Two triathlons in seven days? Sure, why not.

It started with a conversation about a friend of a friend who was doing a triathlon on Sunday (which is now tomorrow already). Naturally, I was intrigued. What was the name of the race? Where was it being held? What were the distances? I just wanted to know more out of curiosity. Then I realized I didn’t have any plans for the weekend and was free on Sunday. “Hmmm, were they still accepting registrations?” I wondered.

I jumped on the Rochesterfest Triathlon website and found that they were indeed offering walk-up registrations during packet pick up until the race was full. So that’s what I did. I drove one hour down to Rochester, MN and registered for my second race of the year, exactly one week after Trinona.

Why choose to do this? Well, I figured I could use the open water swim experience as I thought I could’ve done better last weekend. And honestly, it just sounded like fun. That’s what’s really important anyways. Go out, compete and enjoy the experience. It’s pretty simple when stated that way.

Since this will be my first time participating in the Rochesterfest Triathlon, I drove down to Foster Arrend Park to familiarize myself with the lake and transition area.

The buoys were already out on the water, but I’m not really sure if they’re in the final spot for tomorrow. The manmade lake looked really calm, which should make for a smooth swim. My only concern is how much the temperature is supposed to drop tonight. With a forecasted air temperature of 62 degrees, I’m not sure if that will also make for cold water temps too. I’ll pack my wetsuit just in case and make a decision in the morning.

The transition area construction was well underway but empty of  any bicycles. It was like a two-wheel ghost town. The races I’ve previously competed in have had many athletes racking their bikes the day before the event. So tomorrow morning, the transition will be bustling with activity and all of the athletes rack their bikes, prep their gear and start mentally preparing for the swim – a swim from which I gather is more a “mass” start for each wave versus releasing swimmers in pairs every few seconds. I could be wrong, but I guess I’ll find out at the swim start.

There’s certainly an element of the unknown for me in this race. Except for a few glimpses of the swim course, I know almost nothing about the course. But how could I? I made the decision on Friday night, registered in-person at packet pickup on Saturday afternoon and will be racing on Sunday morning. Not a ton of time to prepare. But in a way, that’s kind of exciting!