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 Swim
Comments: Haven't been in the water at all since August, so I wasn't expecting too much here. Thought I might be able to draft off some of the front-runners, but most of the swimmers ahead of me were zigzagging around, so I decided to trust my own sighting and line up some open water ahead of me. Felt a bit of fatigue and muscle tightness creeping in at the halfway mark (no surprise there). Handled most of the buoys decently and concentrated on maintaining steady turnover and long smooth strokes above and below the water. Swam the last several hundred yards alongside another guy from my wave, and enjoyed watching him windmill wildly, while my stroke remained relaxed and relatively efficient. Very shallow coming in. I used a few dolphin dives to get myself into shore (had some doubts about the legality of this, so I stopped a bit earlier than I would have liked), then churned up the beach and jogged into T1. What would you do differently?: I was fairly conservative here, which paid off later in the race. My tendency is to go out like a banshee, and I was able to check that impulse successfully. Kudos to me for not being an idiot.  Transition 1
Comments: Not fast, not slow, just took a business like approach to make sure everything was in order. First time wearing my trisuit under a full wetsuit, so that definitely saved me some time.  Bike
Comments: First half of the course was fairly challenging, I thought. Seemed like miles 1-6 were all pedaled on a slight uphill grade. There were two fairly challenging climbs at miles 9 and 15, where I performed well, but the key for me was to start easy and leave myself some juice for the back half, where the terrain was much more favorable. Saw bunches go by me in the first 25 minutes, but was reeling in a few by mile 15, and picked off a fair number on the back half. Was pleased to feel the power building in my legs as the ride continued. Didn't quite manage to crack the 20 mph mark like I did in NYC earlier this summer, but this was a much smarter effort on my part. Held a good aero position on the flats coming home, and started to turn my mind to the run when I could see the transition area coming into view. What would you do differently?: I'm pleased with this ride. It was a challenge to stay positive in the early goings when the stud riders were all rocketing past me, but I knew I had to ride my own race, and catching some of the guys who passed me earlier in the later stages gave me a real boost. Transition 2
Comments: Same as T1. Just handled my business as quickly as I could without getting myself into a frenzy.  Run
Comments: This was the big one for me. I've always thought that I was good for a sub-50 10K at the end of an Oly, but it's just never worked out that way. In the past, I either left too much out on the bike course, or hills and hot temps knocked me for a loop coming out of T2. I've just never been able to put it all together for a variety of reasons. At the NYC Oly in July, I died like a dog in 90 degree heat after logging my fastest ride ever for 40K. Barley got that run done in under and hour, and felt like I'd been hit by a bus when it was over. This was a chance for redemption. Ideal course (pancake flat) and perfect weather left me no excuses. All I had to do was marshal my energy wisely, and I knew I had a legitimate shot. Figured if I held an 8:00 pace, I would be golden, and that's pretty much what I did. Even managed to kick it up a notch over the final two miles to finish with a 7:51 pace. Don't think I've ever run smarter than this, and man did it feel great. Proof positive that tris don't have to end with abject suffering even if there is some pain involved. I dug in and got it done here, not by reaching for too much early, but by making plan and sticking to it. What would you do differently?: Probably my best tri finish ever. Didn't think I had it in me mentally, but everything lined up right for me here. Cool temps and flat terrain helped a bunch, as well. Post race
Event comments: Never raced this course before, so I won't log this as a PR, but this was BY FAR my best effort at this distance and probably my smartest race ever. If you look at my splits, there's no single leg that appears to be outstanding, but all three were respectable, and I had enough at the end to run the way I always felt I could. Very nice way to end the season, and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can pick up next year where I left off. Nice to get through the season with no injuries, and I'm already looking forward to racing in 2009. In the words of WaterDog , "Train well, peeps." Profile Album Last updated: 2008-09-22 12:00 AM
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United States
Mary M Gooley Hemophilia Center
60F / 16C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 68/278
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 11/32
Last tri of the year for me. Fall is kicking in here, the leaves are turning, and mornings are getting downright chilly. It's been a fun and rewarding season on the whole with some ups and downs along the way. My "A" race ended in disappointment--still haven't completely shaken the feeling of failure I had while walking back to the finish of the Newfoundland 70.3--but I saw great breakthroughs elsewhere. Finally eclipsed 20 mph on the Oly course in NYC. Raced my way to an age group podium spot at a local sprint event early in August. Didn't get in as many miles as I would have liked since then, but I went into this event with high hopes anyway based on the strides I'd made throughout the summer. We drove down on Saturday. Took the scenic route and hit one of the roadside stands along the way for hot apple fritters. Definitely one of the most delicious rites of autumn. Made it to the hotel a bit later than expected, but still full of warm, gooey, cinnamon goodness.
Slept restlessly for whatever reason. Awoke spontaneously at 3:30 and lay quietly in bed until the alarm went off at 5:00. Filled my bottles and fired down an energy bar to kick-start the furnace, then loaded up the car and headed to the venue. A little bit of stretching after getting set up in transition, then waded into the water to get myself accustomed to the temp. Not too bad from my perspective, although there was a collective groan when the water temp (64 degrees) was announced over the p.a. Was glad to start in one of the early waves, and before I knew it they had us lined up and ready to roll.