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Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon
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Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon - TriathlonSprint
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 Swim
Comments: Well....... I think this course was a bit short, as the 100 split is about as fast as any training split I've had. Decided to wear the wetsuit since I was wearing a tri top, and would take as long to remove the wetsuit as to put on the tri top wet... and I wanted the wetsuit, just in case. I can only describe this swim as carnage. I lined up a couple rows bac, as I do in any mass AG start, as I am usually near, but not at, the front. Horn goes off, the two guys in front of me basically drop and start flailing. Before reaching the end of the dock (50 yards?) I was the second swimmer. I rounded the buoy behind another guy in my wave, and just sat on his feet as he slalomed through the prior waves. I've never seen so many people drilled in a sprint course. As we hit the dock, he got caught behind some earlier people, I think I hit the timing mat first, but Tri-Cal's timing system is all screwedup, I'll have to update later. What would you do differently?: nothing  Transition 1
Comments: I was all the way at the bike exit. Long way to go on painful asphalt. Dried feet, socks, shoes on, etc......  Bike
Comments: We exited T1 with a a lot of the LC racers, and followed the same course for the first mile or so. That was strange. Passing some of them was stranger. I decided to enjoy it, and as we passed through the finisher's chute I did a little bunny hop over a bump in the blue carpet. I'll guarantee no LC racers did that :) I have no idea how to race a MTB. It's heavy, hard to get aero, and on pavement it just kinda sucks. Buton the trails it was fun. Nothing too technical, but there were a few ruts, and 90 degree turns, and soft sand sections. I'd like more dirt, but that's OK. I was getting a little worried that Wendy would get beaten down by the bike. She hadn't trained hills like that.... The best part was looking down and seeing my bike getting all dirty, and my legs covered in a film of dirt, and as my sweat dropped on them would make it darker... nothing like racing dirty. Basically spun up the big hills on the back side. I hadn't run much, so needed to save something for the run. Lots of riders, pretty crowded course. Some drafting going on, most of it unintentional. Also, because it was a lot of newbies, not a whole lot of riding on teh right going on. I passed a lot of folks on the right, impossible to do otherwise. I bombed the downhill section as much as I could, a little sketchy in a few places where it was rocky/rutty, but once you commit on a MTB, you ust go for it. :) Eventualy made it back to Lynch. Coming donw, one pro came bombing past. I yelled out "pro back" but the guy ahead of me just stayed in the middle. As I reached the bottom I realized how frustrating it must be for the pros to have to dodge MTB racers coming into T2. Transition 2
Comments: Ran in, shoes off, shoes on (didn't even use yankz, regular old laces), number, hat, I'm off. it's a loooooooong run from my rack to the Run Out  Run
Comments: I was glad to be near the finish. As with everything else WF, this run is hilly. And downhills going out just mean uphills coming back. I hadn't trained for fast OR hills, even the last times I did run. My goal was just not to walk, which I didn't. No idea re pace or time, thought I was 10 + at least. Felt good just to be out there, even if I was getting passed like crazy. I hadn't run more than a few times in about 8 weeks, and certainly not fast. job was just to get it done. There was one guy ahead of me, about the same speed, buthe'd stop to walk, then catch me when he ran. I decided that he wasn't going to beat me to the finish, and when he walked on the back portion, I picked it up, and held him off. Small victories. There is one last, cruel hill right into the expo that they make you run. And you're running through everyone, so you can't walk. Run back behind the bleachers, then down the best, longest, most colorful, and loudest finishing chute in triathlon. Given the shape I was in, I was happy to be done. Post race
Warm down: Got my wet towel, some gatorade and water, then headed back out to the run to wait for and cheer on wendy. Ran a little of the out with her, a little of the back, and then ran up to the stands to see her finish. Seeing her coming around the turn, into the chute, I was welled up with pride. This was the toughest sprint course I've ever done. Redondo, Hermosa, Strawberry Fields, Breath of Life, they are all SO much easier than this one, even if they are a couple miles longer on the bike and 5K. To finish this as your first is a big deal. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not training for a sprint Event comments: Just added all my placings. Wow, I got passed. A lot! Wildflower is a classic. All I need to do now is the Olympic and I'll have done the Long, Long Relay, MTB and Oly. I'd come up here just for the atmosphere. Although, when I coem up and don't do the LC, watching the finishers come in, for some reason just makes me want to do it more. I'll be back in 09 for the Long :) Last updated: 2008-01-14 12:00 AM
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 2008-05-05 3:27 PM |
 Subject: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon |
| 2008-05-05 3:33 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
Champion  19812     MA | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Excellant Chris! Kick swim and so glad you seem to be getting your tri mojo back So cool that your wife did her first tri on tough course and you were there to see her finish I wish I lived closer as it sounds like a fantastic weekend of racing. |
