By Steve Morris

^Let me get straight to the point ñ I finished the Chisago Lakes Triathlon Sunday with a smile on my face. Best of all, I escaped injury free. Below is a truncated version of how my race went.

^THE SWIM

^Despite having a sore right shoulder from a bike crash the week before, (the X-rays came back negative) I finished with a time of 10:24.7 The water was warm and there were some choppy waves which found their way down my throat. I didnít swim the most direct route which cost me valuable time. All in all, the swim wasnít bad. Little did I know the worst was yet to come.

^THE BIKE

^This was my weakest link. Frankly, I got absolutely demolished in the biking leg. Part of the reason for this was because I was racing a six-year-old hand-me-down mountain bike from my twin brother Dave. It was like racing a Toyota Corolla against a Ford Mustang. Some bikers had $3,000 road bikes while I could have traded my bike in a for a Happy Meal at McDonaldís. Dozens cruised past me effortlessly as I struggled to keep a fast cadence. Of course, I knew this was going to happen, but not to this extent.

^I passed one biker the entire 20 miles; only because he was also riding a mountain bike. The poor bike aside, I finished the 20-mile bike leg in 1:25.03 In the transition from the bike to the run I almost forgot my shirt with my number. I attempted to eat an energy bar, but took one bite and tossed it to the ground with a grimace.

^THE RUN

^At this point, I was feeling strong but was beginning to tire. I have ran many 5Ks in the past. On a good day I will run a normal 5K in about 22 minutes. On Sunday, however, my 5K was 30:23 which was much slower than I had hoped for.

^As I got off the bike, my legs felt like a pile of bricks. I ran through the awkward feeling in my legs to the finish line where I was greeted with a long line of supportive spectators.

^EPILOGUE

^My overall time, including the transitions, was 2:10. After the race I was on triathlon high. It was an amazing feeling to finish the race. I wish my time would have been better but not much else could be expected with a mountain bike and piecemeal training. I plan on this being the first of many more triathlonís for me in the future.