Journey for Sight - TriathlonSprint

175/196=89th percentile

I started towards the inside about three rows in. I got open water nearly immediately and rarely got bunched up. There was a logjam around the buoys though. I did feel a bit panicky when some weeds slapped me, but I closed my eyes and did an affirmation about "communing with nature." This course seemed a lot longer than Danskin and I remember thinking, "keep swimming, keep swimming." I did a half-decent job of catching someone's bubble stream and staying in it without overtaking her. I was trying to use my back muscles and really pull while saving my legs. I passed a couple of older guys from the previous wave.

I started a bit too fast and got my heart rate spiked a bit, but nothing awful. I just need to work on getting a faster arm turnover and better draw, i.e., learn to be a faster swimmer. My stamina was fine.

I sat on a milk crate to pull off my wetsuit and was glad of the chance to catch my breath. The TA is up a solid hill from the reservoir. I did okay running with the bike, but a lousy job of clipping in and zooming off: I just couldn't get clipped in fast. Probably only seconds at stake, but it defined me as a newbie. This T1 was average for me, bad for anyone else.

Someday I'd like to be able to leap onto a moving bike. :-)

Funny story: as I'm entering the first loop I get passed by a peloton of yellow-shirted cyclists and I think, "jeez, these guys must have been really slow coming out of the water!" It takes me another mile to realized I've been lapped! (And four more hours to feel grumpy about pelotons in a non-drafting race.)

A rain shower came through about 6:15 and the roads were damp with some puddles. It remained overcast with an occasional light sprinkle. I was a bit more cautious on curves because of wet pavement.

I was also cautious because I had left it all on the bike at Danskin. I was more aware that I couldn't just churn up the miles with no regard to saving my legs for the next stage. I didn't feel as predatory on this ride.

At Danskin I managed to pull in a 17 mph average despite the massive hill. When I saw my time and realized I'd only managed to pull in 17 mph without any massive hills I was a bit disappointed, but then I realized two things: I also didn't have any massive downhills and this race was FIVE MILES longer than Danskin and I kept the same pace. Not so bad after all.

Be more aggressive, maybe?

FIRM doesn't do T1 and T2 times. I gathered this data from my Polar S120.

It didn't suck as bad as I feared it would. My hip was there but not in open rebellion. (Sort of like the best I can hope for from my teenagers.) There were some long hills on this course and I realized with sorrow and dread that I was going to have to walk them. I at least RACE-WALKED them (which, no doubt, would have beat my jog time) and managed to pass a few people on the first hill.

Note: exactly 5 people finished worse than I did on the run. Presumably the DNF did worse, too.

I got off-trail onto the gravel or sand or pine-needle strata whenever there was a "shoulder" for me to run on and mostly avoided the pavement when running. I got to encourage a few people as I passed them - how weird is that, I passed people on the run. Okay, hardly anyone, but still it was better than coming in last after all the food is gone and everyone is packed up.

I was working on getting my turnover to go faster and increase my heart rate, but I just couldn't get it to budge much past 173. At 175 I wanted to walk. Well, at least I got it out of my LSD zone (which tops out around 168.) I wonder if I've lowered my max heart rate? I haven't measured it in a long time. It used to be around 200 and I'd do 5Ks in the 175-185 range.

I felt like I made more of an effort to speed it up when I wasn't walking on the hills. Still, I notice that I get slower in every single race I run. I'm shaking my head in awe and wonder at my horrible running abilities. I started OUT as a 10 minute mile runner in 5Ks and now I'm lucky to pull off 12 minute miles. I'd give myself the excuse of just having swam half a mile and cycled 17 miles, but so did everyone ELSE there today.

Go long stretches without being injured. Be younger. Learn to race-walk.

Kissed and hugged my husband, who was pleasantly surprised at how competitive I was. (I really lowered the bar on that one for him.)

Met up with two women I know (who were changed and looking fed and rested) and then welcomed in two more women I knew (looking red-faced, sweaty and thirsty.)

Stretched. Stretched some more. Listened to awards since I was athena in a small race and maybe, well, okay I was hoping I'd podium. No such luck. The athenas there were strapping college girls. Ringers, I say.

I was glad my husband was there to drive me home. After standing around at the awards ceremony and then changing into dry clothes I quite suddenly got drowsy in the car.

Drank a recovery drink in the car, then ate a quick lunch when I got home, took a soaking bath in epsom salts and then took an 1.5 hour nap.


Decrepit old age setting in.

I suspect "faster" isn't going to be my goal. "Still able to swim/bike/run all on the same morning" is going to be my goal.


I like Bill Fiske's races. This was a fun time. I like that all the little kids go with Grandpa in the motor home to put on races each Sunday. What a nice way to make a living!