Todd's Tri Turtles 3 (Beginner, Sprint, 5K, 10K) Basically Closed (Page 20)

Originally posted by Kris67

Here's my race report: http://beginnertriathlete.com/RaceLog/races-view-container.asp?race...

This was my third official tri, and my hardest. The swim was too congested, and getting swam over is not fun. I tried to talk myself out of the panic but had to turn over and catch my breathe while back stroking, as breathing on every left side wasn't enough. I haven't been doing enough swimming and it showed.

The bike was beautiful, but we had 3 large bridges to cross. My slowest I noticed ascending pace was 7.4mph, and descending my fastest rate was 31mph. FUN! My daughter had planned to race and didn't feel well, and decided on the ride to the race to just sleep in the car. I was most worried about her doing the bike portion because of the hills, so this was not on my mind after all.

The run was half on the soft sand and half on the road. I ended up doing walk/run intervals. My time was ok for me, but looking at 90% of the people finished before me-ugh, I need more practice. I'm sure it's not the first year doing tri's for most of these people, but still. I feel good and know what I need to work on more for my final tri this season, in October. Good news is, I will have a chance to use my wet suit, I hope.

BTW, as my daughter and I checked in for the packet pick up yesterday, the bike shop had a kona ironman video playing on the tv, and my daughter was so interested and watched it as I shopped. As we drove home, she told me that she wants to do an ironman in her lifetime.

Originally posted by GimpyRUNR

I roped my friend, Jenny, into completing our first triathlon together - The W.I.L.D Hodag in beautiful Rhinelander, Wisco. Jenny has an extensive bucket list, and thankfully finishing a triathlon was one of those items. Doing something new and slightly scary is so much better with an accomplice! This is the second year for the race: 300 yard swim, 10K mountain bike and 5K trail run. The course was a bit surprising and lived up to it's name - WILD!

SWIM:
I thought the swim would be the most difficult part for me, but I actually felt really good on the swim. Jenny's wave went out 6 minutes before mine, so I was watching her progress. She was most concerned about the swim and felt really under-trained. She was slow, but I could see she was getting it done. While waiting for my wave to start, I got in and soaked until I was acclimated. That proved to be a good thing since many people commented on how the cold temps made them start hyperventilating (Jenny told me after the race that she was panicked for the first 150 yards). Only one person wore a wetsuit. The race was very small, so there were maybe 8 people in my wave. I knew from my training swims that I struggled with my face in the water, so I didn't even try that. I just front stroked with my head up. I flipped onto my back and backstroked for 3 short periods just to mix it up. I completed the swim in around 7 minutes. I don't know my exact time because the transition times were included with each event time. Some people had a towel and tennis shoes waiting at the beach, which in retrospect would have been a good move if I was truly competing, because we had to run from the beach to the transition area over a rough road.

BIKE:
I wasn't sure what to expect on the bike since a large portion of it was off road mountain biking. I didn't train off road, so I went in knowing this was going to be different. The 10K bike was rough by my rookie standards. It was double-track with a big hump in the middle, roots and rocks, troughs of mud. Oh, and mosquitoes! I didn't even bring bug spray. We've had a lot of rain and high humidity, so picture a tropical jungle kind of feeling. My arms and legs are peppered with bites and itching something fierce. I didn't even feel them when I was on the bike - I was completely focused on what was in front of my bike. The sides of the trail were overgrown, so my body was being whacked by wet weeds and grass. I was more soaked after the bike than the swim! I caught up with Jenny near the end of the bike. She was riding her daughter's mountain bike, which was too small for her. Otherwise, I don't think I would have caught up to her. I know of at least one person who crashed on the course, but was unhurt. I finished the bike in 37 minutes. I was happy with that considering that I had not trained off road. I was most thrilled to have not crashed!

RUN:
Running *used to* be my thing. I was least intimidated by the run portion. I spent more time run-walking than anything else in preparation for this race. I broke my hip in April 2013 during the London Marathon and have been through two surgeries on it - one to put hardware in and another to take the hardware out. This tri was my first race since the accident/injury; I was calling it my comeback race. The course started with a half mile on rough trails - tree roots galore and twisting through the woods. I had to watch my feet and take it easy. Jenny caught up to me here and offered words of encouragement, like, "Take it easy, Jen! Don't get hurt. It's not worth it!" I had to keep telling myself that it was okay to walk and rest, but that is a new mentality for me.