| 2008-05-05 3:54 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
Expert 892 | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon NICE! Way to hop back on that horse. FYI, I had some vertigo type stuff happening last weekend after my first open water swim (cold), but no issues at all when I put earplugs in... hmmmm. Congrats to your bride on her first tri... awesome! |
| 2008-05-05 3:56 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Even on fumes, it sounds like you had a blast and got some of your fun-mojo back--this is important above all, so CONGRATULATIONS! Great job gettin' down-and-dirty ... I love that you did a bunny hop in the chute.  |
 2008-05-05 4:27 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2008-05-05 4:43 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
Master 1281 Long Beach, CA | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Okay...I got welled up reading about you getting welled up watching Wendy finish. That's so cool! I'm so happy for her for getting out there on a tough course for her first, and to you for shaking off what happened at IMAZ and having a fun race. Your swim was super fast and I love the bunny hop! WF sounds like a blast. Once bike hills don't kill me, I'll get up there! I want to go just for the camping! |
| 2008-05-05 5:17 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Master 1588 San Francisco | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Chris, awesome job out there. Sounds like you had a really great time and got your tri mojo back. Happy, happy, joy, joy! |
| 2008-05-06 12:50 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2008-05-06 1:06 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Elite 3687 | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Sounds like an awfully fun time. Great swim. |
| 2008-05-06 2:00 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Expert 709 | Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Nice job Chris! Every RR I read about this place makes me want to do it more. Do you have any pictures of you aero on you MTB?? |
| 2008-05-06 2:01 PM in reply to: #1385194 |
| Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon elheffe99 - 2008-05-06 12:00 PM Nice job Chris! Every RR I read about this place makes me want to do it more. Do you have any pictures of you aero on you MTB?? LOL, I wish... one guy came by me on his MTB down in aero (well, a lot of people came by me, he just happened to have aero bars). I was definitely not aero. More sail-like, I think. |
| 2008-05-06 4:27 PM in reply to: #1382972 |
| Subject: RE: Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon Count me among the LC racers who exited the water unexpectedly surrounded by a bunch of big boys who were flailing and then nearly got run over by them on the bikes. The volunteers, seeing so many MB racers, were calling "Go left, go left," and the girl behind me and I almost ended up on the MB course rather than heading up Beach Hill. But given your swim speed, Chris, I am sure you were long gone by then! Nice job getting back in the saddle, as it were. |
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United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 219/898
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 24/45
This would be my third time at Wildflower. Last year, I did the long course. This year signed up for the MTB sprint, thinking i'd be trashed from IMAZ. I was, but far differently than I expected. Basically, ran 4 times in about 8 weeks, swam some, biked a little, but certainly hadn't trained for a sprint. Was basically going in on training fumes.
This race was (1) to go and cheer my wife who was doing her first tri and (2) try to get some of my triathlon mojo back that I'd lost in Tempe Town Lake. I wasn't intending on hammering or racing this course. Just try to go as fast as I comfortably could while having fun. I had a watch, no HRM. I set the timer off at the start, but realized during the bike it must have switched off as I was removing my wetsuit, so I had o time reference, and never looked at the race clock until the end.
We left the South Bay at 5 or so, quick coffee stop, picked up friends in West LA, and headed up, arriving around noon. My car was filled to the gills with people (4), gear (lots) and bikes (2).
After camp setup and lunch, we headed down to register, hit the expo and get in a practice swim. I was debating swimming without a westuit. It's only 400 yards, and the water was very nice, so I did the practice swim in tri shorts. Just went out to the first buoy, but coming back, I could feel a little dizziness coming on, and started to stress. I was worried about not being able to finish even a sprint, and how I'd react.... At this point, I am really not sure how much is in my head.
Anyway, decided to try something different and swim with ear plugs. Picked up some Mack's at the expo. Hung out to hear the worthless course talk. I didn't really care, but thought Wendy should hear it. What a waste.
Got back to camp around 4:30, and decided to go on a recon mission. I'd never seen the MTB course before, so I headed out on teh MTB through the loop next to TNT, onto the dirt fire road the run takes to the pit, to San Antonio Road. Finalyl got y bearings after a couple turns, and did one loop of the course. The downhill was fun. The ups were the hill after the boat ramp and then all of the Pit. This would be a tough little mother of a course.
Nothing, wave didn't go off until 10. Watch the LC racers, pros come in off the swim, etc.
When the prior wave went off, got in the water and peed. That was pretty warming :)