Pokagon State Park Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I lined up in front and started out a bit agressive with the fasties. I'm much more confident going into races this year than last. I ran, dolphin-dived and got swimming nicely off to a good start. I was up with the big boys as we rounded the first bouy; still in the thick of the sharp end and got pummeled, kicked, goggles knocked off. I ended up getting a little too jacked and my breathing got out of control.

I did the breast-stroke for about 20 seconds and settled my breathing down. It probably took another 200m of easy free-style to get my rhythm back and breathing under control. I tried drafting off some feet, but just didn't feel comfortable as I'd swim up onto to them, bump and get out of rhythm. I'm way more comfortable, swimming in open water.

By the time I got to the turn-around, I was feeling strong. I checked my watch and it said 13:30; faster than expected, especially given my start. Coming back, I settled and steadily built pace. I swam side-by-side some guy pretty much the whole way. It was like we were sharing a lane, bumping into each other every 50m or so. The final 200m, I picked it up a notch and kicked with a little more purpose and left that guy in my wake. I stepped out of the water and pressed the lap function on my HRM; the watched showed 25:54 - holy smokes!!!

I then had "the stairway of heaven" to run/jog up which added some time to my swim split and soared the heart rate into the 160's. Even though I placed well, I could have done much better. That's encouraging!

I couldn't swim 25 meters two and half years ago; now 1st in AG!?!?

I need to settle into my swim better. I've read about the "race-specific" swim sets that have you go all out for 100-200m then settle in for 400m. I need to do some of these before my next race.

I suck at transitions. I need to focus and remember that I'm still racing. I tend to relax too much in transition, even socialize. I'm a transition turd.

I took a Vanilla GU with water and put socks on in T1 to save time in T2. Read on, and see how that helped... NOT!

9th out of 13 in AG; 53rd overall.

Just focus, get in, get out. I don't have tri-shoes and didn't feel comfortable placing my feet in the shoes on the ride. I practiced this on Friday, but didn't want to chance it on race day. My roadie shoes have straps that open TOWARDS the drive train - not something to risk on race day.

I had a strong ride as I passed about 3 people in the first couple of miles. I got a couple more later on. I was passed by 3 guys in the first half of the race. Two Cervelo P3Cs and one Litespeed Blade. A couple other guys passed me on the second half, but I knew one of the them was the Duathlon overall winner. I averaged nearly 22mph on the first half almost exclusively in the big ring with cadence in the 95-100 range. I was movin'.

When I turned West to head back, the wind became quite evident. The majority of the second half was in the middle ring. Still I kept cadence near 90 and HR in the top end of Z3 to low Z4. However, I was pressing to average 18mph. My glutes were burning.

I went pretty hard, maybe too hard. However, that was part of the plan.

I got my feet out of my shoes before dismounting. This was the first race I've done this. (practiced on Friday night). Running to the rack is way easier without cycling shoes on! I lost my head again as I couldn't find my GU. After wasting seconds looking for my gel, I took a couple of swiggs of watered-down Powerade and headed out. It wasn't until I was off running that I realized my Gu's were on my racebelt. DUH!

Yes, I'm still a transition turd.

8th out of 13 in AG; 53rd overall.

Just get my head out of my A$$ and think before entering transition area.

The first mile felt tough and I was shocked to see that I was on a 8:00 pace, as it felt faster/harder. I hoped to be running 7:30 per mile.

The next two were just brutal/demoralizing. I got passed at about 1.2mi by Brian (BT beadams) who from scouting his race reports, I knew was a stellar runner. Brian eventually took 3rd in our age group; edging me out of a podium spot. Well, more than edging... He smoked me on the run.

I developed a bit of a side-stich during mile two and just couldn't get my legs to turnover. Plus my lower back was hurting - poor core strength? My body and mind were not prepared to run. My HR was staying steady, but 8-10 bpm slower than where it was for my April half-marathon. Pressing on the bike through the wind and dealing with the ups and downs (mostly ups in miles 2 and 3) took a toll. Miles two and three clicked off at 8:19 amd 8:51.

Somewhere during the second half of mile 4, I started feeling better and managed an 8:45. As crappy as I was feeling, I was actually passing people; a couple were walking the steeper hills. Did I say it was a tough run? Miles 5 and 6 were sort of flat and I managed to pick it up a bit. However, at this point, I was on my own and knew there was no catching Brian. I managed 8:19's and passed a few more people, including a young guy that was struggling, grabbing his hamstring. The final 0.2mi included a big time climb that I made sure to run the whole way. Reflecting on the entire run, I could've gone harder, but just couldn't get my head into it. I didn't perform well mentally.

I think I need to run some 5k's and 10k's to get used to "uncomfortable" running pace. My bike fitness was pretty weak coming into this race (under ten outdoor rides since Spring thaw) and pressing the bike against the wind probably had something to do with my performance along with a little HTFU.

I grabbed a water, chatted with Brian, did some light stretching. I scarffed down two pancakes (nice choice for post-race food).
I drove back home to catch end of daughter's dance receital and go out for ice-cream with the family.


Bike fitness and lack of "bricks"
Transition focus
Mental toughness on the run
Core strength hindering run


This is a great race and it's only in it's second year.
It's organized extremely well.
The venue is at a really nice state park - nice family destination.
The transition area has plenty of room on a flat, soft grass surface.
The swim is in a beautiful, clean lake (Lake James).
The bike course is nice, but roads were a little rough.
The run course is a gorgeous trail that BEATS YOU SILLY.
The post race food (pancakes) were great.
The AG and overall awards were nice plaques.
The swag was awesome too (technical tee, custom-printed beer glass, water bottle for bike, finisher's medal, Hammer Nutrition samples).
Plus the proceeds go to Pathways (crisis center for youth).
Good value at $60.

The event consisted of only 83 triathletes plus 17 duathletes this year (plus one team). It will definitely grow as it's a high quality race and few other choices this early in the season for an olympic-distance race.