Lakewood Valley Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Whitesville, Kentucky
United States
Owensboro Family YMCA
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 52m
Overall Rank = 54/65
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/7
Pre-race routine:

Couldn't sleep very well woke up at 3:00, laid there until 4:30 at which time I got up and went through my transitions ensuring I packed everything. Went with my Dad to get a bite to eat and went to find Event location. Actually was the first competitor there at 6:00am. Had the transition area to myself, racked bike and setup my area.
Event warmup:

Mainly milled around. I was really worried about the open water swim. Walked down to the lake, saw the course, stepped in and the water was warm. Started to feel a little better about the swim portion.
Swim
  • 24m 51s
  • 879 yards
  • 02m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

The start had everyone wade out into waist deep water. We were given last minute instructions via a volunteer with a megaphone. The one instruction I remembered was; if you need assistance take off your swim cap and wave it in the air. The supplied caps were hot pink and would be hard to miss. I was pretty calm though I have never swam any distance in open water.

The gun blasted signaling the start of the race and apparently angering the aqua gods. Because as soon as the gun sounded, the water boiled up into a frothy, churning, roaring torrent. Try as I might to escape it, I remained trapped in its clutches. Freestyling my way out was not an option; every time I tried I swallowed a mouth full of water. Heart rate was soaring; breathing was difficult due to the coughing. Things were going bad in a hurry. I was going to stop, stand up, regroup and start over, only to learn I was in over my head, literally. Now panic is starting to enter the equation, I looked to see if anyone was waving their pink cap. If I saw another quitter, I was going to join them. Dang! no quitters could be seen; I wasn’t going to be the first to bail out.

I rolled on my back and tried to calm down. Instincts had me kicking the whole time and making progress toward the first buoy. I tried to get into a standard free style stroke and it just wasn’t happening, I kept taking on water. Breast stroked past the first buoy. Again I looked for other quitters as I didn’t think there was any way I was going to finish the swim.

I saw fellow BT’s greglmartin in front of me making good progress with the breast stroke, that gave me a little hope so using a mix of breast, freestyle and doggie paddle, I rounded the 2nd buoy ending the 1st of 3 legs of the course. I did have some room and calmer waters around me until the 2nd wave of swimmers caught me. They started 5 minutes after me…..geez.

Starting the 2nd leg I came across one of the rescuers in scuba gear, had a chat with him, as I chugged by. 2nd leg went without incident, now the turn for home.

I could see the end was in sight and I actually got into a bit of a swimming rhythm; however, another competitor was having directional problems and zig zagged in front and over me. I was finally able to pass him and a couple of others in route to the most blessed sight I have ever seen….the boat ramp.

They called out my time as I exited, 6 minutes above what I estimated. Given the circumstances, I was darn pleased with that.

What would you do differently?:

I probably should have paid more attention to where I was standing at the start. I should have moved out to the edge and to the back of the group. Having to start in the midst of the beast totally took me out of my game.
Transition 1
  • 03m 27s
Comments:

The transition area was up a very steep hill about 1/4 mile away from the boat ramp. I was tired, and out of breath after the swim anyway, getting to T1 was no joy. I was really tired and wobbly and had a hard time getting clipped in and going.
What would you do differently?:

My area was laid out well, I was just huffing and puffing due to the swim. Think I will invest in some double sided pedals. Spent too much time trying to get clipped in. May try clipping shoes in in advance too.
Bike
  • 49m 32s
  • 14 miles
  • 16.96 mile/hr
Comments:

With all of the kicking in the swim my legs were tired. I was glad to be on the bike but I wasn't able to give it my all out. Towards the end I met up with greglmartin and we pushed each other the final few miles. I am really glad I met Greg through this site. It was nice having at least one familiar face out there.
What would you do differently?:

It wasn't until the race was over that I realized I never used the top ring. There were times when I should have really cranked it up, instead I coasted and rested too much. No doubt the swim had taken it's toll.
Transition 2
  • 01m 40s
Comments:

Had my family cheering me on as I entered T2. That was really cool. I even mugged for a picture while changing into running gear. I think I was feeling pretty good knowing that I would finish this race. Voluteer was right on the spot with a bottle of water. That was really nice.
Run
  • 32m 35s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

I maintained pretty good speed on the flats but there were a couple of hills that killed me. Had to stop and walk a couple of times, I HATE doing that.
What would you do differently?:

Toughed it out up the hills.
Post race
Warm down:

Shed the shoes and revisited my nemesis, the water. Jumped in and reveled in the fact that “I Did It!”

Saw others running down the hill toward the finish and wanted to be there to cheer them on. Hung around the finish line sipping water.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not to beat a dead horse, but the swim dictated my entire race. My struggle in the water spilled over into the other events as I was below average in both the bike and run. However, I was pretty pleased overall. I hate I was last in my age group, but hey I just started exercising regularly this year so I'm not going to beat myself up to bad.

Event comments:

Kudos to the event organizers! The volunteers were awesome; they were helpful and seemed to always be where you needed them and quick to offer water. The event was in an absolutely beautiful location, it almost made you forget the pain….well almost :-)


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-05-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:51 | 879 yards | 02m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/65
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course: Triangle: approx 300 yds x 180yds x 400yds
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:27
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:49:32 | 14 miles | 16.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/65
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: Along coutry roads with rollers.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 73
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:40
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:32:35 | 03.1 miles | 10m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/65
Performance: Average
Course: Gravel road for the 1st half the paved road the rest of the way. Much of the run was through woods and shade. Very pretty from what I can remember.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5