Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN (Page 13)

Yeah I thought I ran well. I've heard of swims being cancelled just never imagined I would deal with one at a small venue. My swim is still questionable and I've talked with a few different people. Some thought they made the right decision and others thought it should have went on as planned. With my swim being as it is, I'm glad they cancelled it. I think had they had the swim and mentioned the 5ft + swells I would have dropped down the the Du anyway. Next Tri is 4 weeks out and I need to get back into a swim routine if I think I'm doing another Olympic distance Tri.

Scott

Tried swimming in my tri top today. Felt heavy. Maybe a little big. Gonna swim this week without it.

I'm curious what ya'll use for hydration on the ride portion of your races? I use a 20 oz bottle that sits on the tubes and for Sunday's race I added a bottle to my aero bars because I figured with the heat I'd need more than 20oz for 40km. It seemed to work well and I barely had enough fluids. How much do you all use or plan to use for Olympic distance races or even Sprint distances. I might be doing a Sprint in August now.

Hey Scott. I found a hydration mix that I LOVE. Skratch Labs. They believe in real food and no junk. The ingredients are salt, sugar and freeze dried fruit. No anti-caking or colors or preservatives. I typically under-hydrate and I sweat a lot. For my last Sprint I just kept the one bottle on my bike and I dont think I used 1/2 of it. Unless its really hot, I skip all or at least most of the water stations. I have considered adding a 2nd cage (I will soon) just to have the option for a 2nd bottle, even if it is just to help someone else out. But even at 40km bike rides, I dont use all of one bottle of hydration mix.

Does anyone ever use a Camelbak? I own a 70 oz Camelbak and I had been considering using it on the bike ride. I thought that would be a lot easier than having to fiddle with getting the squeeze bottle back into the rack on my bike frame. Plus, there would be plenty of room to toss in some ice cubes to keep the water nice and chilly! I know it would mean a few extra seconds in transition to put it on. It would also mean I'm carrying a little extra weight on my back during the ride, but I don't think it will be that bad. Just wondering if anyone has done that or has seen other competitors use them during an event.

In my first two sprints I only used one bottle. The second was longer and hotter and I think I got dehydrated. I now use one profile bottle and one in a cage. When the profile is empty I squeeze the cafe water bottle into it. I drink both on the bike. I have done this for a few bricks and one sprint. I have not felt bloated or dehydrated. I will typically use a dilute Gatorade or orange juice. I sweat a lot. I will add a third bottle for the oly in oct.

Chris your water is in the tubes? Interesting

On one of my early group rides I saw a guy with a 70 oz Camelbak. Since I have the same Marathoner model at home, I brought it for my next group ride. But, I didnt find it easier than racking my bottle. I think if the ride was long enough to need more than one bottle, it could be a good deal. I just havent gotten to that point yet.

Well, some good news. I got my sleeveless wetsuit Monday in the Mail. I tried it on today and it seems pretty comfortable. Got a good swim in at the YMCA today for 60 minutes and about 1.27 miles. I have some issues / thoughts about the upcoming Swim and any feedback would be great.

(1) Ive heard - "dont race in the wetsuit if you havent had a chance to test it out in open water before the race" - sounds like good advice. But due to backorder, schedule and weather, I might not get the chance to swim pre-race. But I am thinking I will go for it anyway - because...

(2) I am slow. I didnt know this, but I recently completed a SPRINT and came in about 303 / 336. I thought I did well - for me I did. Id really like to be closer to middle of the pack, but what really concerns me is...

(3) If you double my time from the 1/2 mile swim, my predicted 0.93 mile swim would be dead last compared to last years field of 400. I swam well today in the pool, and may have shaved some time off my pace, but its essentially the same time as the last person last year.

My main concerns: (1) I dont want to be last. Part of me worries I am under-trained if EVERYONE is faster. (2) The good news is, theres so much room to improve. I came in middle of the field overall on my SPRINT, but if Im nearly the slowest swimmer, just a little improvement, should get me much faster overall. (3) I want to wear the wetsuit. I think it will be safer and faster. What do you think?

Wear it. Having a pool swim in it is fine. Practice getting it on and off. You still be fine.

What kind of suit?

XTerra - Vortex 4 - Sleeveless XL - The suit seems like a great fit. Considering cutting 1" off the bottom of each leg. The suit was really tight on each calve, but easy enough to get off. The rest of the suit felt stuck on my size 13 feet. The only reason I am considering cutting the suit is to get it off my feet.

I used the Beginner Triathlete link and discount code (BT) and paid about $130. For that price, the suit owes me very little.

