Starting up after covid ...

I live in Kerrville, a small town in the Texas hill country. Every year, there is a triathlon competition here and I have been signed up for a long time.

With recent illness from covid, it was a difficult decision if I should go through with it or not. The race was quarter distance, that is 1100 yards open water swim, 29 miles bike ride and 6.4 miles run, a significant challenge even for a healthy 65-year-old. Would it be too much for me so soon after covid, and would it be damaging for my recovery in the long run? 

I had been covid negative for 2 weeks and I started light training. I had been off all training for 4 weeks since August 19, (with only light swim workouts the week before that, due to a knee injury). Once I decide to do something, I don't like to change so it was my inclination to go ahead, but I was uncertain. Five days before the competition, I did my only hard workout, a 5km run on max effort. The result was discouraging, I was about a minute slower / mile than before covid. Afterwards, I was very tired and slept a lot. But I still had 5 days before Kerrville triathlon.

Out of the water

Day of race, I felt good, and I had decided to go at comfort speed, and if I really felt bad after the bike ride, I would not finish the run. 

Swim went well, I passed a lot of people and came out at the same time as my much younger and faster training buddy.  Only thing was that getting out of the swim, something happened to my left foot, and it hurt badly for the rest of the race. 

Bike ride was decent and after finishing all the drink I carried on the bike; I took a water bottle at the last water station. It proved to be a good move. 

I decided to go through with the run. By now, it was hot. Kerrville is always hot, but this was a bad day. I was later told that the heat index topped at 106F, that is around 40C. Obviously, my run was slow. Every mile there was a water station, and I put ice in my tri suit, water over my head and drank a few mugs of water and sport drink. I was tired, but I have been worse. At one point I cramped by managed to walk it out. 

Toward the end, I was surprised seeing my much younger training buddy again, just slightly ahead. I was also wondering when one of my other friends would run past me, but she never came. I completed the whole triathlon and it felt good as I had not been sure I could do it.

I placed 1st in my age group, despite being 18 minutes slower than last year. I was faster than the winner in the age group below as well. Due to head wind on the bike and the heat on the run, everyone had slower times. It turned out that my slow run was relatively good, many athletes had been forced to walk, including my training friends. I think my cooling strategies kept me at least running slowly.

Here is a picture of my foot after the race. I have an appointment with a foot doctor, I hope nothing is broken. But running is out for a while.