Toyota Desert International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Time includes very long run to TA--I was out of the water in just about 21:30 (i.e., about 1:38/100 yds)

Sighted reasonably well and avoided contact going out on the long leg to the first buoy. We were heading into the sun, though, so I took more long looks than usual to make sure of my bearings. By about 400 yards in, I was passing the 40+ women/Athenas from the previous wave. Near the turn, a woman swam right onto me twice...second time, I pushed her off and told her to cool it.

As is my custom (*sigh*) I got off course during the long middle leg of the swim. Tried to parallel the pack, but I was sometimes paralleling swimmers who weren't sighting well themselves. I was in a groove, though. Once I passed the sprint distance buoy, I spotted the final buoy and stretched it out. Made the last turn for the beach and finished pretty strong with little contact. By that point, I was in the midst of the second wave ahead.

Got out of the water well and tried to hold the putting on of my aquasocks to less than ten seconds. Worked sort of okay...I was able to run quickly once they were on...without them, I probably would have had a long "mince and wince" over the sand and gravel road to transition. Very long run.

Not much. Pick a better landmark for the middle segment to sight off of. Stopped about three times to get bearings...really showed me how the wetsuit helps...could really tell how much speed I'd been carrying when I kicked off to start swimming again. I feel pretty good about the half iron swim this summer...wetsuit (first race using tri wetsuit) really supported the swim.

Once again my T1 sucked. Got to my rack and rinsed my feet like I planned, toweled them off quickly...then realized I still had to strip off the bottom of my wetsuit...so my feet would be wet again. Easily wasted most of a minute there.

Rest of transition was okay, I guess--setting my bike shoes up with Yankz so I could just slip on and close the Velcro strap worked fine--but I was 21 out of 28 in AG.

Get the damn wetsuit off before anything else. I got it broken down to my waist on the run, then just didn't pull it off my legs right away. Had to take off my aquasocks first, anyway, but then I just jumped ahead to cleaning off my feet.

Probably would have tried the run with flipflops like Liz used...if I'd had any...

Not only first race at this distance, but first race with both clipless pedals and jammer aerobars. I decided it was important to try to push the bike and see how I did. I tried to hold pace betw. 18.5 and 21.5 mph (except on the small inclines) and generally did. Pretty uneventful ride...passed a fair number of people...but, as usual, got torched by the elites (and some non-elites on "elite" bikes) like I was standing still.

Most memorable moment: Guy passes me and says, "Hey, K2" (my bike brand). I look and he's riding a K2 roadie, also (though a nicer one than mine). I laughed and said, "I figured I was the only one on the course" and he replied, "Usually I am."

Maybe take it slower, but I wanted to average 20 mph and managed 19.8 for most of it and mostly stayed in the cadence I wanted (wasn't afraid to back off when I needed to, esp. in headwinds, which were a factor)...lost some average with the two hills in the last 1.5 miles. But I paid a price...

Not much to say...legs were cashed coming off the bike, but I did a flying dismount and managed to trot to rack...pulled off bike shoes and pulled on running shoes, also set up with Yankz for the first time. Liz was there rooting me on...though when I pulled up to my rack she said, "Did you have a flat?" Uh, not a good sign to hear that when you were out there pushing it for 24 miles.

Nothing really.

OMFG...the first 1.25 miles of this run sucked ass. My glutes were absolutely trashed--I'd never experienced that before (I'm guessing it was racing with clipless pedals I'd only had for 3 weeks). Bottom of glutes/top of hammies screaming...bad enough that I briefly worried I'd DNF. Just not something I'm used to...normally the run is where I'm in my comfort zone and here I think I'm going to be hobbled for 6 miles.

By about 1 1/2 miles in, there was enough improvement that I knew I'd finish. By the end of the first lap, I knew I could negative split the run. For the last three miles, even though I was painfully slow by my usual standards, I was passing people much more than being passed.

I think the mile markers were way off (curious to hear if anyone with a Garmin might confirm that). But in any event, I got to the four mile mark and knew that my goal of 2:20-2:25 was not happening, but I had a shot at sub-2:30. I said aloud, "How bad do you want it." (Don't usually talk to myself like that...) I was at 2:14:30, so I had about two 7:30 miles to go to make it to sub 2:30. Got to five miles at 2:21:38, so I thought I had it...knew I had at least 200-300 meters of kick in me. But I got to the beach and the homestretch and--despite having picked it up after the 5 mile marker--I saw the clock was ticking over 2:30. So I think the mile 2/mile 5 marker was short. Several people yelled out versions of "Way to finish strong!" But I crossed in 2:31.

Well, I guess not push the bike, huh. I felt fine in terms of stamina and all of my system...except those damned glutes from the bike. Oy...miserable, miserable start to the run.

Liz was waiting at the finish and we walked around a bit...I had to keep moving. After a while I stretched, but I was pretty hobbly after the finish.


My bike fitness is teh suck. That's it. When I won my AG in the sprint in September at Bonelli Park I was 4 of 54 in my wave on the run and 8 of 54 on the swim...and 27 of 54 on the bike. Today? 14 of 30 in AG on swim, 11 of 30 on run (as crappy as my run start was)...but 26 of 30 on the bike!!! It's time for a new bike. Can't afford a really good one, but anything is better than my current roadie and I think I need to get that out of the way before my HIM in July.


Fun event. Nice workshop the day before. Chip timing. No expo and limited food/drink after finish. Pretty site and comfortable swim course.