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 Swim
Comments: Well, despite the fact the waves were down considerably, I managed to panic myself right at the start. I had so over-thought this part of the event, that once I got into deeper water, my heart rate sky-rocketed and those little "told ya so" demons came out. The fact that at least 100 other swimmers were in my wave, turning the ocean into a washing machine, certainly did not help. I decided to breast stroke until I found clear water, which was right at the first buoy. By then, I had calmed myself down and simply began putting my head down and getting it done. From that point on, the swim was fine. I felt I did a great job staying on course, which based on the number of people who cut in front me apparently heading either towards Cuba or back to the beach, must be a learned skill. I found the buildings on shore were unique enough that it was easy to use as guides. I did get overtaken by the stronger swimmers in the next two waves. Sorry about that. I really would swim faster if I could figure out how to! Things I learned: I stayed way outside, as I found the water was clearer and I also could take a straighter line to the furthest buoy I could see. The buoys parralleled the beach, so they actually had a slight curve to them. By sighting to the furtherest buoy, I found a swam a straighter course. I also learned NOT to clean my swim goggles the night before. All I managed to do was wipe off the anti-fog stuff. I figured that out about a quarter through the race when I suddenly couldn't see! I ended up treading water, popping off my goggles, and using natures anti-fog compound: saliva! Fixed my problem for the rest of the swim. Spotted a starfish and a sting ray while swimming, which made me smile. Managed to survive getting kicked, hit, and repeatedly dunked by over-enthusiastic fellow athletes. I particularly would like the thank the person who about halfway through, hit my arm on one stroke, then GRABBED by arm and pulled me under on the next. Dude, you were one of those heading for Cuba anyway. Learn to navigate! What would you do differently?: I need to work on my confidence in the water. I CAN do this, but I have repeatedly pysched myself out before the race. Not clean my googles the night before without applying anti-fog stuff to them.  Transition 1
Comments: T1 was actually pretty quiet in my area, as most folks had made it out of the water ahead of me. To the person who decided to drink my Gatorade for me, I hope it worked at washing out that salty water yucky taste for ya. Luckily I had extra GU Chomps, so that nicely took care of the salt water after taste for me. I took my time in T1, making sure I didn't forget anything, congratulating myself on finishing the swim, and mentally changing gears for the bike. What would you do differently?: I need to get faster in transition, though most of the time is actually running in and out of this LONG transition area. I was probably only at my equipment for about 1 minute.  Bike
Comments: I rocked on the bike. I used some tips picked up from Endurance Nation, and kept my power and cadence steady and strong. I spun up the hills, letting 5-6 others pass me each time, then spun up over the top and pedaled within myself on the downhill. Each time, I would re-pass the folks who had passed me earlier, plus another 6-10 riders who were simply coasting and regaining their legs. For the entire bike, only one person passed me whom I never re-caught. Kudos to the guy on the Orange Giant; you were rocking the course! I simply kept on eye on my power meter, and strove to stay around 200 watts or slightly under. I might have been able to go a little stronger, but I was trying to save the legs for the run. My MPH has great, with a course average of just under 22 MPH. I luv my Cervelo!! And this was without the SRAM front wheel or the disc cover. This bodes well for this summer's triathlon schedule :-) What would you do differently?: I need to look at triathlon bike shoes. Running through transition on bike cleats is not very fast or easy. If I can get the shoes attached to the pedals, I can easily cut down on my transition times. (If my wife is reading this, this is all just wishful thinking and I have no intention of buying anything else again soon!) Transition 2
Comments: Transition was quick. Pull off the cleats, pull on the running shoes, grab the hat and race number, and I was off. I figure a good 3 minutes of my transition times are simply due to running through transition. What would you do differently?: Nothing I can think of.  Run
