Skinnyman Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

The first thing I noticed when we got in the water was how slippery the ramp was!!!! I swear it was covered in algae or crisco, who knows, but guys were slipping just trying to get in, and I was forced to hold the handrail all the way. Did a quick few strokes once I got in to get submerged and the water was really nice, not too cold this year.
It helped that I tried to start out in front of the wave this year as the past couple years I kept running into people ahead of me. This meant I was run over a little this year by some faster swimmers, but only a couple of times on the outbound leg and then I had a nice space to swim in until we rounded the first buoy. The buoy was pretty congested, could have done better there but would have had to go out wide. The second right turn buoy was fine, no problems there. My sighting was very good this year and I think I kept a good steady pace, trying not to burn up too much energy, especially the last 100m or so where you can hear the bells and people shouting that's when It gets hard to contain yourself. I stopped and stood about 10 feet from the ramp and needed some help from the volunteers to grab the railing, luckily I didn't fall.

Not much, I was pretty happy with my time! My previous personal best here was 18:57 so I beat that pretty handily.

I really had a poor transition. I got the upper part of my wetsuit 1/2 off on the way to my spot in the transition area, but I ran down the wrong aisle as there were 2 trees that looked alike. I had to run along the concrete wall to get to my spot. My wetsuit was not playing nice, and then It took me too long to get my jersey and shoes on. Ran my bike up the hill and out to the road starting line, that part was fine.

I need to practice transitions, most of the wasted time could be cut by just practicing my routine, the rest could be cut by not running down the wrong aisle!!

The bike course was modified this year, West Lake Rd. was closed so we biked out on Genesee Street and it was a no passing lane until we rounded the first turn. So what does the cocky ignorant bastard behind me do after the first 100 yards? Yup, and I let him know I was turning in his BIB number. By the time we finished the race I forgot his damn bib number. After he passed me he stopped pedaling and puts his feet in his tri shoes so then I have to brake to avoid passing or hitting him. And I was keeping up with the guy in front of me before this, some people!
Took me the better part of 4 miles to really get going on this bike, my HR monitor was beeping at me the whole time and I struggled with the rollers on Andrews Rd, really did not feel like I got my legs until O'Neil Rd, just like years past. The week before the race my wireless decides to die on me so I'm riding with no computer here, so I'm just guessing at my speed the whole time. I saw a couple guys in the first 2-3 miles with flat tires, and at about mile 5 or 6 there's a sharp left turn onto Melrose Rd. there was a rider in the ditch who looked like he got hurt. That turn was tough because it falls away from you in the right lane, I almost lost it a couple years ago here so I knew. Grabbed a gel at about mile 6 or 7 and it tasted terrible! I took the opportunity on Melrose Rd. to get a lot of my water intake as it's mostly a steady downslope. After passing the Baptist Corner Rd. Hill which is a steady uptick I was greeted by 3 actual Clydesdale Horses at a farm on the left they were right up along the fence. Perhaps they were cheering on a fellow Clyde to get up and over that Benson Rd. Hill that was a half mile away? Speaking of, I did a lot better on the Benson Rd. hill this year, just kept as high a cadence as I could in the lowest gear and pushed hard against the saddle. There was a guy next to me on a tri bike standing up the whole hill, I was amazed he did not burn out because he wasn't going any faster than me. The owner of the farm at the top of Benson was cheering us on again this year. Once over that hill I could tell myself the hard parts were over, there was only one more incline on Hencoop Rd. but that wasn't bad at all. The last couple miles from Giles Rd. to Transition I started to pass folks who had passed me on previous hills and I felt like my energy was back. The last couple miles has some nice downhills to rest the legs and prepare for some running!
I really love this bike course, it is scenic, and the people along the route come out to cheer us on. I also think the volunteers are very supportive too, they know we are out there suffering! Coming back into T2 along Genesee St. the volunteers are basically screaming for us to slow down and I saw why first hand as the guy in front of me lost control at the dismount line and almost wiped out, the pavement was not great there. I dismounted and ran in my shoes to T2, this time I remembered where my spot was!

Just keep riding, especially routes that include some challenging hills. Losing weight will help me get over the hills faster. I'd love to be able to bike the first 3-4 miles of this route at a better pace, and not have to struggle.

Pretty uneventful here, the majority of this T2 stop was spent trying to slow my HR down, I chose not to wear socks at all so I slid barefoot into my run shoes ok, got my number on, and took in some gatorade. I wanted to make sure I didn't blow up on the first mile of the run as it was uphill so I just tried to get my HR down a little then took off.

The run course was more challenging this year, but I thought after doing it it was a better route for spectators who lined the course to cheer us on. We ran out through downtown with the Lake on our right side, and almost immediately the road turns uphill. The outbound and inbound runners ran right next to each other so quite literally the female 1st place finisher ran right by me, and all the rest of the elite racers flew by as I made my way up the hills on Genesee St. This course demanded mental strength as I passed some people who were already walking the course, and it's not that the first mile was really steep, it was just non-stop incline which I had not trained for. Rounded Genesee onto East Lake Rd. the course flattened out nicely and at that point I felt like I got in a nice groove, mentally and physically. The turnaround to head back to town went well, and when I got back to Genesee the course took that long anticipated downhill slope! The toughest part of the run came next, the race takes a loop down a side street that brings you right down to the lake, this neighborhood featured many residents out of their homes and supporting the racers. The first part of the neighborhood is all downhill, and I was feeling good on this segment, enough to give a shout out to a resident wearing an Indiana sweatshirt so as a fellow alum I gave him some props, then another lady looked like she was cleaning out her garage while cheering people on so I asked if she happened to have a moped which got her laughing hysterically. I didn't think it was that funny I was just trying to keep relaxed. So it was a nice downhill to the water but then the road turns back uphill for the last time to get back to the main road. This hill was the gut check, there were a few people walking and I can't say I blame them but another runner came up next to me and we exchanged words of encouragement and got up the hill without stopping. Once over that last hill it was more steady downhill back into town and that's when the rains started to hit. Had to take off my sunglasses as I couldn't see any longer. The main street was lined with many spectators as i was coming in to the finish. The race announcer loves to shout words of encouragement as the racers finish and he called me "blue shirt guy", I got a good laugh as I tried to muster a small sprint to the finish. Crossed the finish line and knew that I did not break my 07 time of 1:47 but I had done the best I could.

Not much on the run, I was happy with my hydration, pacing and form. The course challenged me, so maybe I would train a little more on hills instead of flats.

Chug a water and a Muscle Milk and recap the race with Bill. We got completely soaked packing up our transition area as it was pouring. As we finished packing up the sun came out again! Met Des, Brady and my dad outside the finish area, they had gotten there too late to see me finish. Instead of making Brady ride another 30 minutes in the car we decided to take him to the Elementary school in town which had one of the coolest playgrounds I've ever seen. We spent over an hour playing and Brady got some good exercise while I recovered.


Need to keep losing weight, it is hurting my bike and run times. 20-25 more pounds off my frame would be a good thing.


As long as I am in town and don't have any emergencies I will be participating every year, it's too much fun to pass up!! The only thing I have trouble with is the size of the swim waves which makes for a bumpy ride in the water. This is a charity event so they should keep as many people coming back as possible.