Osprey Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Oooowee that water was cold. Swimming is my worst of the three disciplines, so I normally "just swim". It's usually not a race for me - the race comes once I get on the bike. Part of that is because I have no idea where I stand while I'm swimming. So I tend to not worry about placement or getting off to a quick start - I'm more interested in finding open water. This year I decided it was going to be different. I positioned myself outside left and to the front. Once the gun sounded I was off.
The swim was rather chaotic. The conditions were pretty choppy and being in the the pack made the water even more roiled. But despite the cold and the abundance of neoprene-clad fauna I managed to settle into a rhythmn. I swam hard and before I knew it I could tell that I was actually close to the front of the yellow caps and passing a few white caps. Along the way I made a friend...or perhaps not. A guy was swimming to my right without a wetsuit and I kept bumping into him. Well, everytime I got close to him my right arm would land on his back and as my arm went through it's cycle I'd accidentally catch the waistband of his trunks with my finger tips. After about the third time, he stopped and glared at me. "Sorry". I moved a little farther away and I think he got ahead of me.
The finishing stretch was a little unusual, as we were swimming with the waves. Occasionally a wave would pick my feet up until they felt like they were over my head. I think I stopped swimming too soon. I noticed that everyone around me was walking, so I stood up, but the water was a little too deep for running.
Overall, I was quite pleased with this swim. It felt like a race for a change. Navigation was decent- everytime I looked up I was headed for an orange buoy. I never let the sea conditions (waves, cold) or the other swimmers affect my focus.

Buy the guy I kept bumping into a drink first.

Similar to last year when I got out of the water I was a little disoriented/wobbly. I got my wetsuit off pretty quickly, but had to sit down to put my socks and shoes on. I paniced a little bit because there were a lot of people leaving transition while I was sitting on my keister, but after looking at the results most had to be 20-somethings that I caught up to on the swim. After that, I was right next to the bike exit.

Get used to biking/running without socks, at least for sprints.

This was a bit weird. Within the first quarter mile I get passed by two guys that I think were in my age group. Both on tri bikes, but with stock wheels. "Oh, let me get my legs under me and I'll catch them," I thought. Well, I tried to hammer ahead, but they just kept getting farther and farther away. "Hunh." There were not a lot of riders on the course ahead of me, so there were not a lot of marks to pass. One here and one there, but mostly lonely riding. I think one of my flaws is slacking off without someone to race. I tried to keep pushing and my HR was pretty high, but without a speedometer I couldn't tell exactly how fast I was going. I tried to judge that by cadence, but couldn't remember the relationship between gears, cadence, and speed. At times there was a bit of a strange sound that seemed to come from the tires - like popping tar bubbles on a hot day. For the life of me I could not imagine what it was, so I pressed on and hoped it wasn't a hub imploding.
I felt slow and wondered if my brake pad was rubbing against a wheel. The front looked good, but I couldn't really see the rear well enough. I thought about stopping to check, but worried that it wouldn't save me that much time or, if it was fine, I would be wasting time. It kept gnawing at me, though, because whenever I had to bear down - grinding into the wind or trying to catch somebody - I didn't seem to be getting a return on my energy investment. Coming down the home stretch I had caught up to a small group of riders and wanted to pass at least the guy closest to me. I gave it my all but just couldn't do it. "Oh, well. Let's get 'em on the run."

Check my equipment sometime during the 2.5 hours that it was sitting in TA.

Smooth T2. In and out. Time is a guess - combined with bike leg in results.

Nothing. This part, I'm happy with.

Not many rabbits for this old hound dog to chase down. A guy I assumed was a 40+ was ahead of me out of T2 and there were a couple 20's on the course ahead of me. I passed them within the first mile, then it was a pretty bleak landscape on the outward half. The wind was at our backs, and my first mile split was 6:45 - not bad, but I knew I wasn't going to hold that pace into the wind. I counted the runners ahead of me and looked for 40-somethings. It appeared that there were 3-4 in my AG ahead of me and they were too far ahead to catch them. After the turnaround, my closest mark was ~.25mi ahead. I told myself I was going to catch him - at least move up one spot in the overall standings. It was hard to tell if I was making any ground or not, but I kept telling myself that each footstrike got me a little bit closer. Finally it became apparent that I was making ground, and I dug a little deeper. The race's finish is about 100 yds downhill after a 90 degree turn. About 50 yds from the turn I catch my mark. I hugged the corner tight to not let him slip past me, and tried to sprint to the finish. But the guy had one (or two) more gears than I did, and he whizzes past me like I was standing still. Ugh!
Along the way I passed by Shelly and Dave, who were hot on my heels, so I knew they were having good races.

Not much that I can think of. HIM training took precedent this summer, so not much threshold work leading up to this race. In addition, I got sick, it's been a long season, and I did no bricks after D'man.

Grabbed a bottle of water and a banana, then went to cheer on Shelly and Dave who would be finishing soon, and to see Brenda start the run, unless she was already on the run course. I rooted for Shelly, who was the second woman to finish, then I saw Brenda coming in on the bike. I noticed Dave rounding the corner, but he brought his own cheering section, so I went to meet Brenda at the run exit. I was nervous because her knee had been bothering her in the week leading up to the race, so when I saw her looking strong at the start of the run I was relived and happy.
It was absolutely nerve-wracking to be a spectator. I don't know how Brenda has done it with me up til now. I was worried that she aggrivated her knee injury and had to walk or couldn't walk. I spotted her coming across the bridge, looking like she's keeping a smooth pace - yeah. Dave and Shelly had caught up to me on the corner near the finish. We all cheered Brenda on, and she even smiled (photo to prove it) - that was quite a relief.


After the race, I check my rear wheel. It spun freely, but there was only 1-2 mm of space between the rim and the brake pad. With my average HR of 147, I can only conclude that the flexing of the wheel caused quite a bit of rubbing on the brake pad (especially when I used more force) and it cost me big time. There is no way my HR should be that high and average barely over 20mph. 3000 bike miles and race wheels does not equal 20mph, at least not without a major mental screw up.


Last year I was 3rd in my AG. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in my performance this year. You don't have control over who shows up, but I felt like my time should have been better. When I analyze the results I improved on the swim (short course, but 4th in AG), and the run (2nd in AG, 25 sec better than last year). So despite the disappointing bike leg, there are some positives to take away from this race. It was a lost opportunity, but I can still be proud of my effort.
In addition, it was a great experience to have friends and family at the race. I was very happy to see Brenda finish her second tri, especially since she was nursing an injured knee the week leading up to the race and the weather on the intended race day was so crappy. On Thursday while we were packing, she almost decided not to bring her gear. I'm so glad it worked out. I'm so proud of her!
Dave got his first podium spot - 2nd in his AG! Chokes up the ole coach to see two of his athletes do so well. Sniff, sniff. Seriously, though, I'm very happy for Dave that he finished his season on such a high note. He's had a few bumps in the road, but has worked hard and kept a great attitude to earn his hardware.
Shelly got 1st in her AG and 4th overall woman! Her trophy room is getting full after just one year of racing. It was great to share the day with them and Dave's family.