Prof40's group CLOSED (Page 14)

I had a Sprint today. I was b/n 1:23 and 1:24 (official times I don't have yet). It was 800 S, 12 mile B, 3.1 mile R. I was hoping for under 1:30 so I was happy. The swim went great--my strategy worked perfectly, and I was only bumped 2x. I was so much faster and stronger than last time. The bike went great--I averaged over 20mph. It was flat. THe run sucked, but I made it. I had very little left so I'm guessing I was in the low 9s per mile. The transitions were good, but my times were bad because they were so long. My first tri the transition area was maybe 50 ft., Here the run from water to bike was 200+ yards and the run out and in with the bike was longer--maybe 300+ yards. That will hurt your time! Anyway, a great day, but I'm sore. I'm going to bed as I slept about none last night.

Who else raced today? How did it go?

Congrats!  That seems like a nice improvement, just being more comfortable.  My first tri is tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Congrats!! Great times and the fact that you felt comfortable, even better.
Not racing until next Sunday, it's going to be hard, I arrive Friday evening from a 6 hour time change............... we'll see!

Here are my times:
S   15:51 (I thought I was faster?)
T1   3:24
B   36:33
T2  1:51
R   25:57 (I thought I was Slower)

123:36 (22 in my division and 149/8??) I don't know how many--I think around 840 raced. First place was 1:03. Wow--that's fast.

Great race, g

Race report should be up for me.  It went really well, and I'm happy.  I just wish I knew the age group rules, because I thought I was in 20-24 (my birthday isnt til August), but I guess the USAT rules bumped me up to 25-29.  So I would have placed 2nd with the younger guys, and I got 10th in the older group.  BIG difference, lol.  I wouldn't have let all those guys with 25 through 29 run past me for sure... or at least I would have thrown something at them to slow them down


Edited by mck35 2009-06-15 9:57 AM

Loved reading the race report!! Oh, and you were put in 25-29 because (usually) they use the age that you will be at the end of the year, so in this case your age in Dec 2009. Next time you'll know, and just have a couple little stones in your pockets to throw at them!

David, I ran 9 miles last night (the day after). I planned on 6, but felt like going longer. I'm feeling stronger body-wise. I have mild soreness, but I no longer feel any injury-like pain. I think my base is getting closer to where it needs to be.

I have an olympic Saturday. It is an interesting race--very few participants, (130 last year) very fast times. It's about 70 miles from Seattle with no real facilities near-by, so I think that keeps it small but draws some of the Northwest's better athletes traing for upcoming 70.3s. I'm hoping for 3 hours or less. Almost everybody in the race did better than that last year. It's in the Cascade Mountain foothills so it will be a bit of altitude and a bit cold in the water.

Sailing sounds fun, but your 70.3 is in less than a month away?? Ouch! You could jump out of the boat and have your wife take the sail down and troll the boat with you swimming behind. That would get your heartrate up. I've heard Lance A. trains behind his coach on a moped @ 35 mph.

Great race, Mike! See--we're all still alive! Are you going to add any more triathlons or just train for the 1/2 marathon?

I'm done teaching Thursday--then let the real torture training begin in earnest!! I was very happy with my race, yet inspired by all those faster than me.

Edited by gplitt 2009-06-15 10:59 AM

Hey all!! Is training coming along grandly for everyone?

I did an Olympic tri on Saturday. I placed 17/41 in my gender, in a time of 3h05m. It's not a fabulous time, but what with the extra kms in the bike leg and the horribly planned transitions, I am happy enough. The race report is up, if you are interested in reading it: race report
Now it's all about training and then tapering - I've got my first HIM in 3 weeks. Rather than getting nervous about it, or about my time overall or for each leg, I'm just going to enjoy the hell out of it! It's my first, and it won't be my last!

Edited by krystyna47 2009-06-15 1:59 PM

Congrats again on your race Krys!  Sounds like all those problems made the race a lot less enjoyable.  That would be the worst, its tough enough as it is, why make it any tougher?  

My training is okay... I miss more workouts than I'd like, especially because of some of the weather we've been having here lately.  I'm hoping to start getting more done, but I'm still happy with how its going  

It must be love -- your gf got into the car with you at 4am? Impressive!

You were cooking on the swim. Nice job.

Second in your age group, huh? Sounds like you had a good day!

But I have to say I'm a  little disappointed in your race report. Not one swear word. I kind of like the illustrative use of the well-selected curse.

Just focus on your goals and enjoy the experience. I think a 3-hour Olympic is a great time. And talk to the people racked around you. You may find someone to train with!

Haha, I felt I should tone it down a little. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be *plenty* of cursing going on when I write up a race report for my HIM on July 4th!!!

