750m was the longest tri swim in my race history, a level I've always worried over. Didn't have to worry about it in PA/NJ because most sprint swim legs there are 400m; not here in MD. I've picked up my swimming volume since about a year ago in order to prep for the longer distance, at least psychologically (with improved swimming being a hoped for by-product that hasn't necessarily come to pass). So this tri was all about trying that longer swim distance and seeing how I felt about it.

And when we arrived dockside for my first view of the course, I can admit I didn't feel very good at all. First off, seeing it laid out was daunting. Second, the wind was blowing so hard that the whole harbor was a choppy mess; there weren't any whitecaps or obvious rolling waves, but it was rough out there. There was a sailboat docked nearby and its little wind propeller was spinning so fast it might as well have been a solid disk. Even the race starter said the chop was about as bad as it gets, and admitted our start line put us right into the worst of it. Turned out he was wrong; the worst was on the long back leg parallel to the dock; rolling to my left side to breathe was pretty much an adventure each time. I never took on any water, but man, it was tough; I'm surprised I was able to maintain a decent line. Can't imagine doing this without a wetsuit.

I'd planned to take 11-12 strokes, grab a quick sight, then do 11-12 more and take a longer "breathing sight", grabbing 4-5 breaths. Not sure why - I'm thinking because it was so choppy - but I only managed to do that 2-3 times; the rest of the leg I always took a "breathing sight".

I believe the swim time includes a long-ish run/walk to transition, and it certainly includes an awkward climb out of the water onto the dock...thank goodness for the volunteers there to help us out...not sure I could've managed without that helping hand. I'm thinking I must've finished my swim at around 26 minutes or so, pretty much according to plan. Given the chop and wind we dealt with, I can't help but wonder how much better this would've been on a calmer day. I have to be pleased.

Follow the plan more explicitly with respect to alternating quick sights with longer breathing sights.

Didn't realize I lollygagged this much in T1. Didn't seem like this long.

I will admit to being a little hazy after my longest tri swim. Doubt I'd do much different.

Generally easy bike ride, mostly flat, a couple of gentle slopes. Pretty country too. Never had concerns about getting lost, and the mile markers were spot on. Good ride with the tri pack, everyone well behaved and having fun. Early on I passed a lady, I was afraid I was a little close because somebody was close on my left too, and she made a kind of surprised noise. Not sure if I scared her, but as I got past she said, "Have a good race." Still not sure if she was being sarcastic, but I gave her a quick wave and said, "You too." She thanked me, so hopefully it was all good. Another lady and I swapped positions several times, to the point she actually commented on it with a laugh, said we were "playing leapfrog".

I certainly didn't feel like I was goofing off but my power numbers were pretty darn low, much lower than I'd have expected (AP/NP 124/131). And when I pushed harder, to the point where it seemed I was at an appropriate wattage level (150-160) I could feel the sting flowing into the legs, so I'd back off. Overall, it felt like a reasonable effort. But the power numbers and final pace surprised me. Little bothered at how this shook out, but I'm square in the middle of the pack where I would expect to be.

As I indicated, effort level felt reasonable enough, not too hard, but certainly not goofing off. But since I'd not ridden much since Cascade Lakes Tri (once?) due to our trip, it's possible I was a little out of shape, bike-wise. Been fighting off a minor cold too.

Typical bike-run transition. Took some time to grab a drink. Right shoe, as always, took a bit long to get on right, but then I headed right out.

Nothing.

Wow, a terrible run. Within 4-5 minutes I knew this was going to be bad. I know it wasn't that I went too hard on the bike because the effort there just wasn't that hard. I didn't have high expectations for this run because I hadn't done much since Cascade Lake, running maybe three times, so I did feel a bit out of running shape. Even so, I didn't think it would effect me this much, to the point I was so out of breath I'd be reduced to walking quite a bit throughout. High humidity just made it worse.

TSW suggested maybe it was the cold and the phlegm issues I'd been experiencing; given these hadn't been that bad I'd not given them any thought, but now I'm wondering.

I do normal training runs that aren't this slow, so something was definitely amiss. Again, I did feel a bit out of condition due to a light running schedule after my last tri and the trip we took, so that was definitely part of it. Maybe being slightly sick impacted me too. In short, not much I could've done given I'd intentionally backed off training after Cascade Lake just to give the body a break.

I was so done in I had to sit and then just lay back in the grass and hope the dizziness and light-headedness passed. One awesome perk of the event was a cold towel handed to us at the finish line. Laid that across my forehead and neck as I tried to recover. TSW grabbed me a water which I gulped down. After I felt a little better, I grabbed a Coke and we sat inside the big party tent they had set up; ate half a banana too. Eventually the dizziness and sickness eased, enough that a trial bite of post-race pizza ended up being two slices! But boy, I did not feel at all good at the end.


Swim was OK, bike was disappointing but not that bad, and the run was just flat awful. So the bad run is what laid me out and precluded a better performance. Part of this was due to a comparative lack of activity as I allowed myself some time off after the last tri in mid-May. I think my health, primarily the impact of a cold and related "phlegminess" might explain the rest, given how I felt afterwards.

In the end, though, I'm satisfied with the overall performance since I came in under my hoped for time (1:57). This race was mainly about doing a longer swim and seeing how I handled that, both physically and mentally. And given I did OK in that respect, I'm pleased overall.


Easily one of the best races I've had the pleasure of participating in. VTS/MTS does a tremendous job in all aspects, from packet pick-up (no line at all), to having plenty of toilets, to post race activities. Would highly recommend them to anyone, and hope to do more of theirs soon.