Osprey Sprint Triathlon - Triathlon

Got in the middle of the pack. I wanted to be aggressive because this has always been my weak link and in a sprint, vying for a podium spot, every second counts. Despite the chilly water, I took off and quickly settled into a groove. I was able to concentrate on form pretty much from the start. There was alot of bumping and jostling. On the first leg of the swim we had the waves at about 315deg (relative) so, there was some unbalanced moments. Actually over-swam the first buoy, thinking it was further offshore than it was. After the turn, the waves were coming more from the side and rear, so it was easier to get in a rhythmn. I was in the pack the whole time, so sighting wasn't a priority. Couldn't see much through the foggy goggles anyway. Missed one buoy by two yards, and had to swim around, but otherwise was dead on. Swam through a bunch of walkers. Don't think I caught too many people from the previous wave, but did accidentally run into one lady, "Sorry".
Took my wetsuit off on the pier, which added to my swim time (10:56 official), but cut down on my T1 (2nd o/a).

More OWS's. This was only my 3rd swim in the wilds this year - all in races. Otherwise, I was pleased. Standing not great (15/39), but better than last year. Pace was a comfortable push, definitely not lazy.

Got out of the suit as soon as I was out of the way on the pier. Right foot got stuck in suit leg, which slowed me down. Ran down the pier and was pretty speedy getting on the bike. Could have gotten my feet in the shoes quicker, but at least it was smooth.

More wetsuit removal practice. More heightened sense of urgency.

We started off with the wind at our backs, which was fun. After than initial stretch (longest on course) and one small stetch 3/4 in, wind was either side to or head on. Without a speedometer, I wasn't sure how fast I was going. This was my downfall. Thought I could judge my speed by effort, and my HR was high for the bike, but I think I stayed too far under the red line. Got passed by 4 people (20-39s went off ahead, so I just knew these were my AG), which isn't always a bad thing - can mean a good swim.
I kept looking for Dave, who went off 6min ahead of me. Never found him, but kept wondering where he was at - could I have passed him on the swim?! Couldn't see it, but this was also a clue as to my bike leg performance (no offense Dave). Did catch up to Jeremy on the homeward leg.
The Osprey is a very good beginner's tri, so it attracts a wide variety of participants. Starting in the 4th wave, it was a pass-a-thon, which also made my effort deceptive. It was a good ride, I enjoyed it, but...

Better placing than last year (7/39), but 1mph slower. When turning into the wind, I'd down-shift from 53x16 to 53x17, but found myself getting too comfortable on the 17 tooth when presented with a different wind profile. In retrospect, I would have expected some drop in speed with windier conditions, but I never felt the burn like in years past, so I'm not happy with this race. Looking at other AGers who have raced in prior years, they didn't have the drop-off in speed that I did. Definitely need to fix my disc-speedometer issue, because I'm leaving time on the course.
Oh yeah, maybe I could log some bike miles in September.

Not bad. Took time for a drink out of the bike bottle, which cost a few seconds. No problems, though.

Should have gotten a drink from aid station right outside TA.

I expected to do better on the run than in past years. Somehow, I've gotten significantly faster this year. I tried to look for the guys who passed me on the bike, but I mostly notice bikes and not tri-gear or numbers. This race also doesn't calf-mark ages.
I was in a space when I started out, so I just ran my race. Got settled in quickly, and stayed just over the discomfort line. Saw a green CMS jersey ahead of me, "There's Dave". Caught up to him and messed with Mr. Sandbagger (fortunately he didn't hurl any snot rockets my way). Started passing some people, and started looking for guys who might be pre-geezers, like me. First mile came up, 6:30, which I was not real pleased with. Thought I 'd be able to hold 6:20s, plus we had the wind at our backs - second half should be slower. Did notice one of the guys who passed me on the bike, and I reeled him in. The race leaders were on their homeward half, but I couldn't tell ages - they all looked younger than me, and some "could be"s were bald. One guy who passed me on the bike, was ahead of the turnaround, so he was my goal, but when I got to the turnaround, he was way out front. Saw Dave again and Skip. Just tried to maintain pace, which was more comfortable than I remembered. Mile 2, 6:20, "cool", that's where I want to be. Moved by a few "could be"s, which was good, but never found that rabbit that I could chase or hold off. Mile 3, 6:29, "Hmmmm". Not bad, but which miles were accurate? I really felt like I had consistent pace going. No real challenges down the stretch, but pushed it in.

Probably nothing. This was not an all out effort, but I never picked up that challenge to push my limits. Coming out of T2, I was either considerably faster than the people ahead of me or those of similar pace were too far ahead to run down. I set my goal as 6:20/mi (I've done 5mi tempo runs at that pace), but the bike took a few sec's off. My best tri 5K, so no complaints here.

Drank some water, watched some people puke, BSd w/Dave and Jeremy. Skip had to leave. Ran back to the swim start to get my flip-flops.


Focus and complacency. Bike miles and swim workouts.
I was 1:15 slower than last year, but got 3rd in my AG. I'm not complaining.


I always enjoy this race - low key, great venue. Not much post-race, but it's small (<400 racers) and put on my a non-profit. Thought about coaching football today, but I'm glad I decided to wind up my tri season, what there was of it, with the Osprey.