Indeed, it was a tough decision to make at that time but I am glad I made it. I have a lot of racing left this season and my focus and energy have already shifted to training for the upcoming races. One thing is for certain, I have learned yet another valuable lesson and I am sure there will be more of those to come.
