Ridgefield Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

well, i have not been swimming much, that being said i have not lost much time from last year. i was talking with my friend Jon at the start and had my back to the water, all of a sudden i hear 3-2-1 GO, i am like OH SHIT, turn around and dive into water, first 200 was good, but then i slowed and got into a rhythm and started to get passed, my goal was to just stay smooth and the results would take care of themselves. i swam confidently, had a lot of body contact, sighting was ok but my stroke still pulls me left, so i found myself outside a good line for the buoy's frequently. I just need to swim more, that is all. I was happy with this one, and felt good on the long run to transition.

2009 14:04 72/350
2010 14:51 90/365
2011 15:00 107/395

swim more, that is all

long run to T1, i put my shoes on in here and the racks were tight, helmet went right on, suit came right off, ran out with bike, passed 4 guys trying to get on theirs, flying mount and away i went.

2009 1:59 48/350
2010 1:55 40/365
2011 2:06 43/395

nothing, this is about as fast as i will be here without doing something much different.

If you have read any of my race reports then you know my love of the bike. It is what i work hardest on and am the most comfortable on. That being said, i am lighter and more powerful than years past, i put a lot of work on the bike since January and it finally paid off. We start out uphill and i immediately start passing guys who had better swims, since we were the first wave there are not a ton of people, but enough, i was picking a target and chasing them down, on to the next, my goal was to go as hard as possible, hold nothing back. I wanted to win the bike leg overall and try to set the course record, then worry about the run later. After passing about 25 guys, i come up on a guy who after i yell on your left, pulls to the left lane to pass and them proceeds to block the road and not completing the pass, so i yell "finish your pass already" he finally gets it in gear and i go by him and the other guy and continue on. At about the halfway mark i start to run into the back of the elite wave, then as we approach popes corner, as nasty off camber downhill 90* left turn i see my friend Jon, he is looking strong, so i keep him just off the front of me and as we get around the corner and start the fastest descent ofthe course, go to his inside, he yells, hey Rude, go getem!!! Wheeeeeeee 48.1 miles an hour down the hill we go, power through the next bunch of rollers and now i am running out of people to pass. I probably pick off 5-6 more total, but the rest of the elites are not gonna get caught by me. As we approach the end of the course the road gets choppy and i am having a tough time getting out of my shoes to get ready for the dismount, after some swerving and loss of speed trying to dodge potholes i finally get out and to the crowds delight do an awesome flying dismount!!!! Run into T2 and there are people blocking my spot, so i motion for them to move, i can't talk as i am gasping for air at this point, they move quickly and as i go to put my bike in the race, someone laid my wetsuit right over the grooves.

2009 36:33 75/350
2010 34:00 19/365
2011 30:49 1/395

Nothing. Fastest bike split and course record and obviously a PR by 4m 11s

So as i described above, my wetsuit is in my race, i try to shove the bike in and it falls over, lol. I put my shoes on and figure i will try again once i get them set, i try again since i am not thinking clearly, it falls again, i go for a third, and one of the peeps that was standing there pushes me and says, get out of here, we will fix it for you, so i say thanks and leave t2.

2009 :41 63/350
2010 :33 48/365
2011 :41 47/395

I did not put my wetsuit on my rack, someone must have moved it, i left it on the side of my rack, it is why i got there at 4:45am, to get a good end spot. Other than that, it only cost me 10 secs total due to me trying to get my bike to stand up.

well, i have worked my ass off with my running and today it all came together, don't get me wrong, this run and all my race runs are tough and a mental struggle, they always have been, i struggle to not walk, my mind is telling me to walk and let the HR come down and the body is saying,no keep going, you have put the work in, you can do this. today the body won. I was a little sore and tight for the first mile, but unlike races past, i only got passed by 2 guys in the first mile, the legs loosened up for the rest of the race and i started to feel really good, i keep listening for feet to come by me, and i am not hearing anything, there is no one running me down yet. So that fuels my fire and now i am running at a good clip for me, probably sub 8. I am starting to hate this hill that we climb, and finally we get to the top and they direct you left, uggggh more hills and the steepest of the bunch.i fight back the demons that tell me to walk, i keep hearing my friend Jeff (jsklarz) tell me if i did not go sub 25, he was gonna kick me in the jimmy, lol. So i finally get to the last hill and one of the elites passes me and says, looking great, i have been chasing you for the better part of a mile!! That was nice to hear and gave me a little boost of confidence. We get to the top, and then my buddy Jon finally catches me (westchestertriathlete)i tell him that i think his AG leader is just up, Jon is only the 6th guy to go by me. I start the downhill finale 2 more guys go by me, a 50y/o and another guy in my AG, so that is 3 in my AG total passing me, i try to stay on their heels, but i just cant make up any ground, i keep them in sight, but they are just out of reach, dig a little deeper and have a pretty good finish.

2009 30:04 303/350
2010 27:52 239/365
2011 23:14 123/395


lose some more weight, maybe start doing some speed work on the track.

walked around met up with friends, had some fruit and a bagel. Watched the awards.


I had a good race, i am finally happy with my performance


This is a good race, they do a good job. My only complaint would be that we could not hear the announcer doing the countdown for the swim. But that is splitting hairs.

past overall results

2009 1h 23m 21s 114/350 30/61 M40-44
2010 1h 19m 11s 81/365 24/58 M40-44
2011 1h 11m 47s 27/395 6/56 M40-44