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 Swim
Comments: I learned from my last race that I'm not ready to start towards the front of the pack...Not only did I respect my competitors more this time, I respected the distance a bit more as well. I wanted as little drama in the water as possible for this race and I got it. A little contact at the very beginning and a completely uneventful swim after that. The only thing that caused a little frustration was as I was heading towards the green turn buoy, I saw a kayak coming right at me. I knew I wasn't drowning so there had to be something else going on...I took a few extra seconds to really examine the course and sure enough, I was heading towards the 2nd green buoy instead of the 1st. After a little correction and more frequent siting, I was on my way. What would you do differently?: Learn how to swim straighter!! I say this every race...one day I may follow through. My goal was 30:00 and I did it in 26:48 even going off course. Next time, I guess.  Transition 1
Comments: As mentioned, my friend Steve was volunteering...His first duty was making sure no one tripped over a step hidden by sand on the long run up to the transition spot. I wished he would have been down by the FIRST step that was hidden by sand. Out the the water, sleeves stripped, and BAM! on the ground. Tripped on the step...Besides a few "oohs" from the crowd, the fall did not affect me at all...However, the sand that I didn't get off of the top of my foot sure did. Imagine taking 30 grit sandpaper to the top of your foot for 25 miles...it wasn't pleasant. What would you do differently?: Watch where I'm going and use my water bottle to wash off any debris from my feet.  Bike
Comments: Pushed it hard...well, at least as hard as I felt I could and still be able to run afterwards. Definitely harder than I've pushed it on the bike in the past. I'm not sure why...I had some friends on the course who are a little more experienced than I am and I really just wanted to catch them. (and in one case, not get caught.) Not that I really thought I could, but it was fun seeing them on my radar...I have a good friend who I was racing with and we would acknowledge each other every time our paths would cross...Of course I never caught him, but just seeing him out there kept me pushing hard. (He got me by 1:13 on the bike leg and to me, that's a victory) What would you do differently?: Nothing. (Unless you want go back to washing the sand off of my foot in T1.) My goal was 1:20 and I crushed it by 7:56 Transition 2
Comments: I was FINALLY able to brush the sand off the top of my foot!! Man, did that hurt...It was very raw, but after I put my socks on the adrenaline washed away any pain. Or let's say the pain was less than what the rest of my body was feeling. What would you do differently?: Did I mention not having sand on my feet?  Run
Comments: It was hot and my legs were pretty toast. But instead of pushing less on the bike I just want to become a stronger runner...there was an aid station every 3/4 of a mile so there was plenty of hydration. I actually carry water on me so I was basically using the water stations as a place to pour ice cold water on my head. And the kids who were volunteering were eager to splash any athlete that was willing. "Can I splash you?!" was a common question that always got the thumbs up from me...Steve had also moved to making sure the athletes stayed on track during the run so it was both a pleasure and a boost to see him on the course. What would you do differently?: I got passed on the run more than I passed others so I should probably work on that a bit...The heat was a killer, but since I can't control the weather (yet) I suppose I should run more in the heat. I'm also going to focus more time on high intensity run intervals to help me push those really painful periods. I set a goal of under 50:00 for the run and barely missed it... By the way, the guy who couldn't catch me on the bike ran past me like I was walking on the run...Still have a lot of work to do. Post race
Warm down: Hung out with friends, walked around with my girlfriend and her mom. picked at some refreshments and packed up. I was happy with my time...beat my goal by over 6 minutes and had a GREAT time. What more could I ask for? What limited your ability to perform faster: Training (or lack thereof)...plain and simple. Event comments: I guess a lot of people have issue with Tucson Racing, but I don't see it. This was 2nd time doing Tempe International and I will continue to do it as long as it's around. The course was as good a course that you can do at Tempe Town Lake and there was a lot of help to keep you on track. Expo is small, but a lot of goodies are passed out and even though the schwag bag didn't include a coffee mug this year it was not terrible... Last updated: 2012-02-09 12:00 AM
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United States
Tucson Racing Inc.
85isF / 0C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 61/269
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 9/24
I was super excited for this race...Tempe International (sprint) was my very first triathlon last year so seeing where I've come from that day, offering advice to other athletes who were doing their first race, and re-living some of the same fears through my girlfriend (who was also doing her first OWS race.) were all part of the enjoyment that I was experiencing. The day before the race I kept it very low key...went to the expo nice and early to have my pick of the best transition area and then went to a movie with my son and my friend and stayed off of my feet as much as possible. Of course, I had my traditional pre-race dinner of a sweet potato and grilled steak.
I woke up at 4am to a fresh brewed pot of coffee, had a toasted bagel with honey and started sipping on a diluted electrolyte drink. This combo has worked for me since my first race and I don't see it changing anytime soon. Thought about GUing up 15 minutes prior to take off, but opted for a banana and some water instead
I still haven't gotten into the habit of an "event warm-up"...I stretched for about 10 minutes after getting out of the shower, did a little stretching before my wave entered the water and then swam for about 25m to see how my body was feeling...it was feeling fine.
Before I got in the water I was also able to chat with my friend Steve (sksharp) who was volunteering and see my girlfriend off before her wave started. A positive way to start a positive day...