Pumpkinman Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic

Got into the water about 20 minutes before the start of my wave and swim back and forth for a little bit to get warmed up. As I waited for my wave i was near the beginning of the vourse standing around when I saw someone waving and yelling help. I immediately started swiiming toward the person since I was one of the closest people to them. A few others swam with me. I went all out for about 50 yrds to get to the guy and once we arrived he was okay but I think in shock. I felt bad for the guy and I knew exactly what that feeling is like. i told him to turn on his back and we waded water and slowly pulled him in. Once we got where he could stand I asked him if he wanted medical attention and he declined. He thanked us and got to shore. My heart was racing from that and I felt a sense of relief that he was okay. About a few minutes later they called us for our wave.I lined up in the middle of the pack, heard the countdown and off we went.

Since I was in the middle of the pack it became a washing machine and I was getting bumped, kicked and pulled at for the first two buoys. Once I rounded the second buoy I started getting that panicked feeling for a minute and couldn't catch my breath. I had to slow down for a minute to get it back together. It took me a few minutes until I felt good again and then I eventually fell into a good rhythm after I got past the 3rd buoy into the long stretch. I switched my sides for breathing periodically and started to feel real good. I thought to myself that all the hours at the pool were paying off. It seemed like forever but finally made my way to the turning point after the long stretch and decided to use the rotating arm technique on the buoy. Not a good choice for this race given my run down body and I started to feel slightly dizzy for a minute. Made my way to the next buoy and started to get winded. I was real upset at this point because I felt like I was having a good swim. I had to slow down to keep from feeling dizzy and nausea which made me even more pissed but i had to do what I needed to finish the swim. I made my way to the last buoy, took the right turn and headed to the beach. I pushed hard here to try and salvage some lost time from earlier. Made it to the shoreline and and got my wetsuit to my waist. I headed to T1.

I need more races to become fully comfortable in the washing machine although I was good until after that second buoy. My sighting today was bad and ended up off course at least 3 times. I had to swim more then I wanted just to get back on course.

After getting the results I was 7th in my age group in the swim, a huge difference from last year! I was very happy with this part of my day and I was only 2 minutes behind the overall age group winner Mark!

I decided to leave my sandals at the start of T1 as they had just put down some tar and chip on the road that was our T1. Wouldn't you know it that when I went to the spot where I left my sandals they were fucking GONE! I couldn't believe it. So I had to try to run barefoot on that shit and I have to tell you it was painful, plus my bike was near the end so I struggled just to make it there. Any time I made up in the swim I lost in T1. I was passed by at least 10 people which never happens to me. Got to my spot, struggled a little with the wetsuit, got my stuff on and ran to the mount area in my bike shoes. I normally don't do this but given the hill right out of T1 I felt it was best to take this approach.

I guess I will have to hide my sandals from now! Need to get faster with the wetsuit too.

Started out on a hill climb out of boulder beach to lakeshore dr and took a right. This is a rolling hill course with very little flat area. I started out ok and was feeling ok. I made sure to try and get some liquids and nutrition down roght away to make sure my body didnt fail me given the weaker state I was in from feeling a little run down. We headed out about 8 miles to the turn around and I was feeling ok but was getting passed more then I liked. I was hitting the downhills well, passing some people but I lost what ever I had gained on the up hills. I really need to get some strength in my legs which I believe comes from more time in the saddle and getting into the hurt locker more often. After we exited the park it was all uphill from there and I really lost some time there. I had set a goal of 1:30 and missed that by 10 minutes. I know that I can bike that course in 1:30 and will make sure that I put myself through some more rigorous training before next years race. Finally hit the famous Nevada Way hill up to T2 which felt like it took forever. But I finally made it to T2, headed to my transition spot and got ready for the run.

I have to spend more time on the bike when I beginning training for St George. I missed too many long workouts on my bike and just didn't get enough saddle time. With colder weather approaching i will either bundle up and ride outside or set up the trainer in the garage and get some time in.

10th overall in my age group

Not a bad transition, need to run a little faster out of T2.

Headed out of T2 feeling good, my legs were not like jello as I had felt in other races. This is one area where I saw the training had paid off. I was averaging a nice 7:30 pace in the very beginning and felt really strong. I had set a goal of 45:00 for this portion which I clearly did not hit but it helped keep me focused on the run. As I made me way through the first mile I felt good and took in my first gel with caffeine I had withheld coffee the week of the race with the hopes of it helping me in the run but that little "push" I was looking for never really happened. Maybe the caffeine amounts weren't enough in the gel or maybe one week wasn't enough for my body. Who knows but I'll have to try something else for the next race.

As I turned down the small hill to make a left to the desert I passed by Mark who was cruising along. Cheered him on and was happy that he was having a great race. as I headed down the hill I tried to take advantage of the downhill but my pace was getting slower, but still in the mid 8:00/mile range. "Not bad" I thought but I was going to have to hold that pace. Took a left to the desert and hit the first hill. Pace went down to 9:00/mile and hit my second aid station. I wanted to eat another gel but held on until I reached the turnaround at mile 3. Once I hit the turnaround I ate my gel and walked through the aid station. I was starting to wear down slightly. My pace was now at almost 10/mile which i wasn't happy about but I plodded on!

Once I hit mile 4 I started to feel a cramp in my right leg. It came on quickly, to the point where I had to stop for a minute. I was upset about that but what can you do??? So I sucked it up and went on. Then the other leg cramped up and I knew that I wasn't going to hit my goal. not it was about finishing faster then last year. That hill back up to near the finish line hurt but I kept reminding myself of all the hours training I had put in and that I needed to beat my time from last year. I ran through the cramping and saw the right hand turn to the finish line. I picked up the pace slightly and saw my friend Mark near the finish line. I also heard some guy grunting in pain very loud which made the spectators star cheering for him loudly. Mark was about 200 m from the finish line and started running with me yelling and cheering. At the same time I heard loud footsteps from the grunter who i knew was trying to pass me. I thought to myself "NO WAY" and started at an all out sprint with Mark yelling at me like I was in basic training. That helped me finish strong and the grunter to finish right behind me. It's the little victories that can make or break your race!

There are various reasons for cramping and in retrospect I don't think that it was a lack of electrolytes. This time I think that my legs were not ready for the faster pace of running after the uphill bike ride that I had done earlier. So, harder workouts on the bike, harder strength workouts and maybe a few more brick training sessions might help this go away for the next race.

Had few beers and waited for Mark to get on the podium! Also had some food which included burnt mac and cheese. Why would you serve that????


Many variables but I need to get stronger and faster on the bike to start. That means more time in the saddle and more effort on the hills when I ride. Also need to push the pace on my run harder, a 9:27 mile is never going to get me anywhere. Not sure why I started cramping at mile 4 but that certainly slowed me down more then I wanted to as well.


Overall another good race by BBSC except the burnt mac and cheese!