Black Diamond Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic

The swim was just average for me. I had only swam this distance wihout rest breaks a couple of times in training and I've had a handful of open water swims so I was just trying to finish. The sun was out the whole time which made it nice. I thought doing two laps may make it akward but the various waves were spread out enough that it was fine. I cruised for the first lap and then tried to put on a little more speed for the second.

Nada.

I tried using a little Pam spray this time and it helped with getting the suit off. I had planned to try to speed up my transition times from my first tri this spring but this was about the same time. I did hurry and didn't have any big time lags. In retrospect I beat 9 out of 19 of my age group so I guess this was about on par with my ohter splits.

Run faster from the water.

Though I heard others describe the course as 'flat to rolling hills' it felt pretty hilly to me. This was my first race with my aerobars. I was hoping to keep the pace over 20mph but with the 'rolling' hills this ended up being difficult. The only new experience for me was trying to eat gels while actually riding. I know I should have practiced but in training I always took a break for a couple of minutes to eat a gel. Eating was hard while I was puffing away on bike. And though I hadn't had any stomach problems when eating during my training rides I ended up feeling pretty nauseous and bloated from the gel and water. I had planned on eating two gels on the bike but only had one since I felt ill. I did drink almost two full water bottles during the ride.

In training I've struggled with some knee pain. Long and/or intense efforts in either run or bike resulted in shooting pain in my left knee. About halfway into the ride I started getting the knee 'twinge' that told me I was on my way to pain. I dialled back my effort a bit and resigned myself to a slower finish. I really should get in to see the doctor about the knee.

Even with the slower pace because of my knee I ended up gaining about 50 positions (overall) on the bike so I think I had a nice, strong ride. The weather continued to be sunny and I'd guess the temp reached into the 60s during the ride. Very pleasant overall.

Nada.

As I started my dismount I almost fell with a calf cramp. I had made an attempt to spin a little more so I wouldn't feel so 'wooden' but apparently it didn't work. I regained my balance, jogged into transition, and had an uneventful T2. I took an extra few seconds to drink some water.

I think even though I felt strong on the bike I probably should have saved a little more for the run. By the time I started running I was battling with leg cramps (calf and thigh) and my knees were a bit achy. I started very slowly and walked the few water stations. The course was an out and back along some of the local roads and then one loop (about two miles) around the small lake that we swam in. The run was just about finishing without having to walk.

I made an effort to smile and encourage others around me since I appreciated this on the receiving end. It was a very friendly run since so much of the out and back had the runners doubling back.

My goal was under three hours but I secretly hoped for under 2:45. With about a mile to go I was at 2:38. I briefly entertained a sprint to the end but decided to just bring it home without any drama. I'll sheepishly admit that with a quarter mile to go I spotted another competitor in my age group. I stalked behind him for a bit and then put on a mini sprint to beat him by about 10 seconds. Hey, this is a race, right?

Finished a few seconds shy of 2:48.

Try to take in more water early and pace my bike better to avoid cramping on the run.

As I slowed just after the finish line I made sure to get my medal (missed the medal in my first tri a few months back), got my timing chip cut off, and then nearly fell over with a thigh cramp as I reached for a water. This would be the second time I nearly fell with a cramp! Definitely need to work on my water intake before and during the race.

After a bit of walking I headed back to the finish to watch my friend finish about 15 minutes behind me.


Cramping, stomach issues.


The volunteer group that had committed to help for this race backed out the week before the race. They were headed down to Louisiana to help with the relief efforts there. While I commend that cause it still left the race organizers in a tough spot. They put out the call for volunteers and ended up hiring some workers from the local Labor Ready to man some course locations.

I think because of this they ended up cancelling the Saturday packet pickup and transition setup. This made race morning busy, and the races ended up about a half hour late. Things ran fine otherwise.