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Wisdom Oak Winery - TriathlonOlympic


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North Garden, Virginia
United States
Charlottesville Multisports
65F / 18C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 33m 42s
Overall Rank = 11/79
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 1/3
Pre-race routine:

It was another picture-perfect day for racing in Charlottesville - temps in the 70s, sunny, occasional clouds, and low humidity - absolutely gorgeous. At least that’s how I envisioned it when I took the plunge and registered. In truth when I showed up Saturday morning to rack my bike temps were in the low 60s, the sky was overcast, and it was threatening rain. Ugh. I hate riding in the rain! On the plus side, because it was a local event I got to sleep in my own bed the night before and since transition didn’t open until 7:30 I got to sleep in and wake as nature intended - nice and easy at 5:00 a.m. instead of shot out of cannon at 3 in the morning as is the custom for away races.

And so it was that I arrived along with 250+ others to conquer the WOW and slay the Walnut Creek ascent... twice. Bring it! There were 79 of us registered for the oly with the remaining 200 or so racing the sprint.

Swim
  • 25m 36s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 43s / 100 meters
Comments:

The freshwater swim consisted of two laps around a pair of buoys anchored roughly 375 meters apart. The water temp the morning of was 76F making it wetsuit-legal. I gladly donned mine and waded over to the far edge of the red-capped, male oly group and awaited the deepwater start. The horn sounded (or something sounded) and (mercifully) it was an uneventful swim. Buoyed by full-body neoprene I eyed my mark, found my stroke, and settled in for the duration. 25:36 later I emerged from the drink feeling good - 8/79 OA.
Transition 1
  • 00m 54s
Comments:

As I slowly climbed the grassy hill to T1 I a blur blew by me. It was the eventual winner, Angelo... and that was the last I saw of him. Gone!

I peeled off my wetsuit as I picked my way barefoot through the minefield of slurry pebbles separating me from my bike. Ouch... ouch...ouch! And it was at that point that I realized that it was raining. Really?! C'mon! On with the helmet, out of T1, and a flying mount (sorta) into...
Bike
  • 1h 10m 36s
  • 23.5 miles
  • 19.97 mile/hr
Comments:

...the two puddles that had formed in my shoes while I swam. Splash! Splash! Squish… squish… squish… up the hill for a mile and a half before turning left unto Old Lynchburg.

The rain was slacking and the rolling road was straight so I found an extra gear and set my sights on two bikers ahead of me. I caught one quickly but it took a full 5 miles to catch the other, which I finally did at the corner of Plank and Alberene. Turns out it was a guy from Fairfax whom I’d met while waiting for the swim start. We engaged in a spirited back-and-forth for the next 15 miles - I ruled the descents because 'Baby Got Back' and he caught me on the climbs (boo big butts) - but I had to let him go with about three miles left because my right aerobar came loose and swung free when I released it to grip the brakes. What the heck?! That must account for the rattle I’d been hearing as we chattered across the rough roads.

Discretion being the better part of valor and with it raining so hard that at times I barely had one eye open, I eased up and carefully coaxed it home. The lump of coal in my butt was a diamond by the time I gingerly pulled into T2 after a harrowing descent down the slippery, windy Walnut Creek hill. I usually bomb down that hill, but not this time - I was up in the saddle and on the binders from top to bottom. Boo rain!

I had hoped to average 20+ mph on the ride, but between the rain, loose aerobar, and the fact that I was afraid to lean into the corners on the slick roads I only managed only 19.8 mph. Bummer! Whatever advantage I’d hoped to gain on the road was all but wiped out. I finished the 23-mile course in 1:10:36 - 6/79 OA.

As for Angelo (the blur that passed me in T1) he finished in a ridiculous 1:02:34 averaging 22.4 mph. That’s just nuts in those conditions!
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

Off with the helmet, on with the socks and shoes, downed a small Gatorade, and out onto the run… squish… squish… squish…
Run
  • 55m 16s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

I hadn’t run 6 miles since June when I finished my last oly, so when I signed up for the WOW I promised myself I’d race hard during the swim and bike legs and then do my best to finish the run running. And so I began the Bradley Shuffle up the long climb to the top of Walnut Creek. For those of you who remember the 80s, the Bradley Shuffle is similar to the Ickey Shuffle except I don’t slam my helmet down at the end. As I crested the hill I had a fairly sizable lead over the next runner, but as I plodded along I knew it wouldn’t last. I held him at bay until we turned right onto Red Hill and then waited for the next runner to pass… which he did… and she did… and he did… and so on and so forth until I mercifully reached the turnaround.

I was two-tenths of a mile back up the road before I met someone coming toward me which meant that I had almost a half mile lead over the next guy at that point. Would it be enough? That was my hope, but with half a mile to go (…and then again with 500 yards to go…) I got passed by two runners with big “O”s on their calves. Whatever Normally I’d try to dig deep but Saturday was not that day. The finish line was in sight and I was just happy to see it. I crossed in 55:16 with a disappointing 8:55 minute average. Whatever. 36/79 OA. Whatever. Gotta do better!
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Poor run fitness!

Event comments:

The twenty-fourteen WOW is in the books, and a huge shout-out is due all who made it a success. Kudos all around on a well-run, fun event! I encourage anyone looking for a good challenge to give it a go in 2015. For those interested in the excruciating details of my trial, read on...

The sum-total of that collective mess was 2:33:42 which was good enough for 11/79 overall That’s not exactly the sub-2:30:00 I was hoping for, but since I stretched and went for the oly even though my training wasn’t back up to that level on the swim or run I won’t beat myself up too much. I'll just keep telling myself that the most important thing is that I had fun and can log another successful race in the books. Right? Grrrrrr...

Best part of the day? Hanging with fellow CTCers before and after the race. Duh! Lots of folks on hand to cheer everyone on, but the award for the loudest, most enthusiastic cheerleader goes to Marc who weathered the elements to see each and every runner across the finish line. Thanks for the encouraging words, Marc. And, no, I don't have another gear... what you see is what you get! And smiles for Karen, too, who yelled "Hey! Aren't you Bill?" as we ran down the last hill together. The fact that anyone could recognize me at my depleted worst isn't particularly encouraging - I'd rather race incognito at such times - but it sure was nice to see a friendly face when I needed it most. Thanks for the shout-out, Karen!

'Nuff said. Congrats to all who competed! Thanks to all who made it happen!

Bill out.





Last updated: 2014-09-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:36 | 1500 meters | 01m 43s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 8/79
Performance:
Suit: Yes
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:54
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:10:36 | 23.5 miles | 19.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 6/79
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:55:16 | 06.2 miles | 08m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/3
Overall: 36/79
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2014-09-17 3:00 PM

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