Dominion's Sprint and Olympic Distance - OPEN !!! (Page 15)

I've been fortunate that I've never had to race in the rain, either. The only things I can say that others have said in my FB tri group is to watch out for the white line because it can be super slippery when wet and decrease your tire pressure a bit for better traction. And, of course, give yourself more distance when braking.

I'm still here. I read the posts just havent had time to reply to them. I've raced in the rain before. I drop the pressure in the tires to about 90 psi and give myself extra braking time.Great races everyone! Congrats on your HIM Cass! That's awesome!

I finally raced today. I was signed up for the Olympic distance but due to an ankle sprain that took me out Memorial Day weekend I dropped down to the sprint with plans to go out and have fun and finish the fast flat course around 1:25 time frame. I was predicting about 15 minutes in the water as I have been swimming some the last month. 40-45 minutes on the bike as I haven't been on the saddle in over a month and figured about 25 minutes on run with about 5 minutes lost in transitions.

The water this morning had 1-2 foot swell. I've never had a chance to practice in anything like what I encountered today. Water temp was 71 degrees, but I opted to not wear my wetsuit. (looking back that was my only mistake today) I struggled in the swim early on. I had a short panic attack as I couldn't get in a rhythm, but quickly calmed myself down and slowly made it to the first buoy. Once I made the turn I found my rhythm but it was still crowded and fought with other swimmers. Finally got around the last buoys and got out of the water. Transition went well without having to get out of the wetsuit.

Once on the bike things got going fast. The bike course was out and back on a rather flat course with a light cross with the entire ride. I cruised into T2 in 35 minutes and change for a 20k! Wasn't expecting that. T2 was uneventful, out in about 45 seconds.

The run was another out and back course with one slight hill a quarter mile into it. I was passed by two people during the run and finished strong under 25 minutes! Official time as 1:20:53. Pretty happy with how the event went considering my severe lack of training and I'm looking forward to hitting the road and pool for another 3 weeks before my next tri with hopes of improving.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Scott

Cass awesome job qualifying again. Can you defer to next year?

The race starts off on the road and then hits the trails. Looks like a single track watching some Go Pro videos. The run is off road. I don't think it will be to technical but I may need some trail shoes.

Randy glad to see the hard work is paying off, and that your foot is feeling better.
You will enjoy the Timberman it was a lot of fun being at a race with a big draw.

Nice race. Sounds like you put it all together!

Randy,
Sorry I missed your post. Tri-ing in the rain is tough. My last oly was like that fortunately the sun came up during the swim.

Its really tough to put a wetsuit on when you are wet. Try to stay dry, or put it on earlier.
Bring plastic bags to keep your shoes and socks dry
Another bag for you post race clothes, and to put you wet tri stuff in

Drop you tire pressure a little. Wear shades to keep the water out of your eyes.

Remember running in the rain is like a playground. I love it.

Nate

Scott I officially hate you!!! lol! You are a machine! Glad you recovered and are out and racing. Do you have any more races planned?

Nate

I had my first Olympic distance race of the year yesterday. The forecast was for unusually cool temperatures and rain. They got the cool temps part right since it was something like 57 degrees out when the race started. It had rained earlier in the morning, but the rain pretty much held off for the race and for at least an hour post-race. There was only one point during the bike where I felt a little sprinkling. So the air temp turned out to be the big problem. I had been in the water (temp of 74 degrees) to do some warmup, but I was regretting that when I was standing in line waiting for my swim wave to start. I was so cold that I was shivering! I don't wear a wetsuit, so I was out there in just my tri shorts and my sleeveless top.

The swim was 0.9 miles, wave start, and you waded out in the water until it was about chest deep. That was the first time I've had that kind of start. I felt decent during my warmup, but almost from the start of the swim I felt a little off. I had to do a lot of pep talking to myself to get through the swim. My time was 34:12, which is slow by most standards but is so-so for me. I was hoping for more like 33:00, so not way off. My training has been somewhat inconsistent and it showed. But I made it through with no major issues.

I had brought a bike jersey with me to wear due to the cold temps, but once I got out of the water I felt good enough to skip it. It was a little cool on the bike in wet clothes and 60 degree weather, but it never really bothered me. It was a very hilly course over a single loop of a 22 mile course. I have to debate that distance. My GPS watch said 21.5 and the race results show my average pace as if it was only 21 miles. Hmmmm. Anyway, I knew it would be a challenge due to the hills and set a goal time of 1:15:00. I came in at 1:12:11, so I was pleased about that.

The run was hillier than I had expected from looking at the course map and elevations. My legs felt completely spent after the bike, enough so that I worried about even being able to complete the run. I spent an extra 30-60 seconds in T2 just sitting on the ground to give them a minute to recover. I headed out for the run with a goal of 56:30 and was keeping an eye on my pace. When I ran 8:26 for the first mile, I backed off a little. I walked the aid stations at 1.5 and 2.5 miles to get a drink and some nutrition. I think I stopped at the 2.5 mile station on the way back, but that was it. I knew I was running a good enough pace to beat my goal, but felt like I was in a good enough rhythm that I didn't have to back off. As it turns out, I must have turned it on since mile 5 was my 3rd fastest and mile 6 was my fastest at 8:06! My run time was 52:11 and there's no way on God's green Earth that that was 10K. My GPS watch had it at 6.02 and the results web site shows my average pace as if it was 6.0, so that's what I'm going with. Still, a great run for me, especially with how my legs felt and the fact that my right foot felt like it was going numb for about 2 miles!