Jeff, I'd go for it. Wear the wetsuit since you have it and you've swam in it already. None of us are setting any world records this year, so try it out! I've been contemplating an Xterra one as well (due to the friendly price point), so let me know how it goes! My first OWS in a race is Saturday, and I'm going in just a tri suit still. I'm considering adding an Oly in late September, and in IN I think I'd have to have a wetsuit that late in the year. Let us know how you like it! Their sizing tool recommends a men's medium for me - I'm 6' and female. Glad yours seems to fit so far!

You can put water in your tubes? That's awesome! I just carry 24oz so far. I bought a second cage, but I'm a klutz with tools and am having trouble putting it on the stupid bike. Of course, my bike handling skills are so poor that I barely drink while I ride anyways...probably better for my second bottle to sit in transition so I can take a swig before the run!

that looks pretty cool

Whoa. Cool trick! Not yet able to justify the cost, but awesome that they thought to use the space in that manner. Dom. Thanks for the video link.

took the wetsuit to the pool today. Amazing how buoyant it is! It's like a life preserver! Did some laps. First 200yds in 4:12. Adjusted suit. Went for 10 min, got 450 yrds in. Went for 23:30 (last 1/2 mile race) got 1000 yrds in 24:31 (1/2 mile is 850). Every lap was faster than without a wetsuit, except 2nd to last lap, my foot slipped on pushoff, it came out of the water and landed on the edge. Really sore for that lap. Most laps were 71 sec. That one was 91 sec. The suit felt like a really good fit. Lower back some water came in, but mostly I didnt feel the water in the suit. Seemed like it was too tight for the water to get in. But when I got out, the water that came out the bottom of the suit was so warm!



Finished with 3.52 on TM in 31. Started the day with 13.9 mile commute in 49:30. Shaved 1 minute off previous ride home, but pushed really hard to get there. 16.7mph.



I read a great quote recently. "The biggest improvement to my bike speed, other than having 2 seasons of base-building under me, was a properly fitted bike". - I keep beating myself up for not being faster. I read posts of avg speeds 18, 19, 20 even 21mph (elite). And I cant crack 17mph on a mostly downhill route? I think I just need to keep building my bike legs. The up hills I slow down to 9, 8, 7, 6 even 4 mph. If I can get stronger and go faster there, my avg speed will be fine.

Ever feel like it's just you talking to yourself? First OLY tomorrow. Getting gear together.

Have fun tomorrow Jeff! Good luck!

Jeff, how was your race?
I had a sprint this morning - my first full sprint. 500m/20k/5k. Finished in 1:22:34, which is about what I was hoping for, and was good enough for 2nd in AG.
I'll do a real report later,cliff notes for now. Air temp was 55 at the start of the race. I don't have a wetsuit, so had to shiver on the swim. Water temp was 76, so it was okay once we got going at least. Time was 10:58, which is really slow for me. I think being so cold played a big part. T1 was 1:05, big improvement over my last race. My chip malfunctioned so I don't have my bike or T2 splits, but together they were about 42:30. Hilly course, but it felt good. Passed way more people than passed me - all the men started first, so I passed all the slow ones. Run was 27:52, almost 3 min off my 5K time, but it was all on grass through a park. I think I did well considering!

My race also went well. Haven't seen the official times but I think I had my best swim and bike. The run was ok. The bike was real hilly and the run had a few hills. Ill get a full report in after I get home. For now I'm enjoying some time by the lake with my family.

So great to hear so many positive reports from people on their races this year. Congrats to all of you! Good luck on yours tomorrow, Jeff! Looking forward to hearing your race report. I can't wait for August 10th to get hear so I can finally get that first race under my belt. Then *I* can be the one doing the reporting instead of having to live vicariously through all of you! LOL

I know a LOT of people say that you shouldn't put numbers on your first tri, but I really think having a goal time in mind helps me to be committed to my training and makes me want to train hard. What do others think? Is there anything wrong with wanting to perform well on your first tri and having a goal time in mind? I'm not going crazy and I don't even expect to medal in my AG.

Here's what I'm thinking for myself.

600 yard swim - 14:00 or less
14 mile bike - 54:00
5K run - 29:00

That's 1:37:00 in total, figure up to 4:00 total in T1 and T2 and that would have me finish in 1:41:00. I don't think that sounds unreasonable to me. I'm curious what others have done for their first tri.

Good evening,

My name is Drew and I am looking to join this group. A little bit about myself:

Bio:
Name: Andrew
Age: 28

I grew up in upstate NY loving the snow and staying in shape. Grew up playing soccer my entire life and baseball also. At age 17 I went into the Marine Corps where I did 2 tours to the Middle East and traveled all over the place. After the military I ended up in beautiful Southern California where I now live with my wife and 2 year old son Liam. I skydive for fun, but in June of 2012 I had an accident and broke my femur, ankle, and foot in 4 places and was laid up. When I got out of the military I was 180lbs and now after this accident and with my son I am up to 230 and that is not where I want to be.

