The Regal Pup---And the Ross Family, too!: Alabama Coastal Triathlon

Friday, September 25, 2009

Alabama Coastal Triathlon

The entire reason for our trip down to Gulf Shores was for Bob to compete in his first Olympic Triathlon. The Alabama Coastal Triathlon was held on Saturday morning, September 19th.

Bob got up at 4:30 am, and headed over to Bart and Amy's place to pick up Bart. Meanwhile, around 8am, Amy drove to our place and picked up Bobby and me.

Drew and Bobby in the backseat of Amy's Tahoe. Bobby didn't seem to be a happy camper here!

Unfortunately, Amy and I missed both boys transitioning from their swim to their bike ride. Bob completed his swim (almost a mile, in the ocean) in 25 minutes and 1 second. The waters were choppy. As a matter of fact, there were red caution flags all over the beach, except where the participants swam. Those flags were yellow. Hmmm... Overall, Bob thought the swim portion was pretty tough.

While waiting for the boys at the finish for the bike ride, Amy and I got our picture taken with the babies.

Go Gators! We ended up beating Tennessee this day.

Here is Bob transitioning off of his bike. Bob biked the 24 miles in 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds. His average speed was 20.6 mph. He felt the bike portion went very well. He felt very strong, and passed many people.

Look at those biceps! ;-)

The last portion of the event was the 6 mile run. Bob ran this in 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 39 seconds. His average pace was 10 minutes, 37 seconds. The run was the most difficult part for Bob. His legs felt tight, and he did not feel good until about after the third mile. Plus, the weather was over 90 degrees. Bob kept his mind off of things by counting his steps. He also thought the salt water from the swim kept him dehydrated. He was very happy to see the final turn of the race!