Total time was 2:43:10. I beat my goal time by almost 5 minutes. Best of all, I did so much better with my nutrition on this race. No cramping at all! That's a huge win for me right there! I've got just about 4 weeks to get ready for my next Oly and I hope to be more consistent with my swimming to turn in a better performance and feel more comfortable.

Race report: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/RaceLog/races-view-container.asp?...

Great job Randy! What do you think is going on with your foot. Sounds similar to me...

Nate

Nate, I think it was just that my sock had balled up under my foot. I could definitely tell that there was an extra lump under my foot in the shoe on the side that was getting the numbness. I have at least 200 miles in these shoes and I've never noticed anything or ever had that problem before. So the sock bunching up was my best guess as the source of the extra lump. As I was running, I was trying to wiggle my toes and get rid of it. I think I succeeded towards the end of the run because my foot did return to normal and I never took the shoe off until after I'd had my free beer and BBQ! LOL

Not my first Olympic, Monty, just my first this year. It is only my second one, but I did my first Oly distance race last year. I have another one coming up August 7th. I did much better with my nutrition this time around.

Bonus points for any tri geek that can tell me who is in this picture with me. I thought I recognized her before the race. As I was out on the run course, she passed by me again. I thought I saw her wave to the woman in front of me, so I asked if she was who I thought she was. The woman had no clue! She asked me if she was a triathlete. I did my best not to laugh and was a little disappointed that she wasn't recognized by the woman.



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I cheated. Karen Smyers.

NP

"Scott I officially hate you!!! lol! You are a machine! Glad you recovered and are out and racing. Do you have any more races planned? "

Nate,

I have another sprint at the end of this month and then a busy September with an Olympic and Powerman 10k/60k/10k (run/bike/run) duathlon. Was supposed to do an Olympic the end of July, but it got cancelled and postponed till next year.

Scott

How did you cheat?

You're absolutely correct. That is Karen Smyers, 1995 Ironman World Champion and 2009 inductee into the Triathlon Hall of Fame! I thought I saw her wave to the woman in front of me. So I asked her, "was that Karen Smyers?" The woman said "who is that, is she a triathlete?" My response was "yeah, she only won Kona!" I think that's a shame, for a fellow female triathlete not to recognize someone of such stature. I relayed the story to Karen while having a beer with her and her friends in the "beer garden" and she said "that's about what I get these days".

What a year it has been. First getting to race against (or at least in the vicinity of) former Olympian and multiple Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers and then racing on the same course as a former Ironman world champion! Do others on this group have these chances to race against some of the luminaries in our sports?

Thanks, Chris. I was going to take 2 days off as rest days. But I must have done some things right after the race and on Monday because I felt pretty good. So I jumped right back into training on Tuesday, albeit at a lower intensity level. I'm going to try to keep the momentum going. I do have about 3 1/2 weeks left before my next Oly. Unfortunately, the family and I are going to Myrtle Beach for a 5-day vacation, so that might put a kink in my training plans. I'll at least bring my running gear and get a couple runs in. The condo complex does have a pretty good sized pool, but it isn't set up for lap swimming. They don't appear to have an exercise room, so I won't even be able to use a stationary bike. Booo!

Andy Potts will be at Timberman Randy as well as a number of Pros

I did search based on Karens T-shirt and went to the FB page. Looked at some tagged photos and well there you go.
I know a number of names but very few faces. Hers was not one of them.

Nate

Friends of mine were just down there. Two teenagers were swept out to see due to rip current. Never were found. They were staying in North Myrtle. Watch your little ones!

Nate

Wow, scary! Yeah, we wouldn't let them go in the water without us, but thanks for the warning. I'll pass it on to my wife and we'll have to be sure to be extra diligent with watching the kids and warning them about the hazards of being in the ocean. Thanks, Nate!

I had checked out the results for the 70.3 from last year and I knew Potts was on the list. I know Chrissie Wellington had done that race in the past, although I don't know when the last time was that she did that (or any) race.

I've watched every Ironman World Championship since 1989 multiple times. Or at least, every one that I can find on Youtube! LOL Smyers win was due in part to a very iconic moment in the sport's history. She passed Paula Newby-Fraser when Newby-Fraser collapsed only a few hundred meters from the finish line. Not to take anything away from Smyers win, she earned it and I'm sure there have been numerous championships lost because the leader cramped. But the video footage of Newby-Fraser in such a weakened state sitting or lying on Ali'i Drive is gut wrenching!

