Matt Mason Memorial "Cowboy UP!" Triathlon Preview

Tomorrow I will be racing in my second to last triathlon of the year, the Matt Mason Memorial "Cowboy UP!" Triathlon at Smithville Lake, MO.  This is the first year for the triathlon, and is in memory of Matt Mason, a Navy SEAL who was killed while on a mission with his SEAL team.  All of the proceeds from the triathlon will go directly to numerous charities, including the Wounded Warrior Project.  The race itself is a sprint distance, which combines a 500 meter swim, a 10 mile bike, and a 5k run.

The main draw for me to this race included the charity benefits, as well as the Time Trial swim start.  This will be my first race that incorporates a TT start, with swimmers going every 3 seconds.  Hey, I hope to avoid some swim beatdowns!

Goals:
These are going to be short and sweet!
Swim- 8:15-8:45.  I would be shocked if I'm anywhere under 8:15, as I probably won't be drafting much this race, and my swim training has been lacking the last month.

Bike-  I rode 2 loops of the bike course last weekend, and had a tough time getting my legs going. Immediately, I knew it was going to be tough, and only averaged 18mph for the ride, which was disappointing.  The course is a bit more technical then most races I've done, with a few more turn-arounds and "sneaky" elevation, but I think I can handle a 19.5 mph average for the 10 miles, bringing me in at just under 31 minutes.  Depending on how my legs are feeling, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't meet this, but I would like to be close and still have a good run. I am also going to try and go out easy for the first 2.5 miles, and then open it up. I tell myself this before every race and it never happens, but hey, let's see what I do....

Run-  I'm going to try to push hard on the run.  My plan is to start at a 7:15/mi pace, and descend from there.  I am hoping for a 7:05-7:10/mi average for the 5k, which would be a triathlon 5k PR for me.  My run is coming along pretty well, and I'm hoping to see some big improvements this race!

Transitions- I have no idea what the layout of the race is, but I would like my total transition time to be under 3 minutes. I think this is definitely doable.

Total Time:  Under 1:05:00.  This could be a definite challenge to attain, especially if I drag ass on the bike like I did last weekend.  The swim should be consistent, the bike is the big unknown, but I am really looking forward to my run.  I am excited to see what I can do after having some consistent run training the last few weeks!

The weather looks like it will be cooperating tomorrow morning, with temps in the upper 60s around race time (SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!!!!) Should be awesome!

Can't wait to race, check back tomorrow-ish for a report!

Thanks for reading!!!