Toughman Triathlon - Triathlon

Tide was low so maybe 50 yards walking before starting to swim.Felt really good on this swim. Smooth, strong, fast, was navigating well, and having fun. Then it was over really quickly. Checked my watch getting out of the water, and it said 27:XX. WTH , man? Course was way short. Disappointing, since I was swimming so well. Might have broken 35 on an accurate course.

Nothing.

About a tenth of a mile from the beach to my rack. Only one wetsuit stripper, and she was busy, so I took off wetsuit myself. They used these new disposable timing chips that were just a flat band, so no trouble at all getting the suit off my ankle.

Move faster.

Used a brand new Renn disc that I had just gotten the Friday before the race. I tried a Flo disc to match my Flo 60 in the front, but it didn't work with the very narrow chainstays of my new this season Kestrel 4000. Yes, I put a brand new wheel, with a brand new latex tube, and a Conti GP4000s with maybe 50 miles on it on my bike 2 days before an HIM. I did ride it maybe 5 miles the day before, so I felt pretty confident. Fortunately, no problems, and I really like my new disc.

This is a challenging course with about 3000 ft. of climbing. There is one hill with over 300 ft. in less than a mile which you do twice, so I used my 11-28 cassette. Combined with a compact crank, it allowed me to spin fairly comfortably up that hill.

Overall the bike went smoothly. Good, hard effort, but not too hard. I also stuck with my hydration and nutrition plan, and I think that worked well.

More long rides. Also, I am a chicken on steep descents. I really wish I could have let myself go coming back down the big hill.

Got back to my rack, and someone's wetsuit was totally covering my stuff. Another WTH, man? Well, at least it means I beat the guy out of the water.

I don't really like running in my tri jersey because I don't like the snugness on my belly, so I decided to change into my favorite running shirt. Super light nike dri-fit with a v-neck. Took a few seconds to change, but I'm glad I did because I was very comfortable on the run.

Got near the exit, and realized I had forgotten to switch my Garmin from my bike to my wrist. Big dummy! Luckily I was racked near the run out, so I lost maybe 30 seconds.

Remember my watch, and move faster.

The run is also challenging with about 1000ft. Of climbing. I really like this run course because it has some really pretty parts. I especially like running by the Croton dam and spillway (see the picture), and then later running over the top of the dam, which has a great view.

About a year and a half ago I slipped and fell, and hurt my hip. It took a little while to get back running, and I feel like I've never got my running "mojo" back. Not that i was ever much of a runner, but I feel like I've lost some strength. That, plus far more importantly, inadequate training led to a slow run. My legs felt good, but I really needed to go slow, and take some strategic walk breaks. Didn't help that it warmed up to close to 80 with some humidity. I don't do well in the heat, and I would rather run in single digit temps than the heat.

I really enjoyed this run. Chatted with a young man who was doing his first HIM. He went too hard on the bike, and was having some real cramping issues, so I tried to give him some encouragement. Also chatted with an older guy. I would pass him while running, and he would pass me back when I took a walk break. He beat me by a couple minutes. He was 51, so maybe if he had been 55-59, I would have tried harder to keep up with him, but I probably couldn't have.

There were plenty of aid stations with lots of great volunteers, so that made the run fun as well. I always try to find a shy little kid who's hanging back a little. Took a few sips of water at each aid station plus dumped a cup of water over my head. At one stop I tried some flat coke. Tasted really good, and give me a nice mental boost, but once was plenty.

Train more!

Walked around a little. Drank lots of water. Found my new 51 yo friend and congratulated him. Turns out his name is Anthony too. They had some BBQ chicken that smelled really good, but the line was too long, and I wanted to get home to watch the Jets game which I had DVR'ed.

The race had an IPhone tracking app, and my 17 yo son had tracked me and texted "why you take so long in transition, boy??? He has a point.


Lack of adequate training. I'm getting older and slower.


Really a very well run race, which I really enjoyed. They do have to get the swim distance right, though.