Although I never mentioned it in any of my race reports, in my log or in this forum, I often find myself frustrated with my standing in the race. I understand that there's a "10% rule" (females will be approximately 10% slower than males at the same athletic level), but it's just so FRUSTRATING to be further down in the rankings because I am female. It's just something I've got to get over, I suppose.

So now that I have actually tried them, I realize how hard transitions actually are.  your pulse is going crazy, hands are cold from the swim, youre wet, trying to move quickly... just a recipe for disaster.  Reading race reports it seems like EVERYONE struggles with transitions. 

Looking back, my biggest problem was getting my bike shoes on.  I didnt start with them clipped in, just because of the way the bike course was set up (and i have regular road shoes which are a little tougher to get on my feet).  But it seems like it would definitely help to grease up the back of your shoes so your foot slips in a little better.  Same thing with the running shoes.  And im definitely going to get some quick tie laces... any that you guys recomend?

Another thing is racking the bike.  I was smart enough to rack the bike facing out, with the bar under the front of the seat, so I could just shove it and pull.  But when I brought it back in I had a brainfart and racked it the same way. I definitely think i could have saved some time just throwing the handlebars over the rack.

Now that we have some races under our collective belts, any other tips people can think of?  Or just questions about how to make something go faster?

All I can say from my one and only experience, I would stay away from racking your bike from the aerobars. I did that and when I came back from the swim I found my bike on hte floor and helmet and sunglasses feet away from it. I felt like punching somebody!!! Talking to a more experienced triathlete, told me that is much safer to rack it on the front of the seat or they sell this little thing, like a hook or something that you put on the rear of the seat.  Makes it stable and easy to just pull and go.
I haven't found the gadget yet, if you do, please tell me where to get it.
Congrats on you race!!!

It sounds dumb, but rolling my socks down the night before was a big help. It was bad enough getting shoes and socks on while dizzy and cold. Pulling socks on over wet feet might have caused me to take a nap.

My first olympic is Saturday. I'm nervous already. I need to just think "race my race and finish," but the competition side makes me nervous. The mile swim makes me the most nervous. I can do two miles in the pool, but as I've experienced twice--an OW race ain't the pool.

I put clamp-on aero bars on my bike. I'm faster, but I'm finding that it hurts my back and stomach, (when I take in calories, my stomach feels sick). I have been fighting being sick all week, so it could be that. Any thoughts? Do you guys lighten up on eating before races? I can eat a full breakfast an hour before a two-three hour brick in training, but not in a race. I think the nerves make my stomach feel bad. Any thoughts on calming one's stomach with Pepto-bismol or something before a race? Any side effects?

Anyone else racing?

It's a 4th event, isn't it? Contemplate weather, and what you'll wear if it rains, or if it is hot and humid, and soon you'll have a ton of decisions to make in a very short time period.

Practice is the only way to get better at them. I visualize my transitions just like I do the race.

My one tip for speeding them up is to eat and drink on the bike. You could easily kill a minute opening gels and sipping Gatorade during the two transitions. I make sure to eat/drink as soon as I get on and in the last minute or so of the ride before I get off. That way, my transitions are all about clothes and gear.

What, you find it uncomfy to swim with currents and things that brush against you and in water so murky that you can't see your outreached hand?

The aero bars will take some time to get used to. You'll love them -- and so will your back -- when the muscles are in tune.

I definitely lighten up on calories going into a race. On Thursday, I'll eat normally, but as the day gets later, I'll try to focus more on basic carbs. On Friday, I'm pretty much done eating by 2ish, with a slice or two of pizza at about 5pm. The next morning, maybe 2-3 hours before the race, I have coffee and oatmeal with a shake of cinnamon. I like to feel lean when I race. Well, as lean as an old fat guy can feel. But this method is based upon a few years of personal experience. What works for me may not work for you. However, we can all agree that you just do not want to use a portajohn during a race after 500 other people with upset stomachs have used it, too.

As for the stomach, the nerves go away as soon as I hit the water. Then, it's more of a 'what am I doing here' thing.

I have a good breakfast (whole wheat toast with PB&J, some soymilk, fruit about 2.5-3hrs before the race, and for the .5-1hr before the race, I sip on Gatorade to keep energy levels high, so that I don't start the race with a dip in blood sugar. Make sure what you are eating is something you are very comfortable with, and not too high in fat, but that there is *some* fat to keep you feeling full for more than 2hrs. But it's all about testing things out, and seeing what you're comfortable with. And I guess that comes with practice!!

Good point on the Gatorade sipping just prior to the race. I have a gel, too, perhaps 15 minutes before start time.

Hey GPLITT -- good luck today!

Edited by prof40 2009-06-20 5:08 AM

my race went great. I was 2:45 (I was hoping for 3:00, so better than expected by a lot). My swim was solid (for me), my bike went great and my run was adequate. I'll post times tomorrow.

Awesome performance -- 2:45 -- way to go!