We then had about a mile of pavement before turning off into the woods again. I grabbed a water at the aid station and was told by a volunteer, "This portion of the course was described as sadistic by one of the other athletes." Oh, awesome! It was another winding trail with a lot of steep ups and downs. Due to the rain, the leaf-covered trail was slippery. I was caught and passed by several people here. I had to embrace the idea that finishing uninjured was the goal. It was a relief to see pavement again; I knew I only had about a mile to the finish line. My 5K run time was 41:08 - much slower than my run/walk training times, but I didn't fall and I ran the last mile continuously, which is the longest distance I have run (without walking) since the accident. My total time for the race was 1:27:28.

The race was a success! We both finished uninjured and with smiles on our faces. Jenny and I both said we would come back next year and do the race again. For me, completing this race signifies that my body has healed and I can put that injury behind me.



Congrats on the race and finish. That's sounds like one heck of a Tri and don't even think about your run time unless you do the same one next year to compare it to. With terrain like you described there is not comparison to that a road running. Kudos to you also for being there for your Friend. Awesome!

Originally posted by Taringa

Challenge done and dusted, race report here http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=522672&posts=1#M5043070

The course was shortened, which was disappointing to start with but in reality a very good call for safety's sake. There would have been carnage on the wet roads if they'd kept the steep hills in the race. Had a lot of fun, I've got a nice finisher's medal and a much better idea of what I have to do for next year. 

 

Originally posted by Lovey

Back from a stressful few days in Miami planning my mother's service.

In the midst of all that, a good run would have been helpful. I had no time and I was so exhausted.
Went for a stress relieving run this morning. It did help just to run.

I have a duathlon on 8/3 and a triathlon on 8/16.
With all that is happening, I don't feel mentally ready for Sunday's duathlon.
The triathlon is the same weekend as my mom's services.

Even though the race sites say no refunds or deferrals, I requested both from them with the offer of a copy of the death certificate if they needed it.
Both race directors gave me deferrals to the 2015 race.

I may do a triathlon later in the year, I just need time to process. I will still log my workouts but traveling back to Florida will throw me off track a little.

I hope everyone is still on track with workouts and enjoying themselves along the way.

Originally posted by Lovey



I am back or trying to be. My mom's services went well. Dealing with the aftermath now.
Insurance contesting because she passed 3 weeks before the standard 2 year clause expired. All paperwork submitted and waiting for a decision.
My dad is okay but very lonely at home during the day by himself. He needs some supervision as he is diabetic and an amputee. My family is helping him as much as they can.

I am home ad after not working out in any capacity, my body forgot how to run. I ran on only 4 miles on Saturday and it took my body 2 days to recover! I am so out of shape. I did 3.3 miles last night. Recovery was fine but I was exhausted and slept like a log.

I plan to restart a workout routine and tracking my food.
Boot camp 3x a week starts on Monday. My association has a boot camp at each of the 3 gyms. One is so boring I hated it. The second one is mostly calisthenics with a little running in between sets. The third one I find to be running based. I like the third one most.

I hope everyone is still on track with workouts.

Originally posted by cassowary

I have 2 weeks until my triathlon... and I injured my knee. I feel absolutely cursed with injuries. And the pool (being the one activity I might be able to do right now) is closed for the next 2 weeks! Blah

Originally posted by AussieTurtle

Hi Turtles

The last 2 weeks have been pretty solid training wise with a lot of focus on gradually improving my running and fitness while nursing my knee. I bought a new pair of runners this week. I decided on Hoka which offer a lot of cushioning. So far so good as I've been able to run on consecutive days without pain.

It's been easier to get out and train as Spring approaches and the days aren't as cold.

Cass, Hope you get to finish your tri ok. Much better to complete the event than not start

Nancy, I'm starting to ramp up to prepare for Summer having just finished our off season. I must admit I've been envious of y'all (Is that correct Todd?) watching you train and compete over the last few months.

Rod

Originally posted by AussieTurtle

Hi Turtles,

I've had a quiet week, busy being a Husband / Father / Son. Sometimes life gets in the way of training.

What's everybody else been up to?

Rod

Originally posted by cassowary

I did a nice swim along the beach yesterday, and a short run the day before. Next weekend is my last sprint triathlon of the season and I think my injured knee will be good to go. Due to my injuries this season, my conditioning is not anywhere near where I expected to be. While an injury-free season would have been nice, I'm actually looking forward to the event this weekend with a great sense of relaxation because I'm not planning to set any personal records.

Quick reflection: It was almost exactly a year ago that I tried swimming a lap in the pool for the first time in my life, and after only 1/2 a lap I clung to the deep-end wall exasperated. At that time I was just curious what swimming laps felt like and I had no idea that I would become a triathlete. At that time I couldn't have fathomed how enjoyable swimming a 1,000 yards in the ocean could be. It has been a lot of work to get here, and I don't think I would have becomes a triathlete without Todd's help and the constant support of this group. So thanks again to everyone and keep up the training!