Comments: Holy heat, batman! I started out easy for the first 1.5 miles, keeping at a 9 minute pace. At the first aid station, I yelled for water but got Gatorade. Glad I decided to drink that cup, instead of pouring it on my head! My stomach was just on the edge of complaining, so while I probably needed more water, I could not have taken any on board. I did grab water at the aide stations each time for pouring on my head. That seemed to help. The run was crowded, with athletes going in both directions on a boardwalk that was open to the public. Most people were cool about this, but others were jerks. With the crowding, it was tough to pass people, as they tended to group up and getting around the groups required almost sprinting. Luckily I had enough gas in the tank to do this, but it still required concentration and that little extra "uumph". I did manage to keep kicking up my pace each mile, so by the end I actually ran my fastest split; somewhere just under 8 min mile. The combined total run was just under 8:30 miles, so while not what I had wanted to do, considering the heat and conditions I really shouldn't complain. What would you do differently?: Not sure. Maybe push a bit harder at the turn-around. I still had a little gas in the tank at the end, but not much. Post race
Warm down: Water, fruit, bagel and cold towel. What limited your ability to perform faster: Heat, humidity, and not being comfortable in the water. Event comments: While the race was really cool, that was mostly because it was something new, in a new place, and large considering what other races I have done. What both my family and I noticed, however, was there was not much enthusiasm from the spectators. They would watch and make comments, but no really cheering or shouts of encouragement unless they knew an athlete. That is so much different that our experiences in tri's in northern michigan. My wife did say that one really neat thing was she would shout encouragement to athletes as they came by, and a gentleman behind here would yell the same thing, only in spanish! I thanked every volunteer I saw, and they all seemed surprised and often smiled and thanked me back. Considering the heat, traffic, and number of athletes, these folks couldn't have been thanked enough. The race director also did an awesome job, as everything seemed well thought out and coordinated. This must be a tough event to pull off, with all the traffic, people, and other distractions to compete with. Ya done good! Profile Album Last updated: 2012-01-26 12:00 AM
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United States
Michael Epstein Sports Productions
87F / 31C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 430/771
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 48/76
We arrived safely in Miami, having driven the past two days down from Michigan, with a tri bike and two teenaged girls in the back of the Honda CRV. The beach was a bit of a culture shock to the girls, but not as much of a shock as the waves and rollers coming into the beach were for me. My one and only real concern on this was having a wavy start like they did in 2010.
We headed over to the event expo, which was nice, though seemed a bit small. Met several athletes whom we had read about or saw on YouTube, which was really cool! Next we walked the routes from swim to transition, then to bike start, then run start. This transition area was HUGE! I founnd out later that the transition area from one end to the other was 1/4 mile long. Anyway, I was about 1/3rd of the way from the bike and run start. This meant a long run in from swim, and also from bike end. The paths were either concrete or carpeted, so were not really a problem.
I did put on the wetsuit and finally got in for a warmup swim, right at sunset, and I am very glad I did. I cannot remember the last time I swam in the ocean, and I had forgotten the bouancy and taste of seawater. Made a note to pack extra GU gels and some Gatorade for transition, just to get rid of the taste. The swim helped, at least a little, but not enough to save me from a restless night. It did convince me to wear the wetsuit, a decision I had been debating for most of our trip. Got back to the hotel, repacked the bags, checked over the bike, then hit the bed.
Got up at 5 a.m. for some bad coffee and pop-tarts. The night life was just winding down in Miami at this hour, including a young lady in jeans and her bra wondering around the hotel lobby, obviously still a bit inebriated and lost. Walked the three blocks to transition, wondering whether the waves were still rocking like they had been the night before. The wind had calmed down quite a bit, and I couldn't hear waves crashing, so I was cautiously hopeful.
Transition setup was a sea of humanity. You had to be checked into transition, which went quite smoothly. Next was body marking, again smooth. I felt the event organizers did an outstanding job with transition, especially considering there were 3000 athletes in there!
Bike racks were plenty spacious, unless you insisted on being as close to the end as you could. Those folks were crowded, but towards the other end, those of us who set up there had plenty of space. Then it was the long walk down to swim start, followed by getting the wetsuit on and the race mindset going.