Reston Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This year they decided to do the race with one-way traffic in each lane. I was skeptical going in because, while I thought this was a great idea generally, I thought the 5 second start intervals would lead to a lot of bunching. There was some bunching, but because it was a 50m pool there was lots of space for people to pass. That aspect of the race turned out very well.

Over the first three lengths I passed probably 6 people, and after that I was pretty much in the clear. I thought my performance was pretty good. I was moving fast, I felt I was pushing it more than last year, my breathing wasn't out of control, etc. When I popped out I was convinced I might have finally broken my string of 400m 6:49-6:51 performances (my times in EVERY pool race I've done at this distance had been the same to that point).

No such luck, however. My time was 6:49 - grrr...

My goal was to beat my split times from last year - didn't do it here.

My swim training over the last two seasons has been pretty steady-state. While I've tried to vary my workouts somewhat, I think I am just not pushing myself that much during workouts - pushing myself to the degree that it would take to make substantive improvements in my times. Another thing is that I've not joined a masters club. I think I would benefit from coaching. Something to think about...

My T1 time last year was 1:18. I think the time difference was probably because this year, despite once again fibbing about my swim time to get a better seed, I was the 30th or so to start. Consequently, my rack was a further 15-20 yards away from the mount/dismount line, which meant more time running in my bike shoes.

not much

I felt pretty good on the bike this year, and definitly stronger on the Weihle and Baron Cameron hills. I did, however, dip a bit below 10mph on the second loop on the Baron Cameron hill - something which I had wanted to avoid.

Unlike last year, however, I did a lot more standing up and pumping on both hills, and I think that probably made a difference, as I beat my split time from last year by just a bit.

During the latter part of the first loop Greg passed me. Actually, 'smoked' is a better word - shortly after he went by I didn't see him again on the bike. I wasn't sure I would see him again for the entire race, but I knew I would keep an eye out during the run.

A better bike would certainly help. Also, power-focused training. Anyone got a power tap they would be willing to donate to a good cause :-)

My T2 time last year was 1:06, so I was off by quite a bit this time around. I really wanted to have my Garmin with me for the run, so I took the time to wrest it out of the quick-release harness on the bike and pop it on my wrist band (which I had worn during the swim). In addition, I was futzing with the Garmin to get it into run mode and that probably slowed me down coming out of transition.

I think whatever time I lost in the transition getting my Garmin on was more than gained by simply having my pace and HR info available to me during the run. Not much.

The run was where I expected to do much better than last year (time was 24:09 last year), as I had cramps and felt nauseous last time around.

I pushed this just about as hard as I could. My HR got up to 184 at one point, so I'm convinced that I didn't leave anything on the trail. Happy with this performance given how hilly the course is.

With about 1 mile left I approached a couple of guys in my age group. I squinted a bit and thought - could it be? Is that Greg, the dude who smoked me so bad on the bike after starting behind me in the swim? Yes, it was! I passed by him and the other guy saying 'C'mon guys - one more to go!'.

nothing

Just chilled and got some water. Saw Greg finish and gave him a high-five. He had also really pushed it up the hill and was hurtin' (like everyone else including me) just after the finish.

Grabbed some pizza and diet coke and had a banana and lots of water. Didn't really stretch, but should have...


After the race I was chatting with Greg again, and another guy about our age came up to congratulate him on the race. He looked kind of familiar, and I saw that he had a '41' on his calf - could it be 'the other Jeff Davis'? Yes - it was!!!

So, I finally got to meet him, and as we shook hands there was no matter-anti matter annihilation as I thought might happen! All kidding aside, we chatted a bit, talking about the race and the fact that my kids used to go to his practice. It turned out he and Greg grew up together.

After a bit we saw that they had posted the first set of times. 'The other Jeff Davis' (that's what he calls me too!) and I were #3 and #4 in our age group. I thought for a minute - wouldn't it be funny if we had been one and two? I was pleased that I came close to placing, but I didn't really think that I would.

Having seen my time, I decided to take off and not stick around for the award ceremony, as last year it dragged on and on. Boy do I regret that decision now.

It turned out that #1 and #2 in the M40-44 age group had placed overall, so, in terms of giving out the awards, it turned out that me and 'The Other Jeff Davis' actually WERE #1 and #2 in our age group! BUMMER I DIDN'T STAY!

I emailed "The Other Jeff Davis" (we are friends on Athlinks.com) to see if he stayed and what, if anything, the announcer said about this most unusual of circumstances - two Jeffrey Davises, both 41, coming in #1 and #2 in the M40-44 age group.

Fellow BT'ers - if you were there when they announced it, care to tell me what was said?

Generally speaking -great race. I'll be back next year.