West Point Lake Triathlon-Olympic
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West Point Lake Triathlon-Olympic - TriathlonOlympic
View Member's Race Log
Swim
Comments: The swim was a little challenging. There were not enough bouys, particularly on the backside of the course. This made navigating quite difficult at times since that particular leg was right into the sun. So, I had to battle the glare while trying to find the next bouy inbetween strokes. I just followed the folks in front of me and got there without any major deviations from the line. There was one guy swimming alongside me, however who was very annoying. First, he had one of those snorkels on that goes up the middle of your face. I don't think those should be allowed. It strikes me as a device that could give you an advantage. Secondly, the guy couldn't swim in a straight line to save his life. I'd come up for breath, he'd be 6 feet to my side, I'd come up for another and he'd be swimming right into me. I made a burst to get ahead of him, then he latched onto my feet and kept brushing them. So, with one more burst and a move to the left, I dropped him out of my draft line. I've never "dropped" anyone on a swim before, but I was glad to see him go. What would you do differently?: I'm okay with my swimming. I know I could be faster if I focused more on the swim workouts and hit the free-weights. I think I'll start doing more lifting in preparation for my upcoming races. Transition 1
Comments: Everything went fine except I had trouble getting my socks on. I could forgo socks in future races, but that means training without them, too. I just like socks, but they are a pain in the rear during T1. Bike
Comments: The race was advertised with a 42k bike. I don't know why they added 2k, but so be it. There was a slight climb out of T1, which is never any fun. I love redlining my HR right out of the gate. The course was on well paved country roads. There were no flat spots to speak of, just lots of rolling hills. I never got out of the saddle, just used the gearing to adjust on the climbs. It was a great ride. But, there was this one dude who really made me angry. I was passing someone on the left and was about to move back over to the right side of the road. As I looked over, this joker on his cute yellow Softride was passing me on the right! He was passing between me and the person I had just passed. WTF? If I had just swung over, I would have run into him. Now, since he was on a tri bike, I reasoned to myself that this idiot knew the rules and was just being an a$$hole. I yelled at him as loud as I could "Don't ever pass on the right". Well, he shouts back, "You were to the left", to which I replied, "Yeah, you a$$hole, I was passing someone!". He didn't say anything back to me at that point and kept going. Well, it made me so mad that I repassed him just so I could, once again, let him know how I felt about his actions as I went by. I'm not one to use this kind of language on a perfect stranger, but he deserved it. He later repassed me, and did so on the left and without saying a word. Other than that, it was a good ride. I really pushed it and pounded the pedals on the climbs. Also, I drank twice my normal intake of fluids, popped 2 more Enduralytes, and had 2 gels on the bike. I dismounted feeling very good and well hydrated. What would you do differently?: This race was in the same type of course as my Half IM in Macon last month. I have been focusing on hill training over the last 4 weeks and the result is clear. I improved my MPH on the bike and still had something left for the run. Transition 2
Comments: I got a slight cramp on the back, inside of my right leg. That was strange. It made it so that my stride was restriced for a while. Once I'd run for a few hundred yards, it seemed to loosen up. I credit it to not doing enough Bricks. Run
Comments: I'm absolutely shocked by this run time. It is a PB for a 10k during a triathlon. I was expecting something closer to 58. I felt very strong the first 2 miles and really suffered the last 2, probably cause I went out too fast. But, I wanted to break 2:40 and knew that if I went out fast and had to suffer on the way back in, then so be it. Post race
Warm down: Got two of those frozen ice pop recovery things. They are great. I just walked around and stood under the mist tent for a while to cool off. I absolutely love how I feel the hours after a triathlon. I have found that pain is therapy for me. It cleanses the soul. Pain mixed with accomplishment is an awesome and powerful combination for the mind. They are the two oars on the boat named "Truth". What limited your ability to perform faster: Well, lessee, after a year of this, I'm getting faster with each event. So, my lack of speed can only be due to a life of excess and debauchery. I am pleased with how my times are coming down at these events. I think that if I keep up my training regimine, I will be able to continue seeing these times decrease. My plan for the rest of the season is to work on weight training and speed-work as it concerns the run. I have one sprint, one Oly, and one IM to go. Event comments: I was on my own on this race, all of my fans are out of town. So, I celebrated by going to my favorite Sushi bar for a few Corona's and some awesome sushi. Tomorrow, its back to training. Last updated: 2005-03-08 12:00 AM
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2005-07-24 8:45 PM |
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2005-07-24 8:52 PM in reply to: #205955 |
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General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
GMI Multisports
85F / 29C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 92/270
Age Group = 40-45
Age Group Rank = 12/31
This was an Olympic Triathlon and was the Georgia State Championship race. There were a lot of very in-shape people at this race, athletes who were the best of the best from races around the state. I saw some incredible bikes, too. I was wondering what portion of the bottom of the pack I'd be in when I finished.
I had not tapered and was treating this as a training event. I didn't do anything on Saturday, other than bike the run course to get a feel for what I'd see the next day. I checked into a Holiday Inn Express last night (yes, I'm very smart today) and was asleep by 9pm. I slept very well.
I woke to the alarm at 4am. I ate a PBJ that I had brought along with me (boy, was it good, too) and drank some gatoraid. I popped a couple of Enduralytes and vitamins. I mixed my fluid bottles and got my tri stuff on before waking my bike (yes, she was sleeping next to me). We packed up and headed to the race venue, arriving at 5:20am.
I sat in the truck and jammed to some Rolling Stones, Beck, and Sting as loud as the stereo would go while just relaxing. I ended with "Everything's Turning to Gold" by the Stones before grabbing all my crapola and heading to the transition area. I felt great.
Fortunately, the swim exit was very close to T1. It was a well laid out area and I got all of my stuff set up. I had some extra time before the 7:30am start, so I went to a lakeside dock and sat down. I watched the sun coming up, noticed the steam coming off of the lake, and said my prayers.
I was at the swim start by 7:15, swam easily about 200 yards. I peed in the lake and after a slight shiver, was back on the bank at the starting line.
It was a "Time Trial" start, meaning we went off in groups of 2 about every 5 seconds and we were seeded according to our expected swim times. All day, I had no idea where my competition was on the course since we didn't start in catagorized age groups.