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 Swim
Comments: The start was disorganized. The racers were not in place when the race official said "Go" on the megaphone. Once everyone realized the race had started it was a mad dash to the first buoy. I tried to swim but there just too many bodies flailing around and thrashing that I decided to stand up and run. I took a few strides and started swimming again. Lots of bumping ensued but nothing that was foul. When I reached the first buoy I stopped swimming and ran around it. Again, too many bodies in one spot. For some reason most racers were going wide and the inside lane, direct shot to the next buoy, opened up so I dove back in and swam as hard as I could. I did swallow a gulp of river when I wanted air so I checked up there but overall I had great sighting the entire course so I was very pleased. As I reached the next turn buoy I tried to run around it but the water was too deep so I continued to swim. As I turned back towards the pier the sunlight beamed directly into my face making sighting pretty tough. I started to use other racers as markers to steer me. I did bump into a buddy of mine which made me check up. He swam in front of me and I didn't want to catch a heel to the face. After he cleared I kept swimming, eventually reaching the exit ladders. I beat my buddy out of the water even though a picture taken just down the pier shows him in front. What would you do differently?: Continue to work on my swimming stroke technique to get stronger. If I had a stronger swim I would be out in front of the pack versus being in the middle or bringing up the rear. All in all I had a really good swim.  Transition 1
Comments: The transition run seemed pretty manageable. I was able to remove my goggles, ear plugs and swim cap with no problem. I was dripping more water than usual when I reached my transition spot. I believe that was due to wearing bike shorts during the swim. I had my hand towel at the ready so I was able to dry my legs and feet so I could pull on my socks. I put one sock and then shoe before I moved to my left leg/foot. I then grabbed my sweat band, glasses, helmet, race number and finally the bike. Running to the bike mount was good although I had to wind through the sidewalk through some tight corners. This was a little awkward as I couldn't run flat out. Cycling shoes don't have much grip on concrete so making sharp cuts is tricky. What would you do differently?: To help eliminate the excess water I would wear TRI shorts that have a thinner chamois. Un-velcro my cycling shoes BEFORE the race. Practice transitions more. It was a pretty fast transition but there is always something to work on to get faster. Things to try in training: Cycling with no socks. Running and mounting the bike in bare feet. Getting into my cycling shoes while on the bike  Bike
Comments: The course was pretty fast. Almost no wind which allowed me to maintain 20-21 the entire course. Whoo-hoo! I consumed a gel pack on the bike and plenty of fluids so I didn't have any cramping. There were a lot of cheaters out there drafting. The bike dismount was a little clumsy. I coasted to a stop before jumping off and unclipping. What would you do differently?: More strength on the bike is due. I could have easily cycled 24mph the entire course if I were stronger. Bike dismount could have been much better. Transition 2
Comments: Running to transition went smoothly although running on concrete is always tricky. The sharp corners were also tricky but I was able to make it to the transition area and find my rack. After racking my bike I dropped my helmet, put my running shoes on and grabbed my running hat. I took a sip of muscle fuel and was off. What would you do differently?: Dismount earlier and run harder to the rack. Also, if I wear socks, change the socks out. My feet were wet from the swim and wet socks from the bike. Also take my sip of muscle fuel on the final stretch of road course before the dismount. If I don't brink muscle fuel on the bike make sure that it's sitting there and is ice cold. Warm fluids suck.  Run
Comments: The run was good too. I finished in 28:47, which works out to be 8:43 pace. I actually felt like I wasn't running fast enough but each time I tried to push faster I slowed down so I resigned to maintain a steady pace and just finish. At the end of the race, the last stretch of the course, another racer started to sprint and pass me. As he came along side I sped up to match his speed. As he surged faster I matched his effort. Each step was faster and more powerful than the last. Finally, with about 400 feet to go, he had enough and conceded the foot race to me. I didn't let up though. There was about 200 feet left to go and I continued pressing on to catch the two racers in front of me. At the finish line I had over taken at least one more racer, marking the end of the journey. What would you do differently?: Carry cold fluids on the run. Switch to dry socks or at least clear out the pebble in my shoe. More brick training. :) Post race
Warm down: The volunteer gave me my finisher's medal, took my timing chip and I exited the race course. The last surge effort took it's toll however. I walked around trying to catch my breath, feeling light headed and a bit nauseated. I finally found a shady spot near the transition area and collapsed. Laying down and catching my breath. My friend Jim Twigg came over and offered me an ice cold water to which I drank and squirted over my head. It was cold but boy did it feel good. My dad and Ryan showed up a minute later and I began recounting the race with tired excitement. My dad squirted me with the ice cold water and that felt good too! It was cold, but felt so good. Man was I tired. What limited your ability to perform faster: There are quite a few things that I could do in training that could help in overall time. Event comments: Here's my goal for 2008 ~ Beat my 2006 times. 2006 Triathlon - Sprint Total Time = 2006 -- 1h27m24s 2008 -- 1h28m54s Overall Rank = 72/273 Age Group = 35-39 Age Group Rank = 6/12 Profile Album Last updated: 2008-05-31 12:00 AM
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United States
Melbourne Beach Rotary
78F / 26C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 133/461
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 20/
Saturday: I picked up my race packet around 11 AM with my father and two sons. While my boys played on the play ground, I walked down to the water to inspect the course. For some reason the course doesn't seem as long as two years ago but then I've got two years of experience since then and a lot more experience. The course worker said the course was 1600 yards. All of my gear is prepared and now I'm onto my nutrition. 3 bottles are necessary because it's going to be hot. All with Rehydrate and Spark. 2 Rolaids pre-race, 2 during the bike. Catalyst pre-race, Muscle fuel, Muscle Strength, O2 Gold, Arginine Extreme. Breakfast s/b Meal Replacement Shake & 1/2 Eggy McWinfough.
Sunday: The day started of quite early; 4:20 AM to be precise. I remember the spooky tune chiming at a soft volume alerting me it was time to wake up. I was a bit confused because my regular alarm clock did not alert me at the set time of 4:15. Thank goodness I had a backup alarm. Nonetheless, I got up and proceeded to "get ready". Race clothing was layed out the day before so everything was assembled. Next, I toiled about what to eat for breakfast. My usual Eggy McWinfough would be a bit too much food, or so I thought, and I chose to think about it. The curse of an A.D.D. mind! I eventually chose to make my usual but by that time I was pressed for time and rushing. Thank God for Spark!~! I woke up Ryan at 4:40 and proceeded to get him ready as well. He loves coming to watch me race and I must admit, I love him coming. After assembling all of my Advocare products and bottles of this and that, I loaded up into the car and away we went. By 5:25 I was pulling into my buddy's driveway to load his bike and gear; he was catching a ride with me because he and his wife were down to one car for the time. We arrived right around 6 AM and proceeded to get body marked. I found my bike rack in the transition area and arranged my gear
I headed down to the river for some swimming to warm up but was surprised there were no ladders in the water for the start. I swam about 800 feet to warm up.