Time: 2:50:56     (2015 - 3:06:39)
Swim (1K): 24:34
T1: 2:50
Bike (40K): 1:17:13
T2 & Run (8K): 1:06:18
AG: 4/4
Overall: 63/79


I competed in my second Tiger Tri today; my first Olympic (sort of) of the summer. It had its ups and downs. The swim went really well, although I was still really slow. But, 4 1/2 minutes faster than last year, so that's a plus. The bike was pretty bad. After having two different mechanics work on it and spending more than $250, it still doesn't shift right, and I could use only about five or six of my 18 gears. That made it really hard to climb hills because I pretty much had one hill-climbing gear--first. Good grief! I was seven minutes faster than last year, but I should have been faster. It's pretty humiliating to be passed by someone riding a mountain bike with huge knobby tires while I'm riding a sleek triathlon bike built for speed. And it wasn't just the bike issues--I'm still not very fast and still struggle with climbing hills. You'd think after the hours and hours I spend training and all the bloody miles I put in, I'd be able to keep up with couch potatoes, but no! I wasn't very happy with the bike ride. However, I did blow my very first snot rocket, which made me pleased.

The run went well for me, but as usual, this is where I lost the most ground. Everybody I'd passed in the swim and on the bike passed me on the run. I gave it everything I had, but I still struggle with running. My left leg was pretty stiff by the time I got to the run, and my knee wouldn't bend, so I had to shuffle along and watch the ground carefully to avoid tripping hazards. It was painful! I kicked rocks in my shoes and had to pee bad. As I passed one of the water stations, I told the volunteer that I could really use a porta potty, and this older woman sailed right by me saying "Just pee yourself! That's what I do! I pee myself all the time!" So I did. I wanted to shave off every single second I could from my finish time, and if peeing myself was going to save me two or three minutes, then so be it!

Also, as I was struggling through my second time around the run course, a younger woman ran past me saying "I want to be you when I'm 54! You're an inspiration!" Wow! That made me feel good. Of course, this was before I pissed myself. Ha ha!

I had seen only one person in my age group the entire time, and she passed me pretty easily as I was starting the run. I was hoping she was the only person ahead of me, but she wasn't. I ended up being fourth and out of medal contention. That made me sad. I like those bright, shiny medals. I got third place last year and was hoping for at least third again, especially since this race doesn't give out finishers' medals, but oh, well. In the overall standings, I was 63rd out of 79, so at least I wasn't last. And I shaved 16 minutes off last year's time. I also wasn't alone on the course this year like I was last year. I was so slow and so far behind everyone last year that I was completely alone almost the entire race, which is no fun. At least I had company this year.

And, I ran into my favorite bike mechanic before the start of the race. I thought he'd moved out of the area last fall when he separated from his employer, but it turns out he'd opened up his own bike repair shop. I'll have him take a look at my bike and see if he can get it shifting properly again. I have another race next weekend and really need to be able to shift gears. If I can't, then I'm going to have to switch back to my regular road bike. Hopefully, he can fix the issue for me

Also, I've come to the conclusion that I absolutely HATE Clif bars. Eating those things while racing is like trying to swallow a mouthful of molasses flavored clay. I can never quite get them down all the way! Yuck!

Edited by burner2 2016-07-17 12:16 AM

I know a lot of names of famous triathletes, but I wouldn't be able to recognize any of them because I have prosopagnosia, commonly called "face blindness." I couldn't recognize myself in a photo. The only reason I was able to "recognize" Madonna Buder at NOLA 70.3 is because of the age written on the back of her calf. There's not too many 87-year-olds competing in Ironman races! Plus, the race organizers were treating her like Queen Elizabeth, calling her "ma'am" and almost groveling at her feet.

Andy Potts competed in (and won) Cd'A 70.3 a few weeks ago. There were a number of other pros, as well, both men and women. However, I wouldn't say I was able to race AGAINST them, but rather, I was honored to share the same course with them. Potts was pulling into T2 as I was heading out of T1. I can't believe how fast he was able to do the bike course! He rode those hills at a 28 mph average! He had to have been hitting 50 mph on some of the descents. He did the entire course in under four hours; that's how long it took me just to do the swim and bike!

We also have our share of local age groupers who, like Buder, have gained near god-like status with the local triathletes. I'm beginning to recognize their names as I review participant lists. I'll be age-grouping up next year and competing against one of them, a 55-year old (this year) who just slaughters the competition and wins fastest overall female, which means qualifying for nationals next year will be tough! We're also sending a local boy to this year's Olympics in Rio.

Hi all,

I'm after some advice on my next purchase.
I have a budget of around £150 and I'm thinking of getting some cleats and shoes.

My road bike is only worth around £200 and I use it for training and racing. I only really use it in the summer.

So my questions are - do you think it worth investing in pedals and shoes that would nearly be as expensive as the bike itself? Although I suppose if I ever upgrade then I can reuse the pedals and shoes.
Which sort of shoes do you suggest?
I've been reading up and I'm thinking road shoes rather than Tri shoes. I don’t think the transaction time will be that much of an effect on me, as I'm a mid-range age grouper.
And the last question and it's a bit of a silly one, but if I do buy shoes and pedals, how long do you think I should practice before using in a race?
My next race is only three weeks away and I'm nervous that I'd only have a couple of weeks practice.

Any tips or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Tony.