Coeur d'Alene Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Pretty good swim for me. Pretty smooth water, felt good right from the start and was able to hold a good pace. Caught a few drafts, only had one temporary hiccup in sighting, then pushed the pace the last leg of the triangle course. It was nice having waves start 10 minutes apart as I didn't have too much trouble getting through swimmers from earlier waves like in past years. Swim time I listed here is about 30 seconds faster than the official race time. I stopped my watch when I hit the beach but the official time includes about 30 seconds running up the beach and toward transition before you cross the timing mat. Saw Lisa while I was running up the beach and got a high 5 from her! Gotta love my #1 cheerleader.

More swim training. This was a PR for me at this race so I have to be happy with it.

I kept my own T1 time and it's about 30 seconds slower than my official time since I started it at the beach. Official T1 was 1:35 I think. Couldn't get my wetsuit off my heels so that slowed me down. Otherwise pretty uneventful.

Wetsuit off quicker.

This race bills itself as the "Scenic Challenge." It certainly is that. Starts out flat then there's about a 1/2 mile climb at around mile 5. A little more flat then a 3.2 mile climb that sucks the life out of bigger guys like me. The last 1/2 mile is the steepest and tops out at about 11-12% grade. Flat then a little downhill...went through the long curve at nearly 35 mph which was a bit of a white knuckler! 3 more good climbs then the long downhill where I got 49 mph. Luckily was out of the crowds by then so felt safe just letting it go on the downhill. Mostly flats back to T2. Good cheering sections coming back through town made it fun.

Just ride hills. 1 minute off my PR for this course.

Had a decent transition except had an issue with one of my shoe inserts that cost me a little time. No big deal.

Not much.

This is where my race didn't go so well. First 1/2 mile I thought I was going to DNF as my back spasmed pretty bad for some reason. Never had that happen before so not sure. Kept going though and it calmed down and wasn't a factor the rest of the run. Still wasn't feeling all that great and just wasn't able to push the pace I had hoped. Got the 1 mile mark at about 8:48 so was able to pick up the average a little bit after that. Just one of those days. My son was waiting for me when I got off the road and hit the park. His cheering and encouragement helped me kick it up a bit for the last 1/3 mile.

Better run training and probably a little more nutrition on the bike. 30 seconds per mile slower than my last race here.

Run training.


Very good race with a tough, tough bike course. Transition was a mess without enough racks and some very rude people. All I can say is if you want a good transition spot get your lazy butt out of bed earlier! Don't come in late and expect me to be happy that you're parking your bike on top of my transitiion setup.
The official race results had me 3rd in Clydesdale but the announced winner had an amazing swim time of 8 minutes! Obviously he started with his regular age group, 20 minutes ahead of when he should have. His official time was figured on when he should have started instead. No big deal, although the guy that should have received the 1st place ribbon and bottle of wine is probably a bit upset if he's noticed this!
Overall good race, close to home, beautiful day...all good!