I love to run, swim, and bike and just love to be outside. I am starting to push myself because I want to do the LA Herbalife Triathlon Sprint in September.

I don't just want to do this for myself but for my son to show him that you can push through adversity and live life fully.

I have put my report on the BT page and you can se it here http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/RaceLog/races-view-container.asp?...

Here is the editorial...

I started feeling a little sick on Thursday. There has been a bug going around the office and I was hoping it would miss me. No such luck. Friday night was a little miserable but not horrible. Felt bad when I woke up and thought about going back to bed. Convinced myself I would sweat it out me and got dressed. Took a couple of advil and put some Halls in my tri top and the bag in my transition bag.

Left the family at the hotel as the parking sucked and had to hike 3/4 of a mile to TA. This would be my warm up. The weather was in the mid 70's and it was overcast. Almost perfect conditions. I had been thinking of swimming in my tri top and was noting that many people did and a few don't. I was in the second wave and did no swim warm up. Just some stretching. It was wad start with a slight current against. I positioned my self at the back of the middle and gave everyone 5-10 second head start. Felt really smooth heading out. Got off course once but feel like I found the turn okay. Maybe added a little distance. I think I passed a few on the outside after the turn and then a few more after the second turn down the back stretch. Sited the twerking balloon easily and pushed a little at the end. Could have swam harder. Kind of went thru the motions like this was a pre-race warm up. Will have to work on my intensity here. Overall the best of the 3 OWS I have had. It was 750 m and my split was 17:12. Over 3 min faster than last month and a few seconds faster than my first OWS that was wetsuit legal. My pace was 2:06/100 y which is about 10-15 sec per 100 slower than my pool swimming. There was a short run to the mat and then a longer one into T1.

I quickly tried to dry my self off (feet and chest). Next time I wont bother. At 2:59 this was a long transition even for me.

Now for the bike. The first mile had a bunch of cones that you needed to navigate thru. Later there would be runners and more bikers. The guy in front of me couldn't get his shoes on and kept zig sagging. Eventually found an opening and passed him and a couple more before hitting the open road. Over the first 9 miles I caught a bunch of folks. Played cat an mouse with one guy as we kept passing each other. Couple of big hills and a ton of smaller ones. Was able to go fast on the down hill but if it was big I wouldn't go down in aero. Was hitting speeds of 36mph pretty consistently and didn't feel to comfortable not being able to get to the brakes immediately. Faded a little toward the end or maybe the faster riders from the waves behind me started to catch me. Moved with a couple of them but they were more aggressive on the down hills. Didn't drink as much as I typically would but felt okay because it wasn't as hot as usual and it was overcast. This never came back to haunt me. Hit a cone in that last mile before the TA. Feet out of shoes and jumped off the bike and ran into T2. The bike was 17.5 and I completed it in 54:28. Overall I averaged 19.28 mph. Of the 4 sprints I have done this was the longest and hardest course. It was also my fastest.

Racked my bike and put my shoes on. Quickly stretched my hamstrings and had a gu. Felt lightheaded and like I was forgetting something. I was my belt. Fortunately I hadn't left the TA before I realized.

Out on the run. Started but heading up a long gradual incline. Got passed by a few. Tried to keep my pace steady and my breathing relaxed. We turned off the road and onto the trail and I was passed by a few more. Head wasn't in it. Felt like I was going about 9 min pace and knew I can go faster but my head and my legs talked me out of it. Hit mile 1 around 9 min. Mile two around 18. Finally convinced myself to move a little but it was short lived. Overall 28 flat. A little slower than last month but given the hills and the trail run I would say the same or better.

I was 162 of 303 men, and 18 of 35 in my age group. My transition times and my run places were all in the back third and my swim and bike were in the middle. This was my last scheduled sprint this year. I am planning on a oly but we will see what happens after our third child arrives in September. I have moved from the back of the pack to the middle, and I am pretty happy with that. I thought running was going to be my strength once I got in shape but I am really struggling with it. In college I was able to go under 6 min/mile for a 5 mile race and now I struggle with 8-9 min/miles. Hoping to start to see some solid improvement on the run next season. Maybe I just need more volume. With another year under my belt I hope to get the bike closer to 20mph, and shave some off the swim.

Taking a couple days off now as I did not sweat my cold out of me...


Can't wait to see everyone else's race reports from this weekend.