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1st Annual City of Surprise Mini Tri - TriathlonMini Sprint


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Surprise, Arizona
United States
Tri Family Racing
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 46m 11s
Overall Rank = 6/29
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 1/1
Pre-race routine:

I was fairly excited about this event, since we don't have too many in Surprise. I wanted to support it and defend my home field - these are roads I ride on, paths I run on, and the pool where I first began training when I got into the sport. The venue is only 2.5 miles from our front door. Since I have the torn meniscus, I signed up for the mini-sprint, which is extremely short distance. I felt that even if I couldn't run on my knee, I would still be able to have a decent performance.
Event warmup:

I didn't know what to expect from the field. I asssumed that most people who are competitive would have gravitated to the regular sprint instead of the mini (which is what I would have done if not injured). I thought that the folks that signed up for the mini sprint would be people who are trying a first event or were also injured (like me). With these things in mind, I felt that if I didn't lose too much time on the run (the tri is a reverse order event - run, bike, swim), I could make it up on the bike and hold on during the swim. I felt that if my knee held up and things broke my way, there was a chance I could make it to the overall podium.

After a warm up of riding my bike to the event, relaxing for a bit and jogging around to test the knee, I met up with J and the pups for some pictures before heading to the start line.
Swim
  • 04m 10s
  • 200 yards
  • 02m 05s / 100 yards
Comments:

When I started, there was someone a lane or two over. I didn't think I could catch him, but at least there was someone to chase. Despite my HR being so high after the bike ride, I didn't feel panicky, rushed, or stressed in the pool. My stroke may have been a little choppy, but I didn't feel out of breath or out of synch.

After I had completed a length, someone got into the pool behind me. That gave me a little motivation to keep up the pace. I didn't want to lose another slot by someone catching me on such a short swim. I kept an eye on him with each length and managed to maintain the distance. Since the swim was so short, it was over in a little over four minutes. I climbed out of the pool and crossed the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - decent swim. Much better than my normal open water efforts
Transition 1
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

Had a very quick, efficient transition. Since the ride would only be 10 miles, I didn't bother with gloves. I already had socks and my race number belt on from the run, so I just needed to take off my visor, put on my helmet, and change shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - I was quick - no fumbling around.
Bike
  • 26m 4s
  • 9.6 miles
  • 22.10 mile/hr
Comments:

As soon as I got on the bike course, I stood on the pedals to get up to speed and started pushing. I was anxious to see if the people I saw from the run course were indeed part of the event, and if so, how many, and how far ahead they were. I crossed Waddell Rd. and started seeing bikes coming the other way. I counted six - SIX!! I was shocked that there were that many, and even more shocked that they were at least a mile to a mile and a half ahead of me. I made the turn and kept pushing, hoping to see if I could chase a few down before running out of course.

After the first lap, things got a little more complicated since people from the sprint were now on the course. I was passing people, but there was now no way to tell if the people I was passing were from the sprint or mini. I hoped for the best and kept hammering. My HR was running high, and I wasn't letting my speed drop below 20, so I was doing everything I could. I made the final turn and headed back toward transition. No way to know for sure where I was overall, so I just needed to get through transition and the swim and I would find out where everything worked out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing more I could have done. Once again, the effort was there based on my HR and average pace, and I would have been happy with an average between 21-22 beforehand.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

Another quick transition. Just needed to remove helmet, race number belt, shoes and socks. Grabbed the goggles and headed to the pool.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - quick, efficient
Run
  • 13m 34s
  • 1.53 miles
  • 08m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

I started off at a pretty good clip, not sprinting, but much faster than I normally would run during training. The knee felt okay and I didn't need to compensate by changing my stride. After the crowd sorted itself out, no one was really passing me and I maintained the gap between myself and the person in front of me. At one point I looked at the Garmin and saw that I was running at a sub 9 pace. Normally, this would be a sign to slow down because I can't hold that pace long and I would blow up, but since it was only a mile and a half, I just decided to go with it and see if I could hang on.

We rounded the horseshoe and started to head back toward transition. I was still holding the pace as I heard the Garmin signal the first mile was over. I saw my HR was in the 170s - once again, normally a trouble sign to run that high, but I let it go since I only had a 1/2 mile to go. Since we started with the sprint distance folks, I had no idea who was in my event and who wasn't, but as well as I was running, I felt like I couldn't be falling too far behind even the faster runners.

As we started closing in on transition, I passed the person in front of me, which is a rarity. Before any feelings of pride or accomplishment had a chance to set in, I looked at the road where the bike course was and saw a couple of bikes going past on Bullard Rd. WHAT?!?!? REALLY!?!? Even at my best, I had still managed to fall at least a 1/2 mile behind. I didn't know how many of them there were, but figured I wouuld get a chance to count them and gauge where I was overall once I got on the bike course. Even though I fell behind, I felt good about my effort - I ran faster than I ever have in an event and kept my HR higher. If, before the race, you had asked me if I would be happy with an 8:51 pace for the run, with no substatntial pain in the problem knee, I would have been ecstatic.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - could not have pushed any harder than I did
Post race
Warm down:

I found J and the pups outside the pool area (since she couldn't bring the dogs inside) and waited for the results to be posted. After waiting a bit, the postings came out and I found myself in 6th place overall. Despite racing as well as I could have, I still felt disappointed. In a vacuum, I would have been thrilled with my race. However, knowing that there were five people in such a small event that were faster was a little tough to accept. It's true what they say: You can't control who shows up on race day. In this case, I just flat out got beat by people who are simply faster than I am all the way across the board. The consolation prize was that I was the only entrant in my age group, so I did stick around for the awards and took home the medal for 'winning' my age group. It didn't work out quite like I had hoped, but looking at it objectively, I had a good race and should be satisfied. I just underestimated the field in this particular case.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing - I was as fast as I have ever been on a short course that played to my strengths.

Event comments:

Tri Family racing did their usual good job with race management. Events ran smoothly and on time. They run quality events that are ideal for newcomers. I hope that the Surprise event becomes a staple in their annual schedule.




Last updated: 2013-05-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:04:10 | 200 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 8/29
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Serpentine course through the pool down each lane. Water was the clearest and most comfortable temperature-wise that I have swam in in years.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:15
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:26:04 | 9.6 miles | 22.10 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 3/29
Performance: Good
Average - 169 Max - 174
Wind:
Course: Two laps of an out and back on Bullard Road between the library and Cactus Rd.
Road:   Cadence: 81
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:13:34 | 01.53 miles | 08m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 12/29
Performance: Good
Average HR - 168 Max - 181
Course: Horseshoe route around the municipal center and back to the pool where transition was located.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too easy
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2013-05-14 10:02 AM

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Master
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Surprise, Arizona
Subject: 1st Annual City of Surprise Mini Tri


2013-05-14 10:48 AM
in reply to: #4741682

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Veteran
416
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Queen Creek, AZ
Subject: RE: 1st Annual City of Surprise Mini Tri

OK...you had me confused until I figured out it was a backwards tri (I hope).

Sounds fun.  Way to finish the swim strong! 

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