Midland/Odessa Weekend of Triathlons

Signed up for the Midland Tall City Triathlon on Saturday July 29 and Odessa Tumbleweed Triathlon on July 30. Midland was 500 yard swim, 20K bike, and 5K run - Odessa the same except 400 meter swim.  Both races were put on by the respective YMCAs in each city and I give them credit for putting them on BUT neither were exactly setting the world on fire with organizational skills although Odessa was run better IMHO. Stayed in Midland for both and since Nora didn't go with me, I was equally looking forward to the races and reading Jim Butcher's new volume in the Dresden files "Ghost Story" in my down time between races. If you haven't read any of these books, I highly recommend. They're not geeky sci fi treatises but wry entertaining wizardy geeky sci fi. Back to the races.

First one to transition at Midland which was in a alley next to the "COM." I had no idea what the "COM" was but every time I asked somebody in Midland, where's the race or where's the transition area, the inevitable response was, oh, you know, at the "COM." This even though I prefaced my question every time with "I'm from El Paso, where's the race and, no, I don't know where the 'COM' is." Anyway I found the COM and got set up by 6 for a 7 race start and then found out the seeded swim start was done by race numbers and I was close to last.  I didn't swim until 8 freaking 45 which meant I didn't get to my run til approximately 9:33. The run was around a park for 3 laps with zero shade and flat out died on the run. Rocked the bike.  500 yard swim was 10:29, 20K bike 37:04 (21 mph), and 5K was a miserable 30:20. Well-attended race with over 170 racers and great volunteers to assist.

I'm basing all this on my watch because I still can't find the results posted anywhere online.  I got 2nd in Clydesdale to Jason McClure who beat me by 3 minutes.  Drove the 15 minutes over to Odessa to pick up my race packet. The race director there was pulling his hair out because the online registrations didn't go through right.  Back to hotel to put my legs and dive into Ghost Story.