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 Swim
Comments: I’m really comfortable in the water having spent most of my life in, on, and around it. I’ve also logged hundreds of hours under water so it’s fair to say I love the water. I’ve also been training for the distance and I was easily doing double the distance with no problems. The race started in 2 waves which meant the first wave had about 200 people in it. I think the term washing machine is not appropriate here. It was more like cattle being herded to the slaughter house. I bobbed and weaved through as many people as I could. I expended a lot of energy trying to avoid my fellow competitors. I also tried my best to make a wide turn at the buoy so as to avoid the congestion but it was too late. I couldn’t swim across the herd at this point. It was such a CF at the turn that I doggie paddled for fear of getting knocked out by the flailing arms and legs. After the turn I got in to some clear water and my stroke picked up and I was on auto pilot. What would you do differently?: Stay to the RIGHT! Get in clear water and swim instead of battling.  Transition 1
Comments: I exited the water and had my cap, goggles and ear plugs stowed away nicely in the sleeve of my suit as I pulled my arms through the sleeves. My suit was down to my waist as I hit the bike racks and I ran through transition to my rack. I had my suit off, sunglasses on, race belt on then helmet on and clipped. I grabbed my bike which had the shoes on and rubber banded to keep them in place. I got to the mount line, mounted the bike and was off. This was about as text book a transition as I could have done. What would you do differently?: Nothing - I placed 14th in T1  Bike
Comments: For me I did well in the bike. My time was a personal best my average speed was up there (for me at least) in general I should be pleased with my performance. BUT….. I was passed by many racers. It was demoralizing and I was mentally starting to question myself and my abilities. As best as I could I just couldn’t keep up. Even when I tried to hammer it I could barely keep up and most riders just peddled on effortlessly. Well to me at least they looked like they were peddling effortlessly. Sigh, another race where my butt was handed to me on the bike leg. What would you do differently?: Not sure I guess I just need more time in the saddle – I hope Transition 2
Comments: I came into T2 and had my feet on top of my cycling shoes and was ready to go fast. I stepped off my bike and got into a good running stride then hit the wall of people coming into T2. Most were walking and I was in a bottle neck unable to pass them. This is a race right – why are you walking? I racked my bike, dropped my helmet, put my socks and shoes on, then grabbed my watch and visor and I was off. It was a long run out of T2 because I was at the other end of the exit. All in all I did my part but I was again caught up in the masses and it really slowed me down. What would you do differently?: I know putting on socks cost me some time. I rolled them down prior to the race which helped. I body glided the shoes to help with sliding them on. I might try going sockless next time I buy a pair of running shoes. I just can’t go sockless with my present shoes.  Run
Comments: Coming out of transition you run on the beach for 250 yards. This is just another treat by the race directories for those of you who have run on a beach before you what I mean. When I hit the pavement I was trying to just keep my legs moving. They were tired and I wasn’t in a running stride yet. I had one guy pass me at the start of the run I then caught up to him at the first hill – he was now walking. I proceeded to pass people and found a group of 3 runners that were running at my pace. I’ve heard people say they’ve done this before and they were running my race exactly how I wanted to. It wasn’t my intention to do this but it just worked out. Our pace was increasing as we went and we passed quite a few people. I noted the guy to the side of me was 52 – I hope to be doing this in 11 years and be as good as this guy. We stayed together for most of the race – I lagged a few seconds behind them in the last ¼ mile. As I made the turn into the parking lot for the finally dash to the finish line I heard the footsteps. I said NO WAY I’ve worked way too hard to get here. It was a 50 yard all out sprint to the finish line. I wasn’t dropping 1 or maybe 2 spots now – I beat them by 1 second. I never turned back to see who it was, at this point I didn’t care it was over and I did it. What would you do differently?: I nailed the run. Not much I would do differently. Post race
Warm down: I asked my friend who also did the tri with me and who also happens to be a physical therapists how to prevent muscle soreness the next day. He said don’t do triathlons and then winked at me. Other than having an ice bath right there on the beach there wasn’t much I could do as I felt my legs getting tight. What limited your ability to perform faster: I really need to work on my bike it’s by far my weakest event. I also need to have a better strategy for the swim. Had I been in some clear water I may have been able to shave some time off the swim. Event comments: The race was well organized and there were plenty of volunteers policing the transition area which was nice. I say this because it’s nice not to have to tell someone that they racked there bike the wrong way or that their milk crate doesn’t belong in the transition area. It leaves you to focus on your race. Last updated: 2010-05-21 12:00 AM
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United States
Event Power
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 98/414
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race note:
I strained my back Friday night leaning over to pick up my 21 month old 25# toddler. I called my chiropractor first thing Saturday morning to see if he could squeeze me in. He could, there was hope. He adjusted me and told me he put about 6 of my vertebrae back into alignment. I said to my doctor that I had a triathlon on Sunday and asked him if he thought I would be able to do it. He said you’ll know Sunday morning! I was going to be sore but at least my back was straight. Later that afternoon I did a little running and biking and I had no problems with my back. I did feel it a little swimming but only when I was breathing on my right side.
I got a good night’s sleep Saturday and woke up Sunday and my back was feeling GREAT! I was racing today.
I woke up around 5:15. This was 15 minutes before I planned to wake and I was happy in the end to have the extra 15 minutes. I had my all time favorite easy to eat high energy food – freeze dried Mountain House brand granola and blueberries. It’s never failed me on my backpacking trips and I can’t think of another 500 calorie, high carb and easy to digest breakfast that I can eat in less than 5 minutes.
I grabbed my water bottles from the refrigerator and topped them off w/ ice then I grabbed my backpack and I was out the door. I loaded up the truck with my bike and backpack and I was off.
I parked in the parking lot at the event. This was nice and meant I only had a short walk with my gear to the transition area. The only drawback was the parking is closed until the race finished.
Set up went very smooth. I got a nice spot on the rack facing the exit for T1. I helped a few people out with their set ups and explained to one what body glide was and why I was using it.
I put my wetsuit on and did a short warm up in the water. It was warm and I didn’t want to overheat by standing around in my suit so I stayed in the water as long as I could to stay cool.