Skinnyman Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Skaneateles, New York
United States
Skaneateles Labor Day Race Weekend
55F / 13C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 28m 45s
Overall Rank = 83/356
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 14/44
Pre-race routine:

My night before prep for this race was odd. I had no butterflies, no desire to check everything 3 times. Preparing for a tri is starting to seem routine I guess. My thoughts were more "It's only a sprint and my training has been really poor lately so it's not a big deal." Also, there was a strong chance of the swim being cancelled due to weather which is a big mental factor.

Asleep about midnight, up at 4:40. Had the usual banana and coffee.
Event warmup:

I intended to get some short accelerations etc in but didn't. Spent the morning chatting with Bob (rstocks3), saw Lynn (xterratri) who seriously LOOKS fast.

As I got in the incredibly long line for the porta potties Bob informed me of the super, double secret bathrooms. No line. None.

No, I will not reveal the location here. ;)
Swim
  • 17m 50s
  • 800 yards
  • 02m 14s / 100 yards
Comments:

The entrance/exit is a steepish boat ramp to water about 4' deep. It gets deeper quick. The good news is that it's right next to the transition area. Very nice.

There were two waves of maybe 175 people each which is larger than most races around here. The course was clockwise and most guys were on the right. Bob went to the front with the other torpedoes and I moved to the left side of the group which was far less crowded. Pretty much the same distance to the turn though. I started near the back which was a mistake.

There was no warning or countdown, the gun just suddenly went off. Unfortunately I was still putting my wedding band on my watch band as it has a tendency to fall off in the water and I forgot to take it off earlier. I lost about 10" there putting me near the very back at the start. I passed a LOT of people in the first 200 yards. I dont' usually pass people in the water, it was an odd feeling. I kept swimming up on guys and having to not only sight, but sight for paths through the crowd. I got hung up a number of times behind group of slower people.

Put the pedal to the metal for the middle part of the swim and passed more people. huh. Slowed down the last 200 yards so I didn't blow up on the bike or pass out in transition.

72F is a perfect temp for swimming for me. Not cold enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to invigorate and motivate.

What would you do differently?:

Train. Learn to swim. Pay attention to tactics and strategy.

If I had started further up and been ready, I could have taken one or two minutes off my time.
Transition 1
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

Nice not having to run far to transition.
What would you do differently?:

Learn to put my feet into my shoes while riding. When I ride with my feet on my shoes, the tongue becomes impossible to slip my foot under.
Bike
  • 46m 20s
  • 14 miles
  • 18.13 mile/hr
Comments:

Lame. Lame. Lame. My cycling has really worsened over the past couple months. Not enough time in the saddle, not enough hard workouts. Bleh. I did pass a few people, got passed by more. I was also conservative because of the road conditions. Probably moreso than was warranted.

My bike computer stopped reading half way.
What would you do differently?:

Be a bit more aggressive on the downhills and turns. Be willing to blow up on a sprint, see how long I can redline it.

That's in addition to actually train properly of course.
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

almost lost the bike running in due to the wet
What would you do differently?:

29 in my AG? I'm usually pretty good at this transition.
Run
  • 21m 18s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 06s  min/mile
Comments:

Started off ok. Battled up the hill to start, passed a few. Thought I'd use the blonde woman who exited T2 at the same time as me as a PB, but she promptly made that impossible without a telescope or jets on my shoes.

Half way in, I was right behind a guy and we passed a guy who I saw on the bike and run course no less than 4 times. He was riding around on his bike stopping various places and yelling encouragement. So he yells at me and this guy something to the effect of "that's right, pace each other, help each other".

So he starts chatting with me, tells me he's been doing this 3 years, did the Musselman HIM 3 years ago on a dare like a week and a half before the race, got his rear end handed to him and was hooked. He then basically dragged my butt the last half of the run, totally coached me through the push at the end and I swear he held back to finish at the same time as me.

Our final times are the same, but I placed ahead of him. Must of been a difference of < 1 second. So as far as I'm concerned, Steve Patrick finished 83rd and I finished 84th. I didn't see him after the finish, s o if anyone who reads this happens to know Steve Patrick from the Cortland area, tell him I said thanks and I'd like to buy him a beer or an Accelerade or something.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. This was ok.
Post race
Warm down:

Warm down? It was 55 degrees and raining. I've never seen a race site broken down so fast.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Poor training habits. Not enough volume on the bike.

Event comments:

Recommended. The town is pretty, the lake is great, the race is well run. It's held in the center of a picturesque lake town with some nice looking shops and restaraunts and seems like a nice weekend getaway. I'm told hotel rooms go very quick. Parking is very close to check-in and transition. The swim exit is also right next to transition which is nice for a change. The tri is part of a weekend long series of races, including an OWS and a 5k.

The number of volunteers and their enthusiasm was outstanding. The weather this year was rough as we got the remnants of a tropical storm but they were still out there in big numbers. Every turn on the bike course was well covered.

I'll definitely be back to do this race.




Last updated: 2006-08-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:50 | 800 yards | 02m 14s / 100yards
Age Group: 20/44
Overall: 142/356
Performance: Average
AHR 161
Suit: Ironman sleeveless
Course: clockwise rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:47
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:46:20 | 14 miles | 18.13 mile/hr
Age Group: 21/44
Overall: 101/356
Performance: Below average
167
Wind: Cross-winds with gusts
Course: Flat? Fast? If you're a TdF veteran maybe. I counted 3 hills that had just about everyone standing up. Lots of turns, lots of up and down. None very long hills, but the effect was cumulative. A couple nice places to build up some speed.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:21:18 | 03 miles | 07m 06s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/44
Overall: 61/356
Performance: Good
174 1st mile was 7'20"
Course: Up. Level off. up/down through a subdivision. Down.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4