Gulf Coast Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 3)

haha I take so many supplements (mag included), my urine probably is worth more than its weight in gold. im hopeful that I can mount a comeback with the foot but the big goal is IMFL so if not GCT, I can do what I can and keep rolling the rehab along. hope you all are nailing some quality training sessions.

are we expected to be wetsuit legal?

I would say so.  It has not been that hot in Florida long enough to really heat up the water.  That is purely a guess on my part though.

I've done it about 5x over the years. Getting through the initial surf seems to be the toughest part. There are usually big rolling waves after that. Practicing your sighting is probably a good idea. There are boats out near the turns and markers were large.

The water is usually gorgeous and I love the swim. Swimming MOP in the Gulf is ideal. Beautiful water and nothing will be hungry any longer by the time it gets to me!!! : ) 

   Don't know the stats, but it seems to have been 50/50 on wetsuits. Water is still in the low to mod 60's here in Fort Walton.  If the weather trend continues, I suspect it will be legal.

haha
thanks for the heads up. for once it pays to be a slower swimmer!

from alltom1:

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Wow...I have 1mth to get ready for this race...I didn't do much of anything in March.  Now, I have some things behind me and I'll have time to focus on the race...plus, I'm single now and don't have to entertain anyone on the weekend.  Guess I'll be getting much closer to my bike and running shoes over the next 3 weeks...

Bring a shovel...you may be scraping me off the pavement...

sorry about that Vols. SOcks is right though!

ive got 5 miles running in the last month. i may hand my chip over after the bike. foot issues.

Bummer Vols.  On a good note, you still have time to get some easy consistent training in that will get you through it. Good therapy. It'll get you started on a good base for all the shorter races in the area. 

Thanks for the support!  Truly sucks and I will definitely take to the streets!  Ran last night as a matter of fact.  Cardio wise...no problem...got to get the legs use to miles again.  The hips weren't ready for the turnover.  I'm just looking to get out there and have a good time!!

Any plans on still trying to possibly meet up? 

I'm not sure what our plans are yet. We will be over on Fri night and plan to stay Saturday as well. The SO actually mentioned running Sunday morning. Not. He must think that I am way more fit then I am.  I told him I'd be happy to eat with him after his run!  I'll take up residence in the hot tub while he is out running.

Do any of you know if there is a rule of thumb on how many RPM you should change when you shift 1 cog in the back?  I'm having a heck of a time finding a comfortable place to spin in the wind.  Frustrating ride with a bunch of gusty wind for a good 20 miles. I felt like I was either mashing or spinning beyond my comfort zone. My cadence was changing 11 rpm when I shifted. That seems (and felt) like too much.   Thinking I need to change my rear cassette.

It'll be wetsuit legal.  Last year at the athletes mtg they hinted it probably won't be wetsuit legal (reading that night was warm)...there were so many moans that "surprise" they found some cold water in the am and it turned out to be wetsuit legal.  I think the cold water came from someones room.   The water was nice (temp), but the waves were pretty strong.

Be sure to hydrate.  That run can be brutal (hot). 

This is a great race getting ready for IMFL!  

Getting closer!  I got out and rode yesterday and many of you will be happy to know that 388 is smooth and fast.  They have completed the repaving and it is very nice.  We had a small sprint this weekend and the water wasn't that bad...hopefully, it will be cool enough for a wetsuit come May...I'll need the assistance of the suit...

Wow! A smooth 388. That is very cool. My old bod is just not as tolerant of rough roads as it used to be.

Hope the sprint was well attended and went smoothy.  I did a few of the sprints over there before they went belly up, and missed having them around last year. I would have liked to have done this one, but we had a half marathon over this way. I figured I use that as a training run.

Regarding my gearing post. I took a look at my gearing finally. I bought the bike on a bit of a whim last year as I got a very good deal on it used. I never really looked at the rear cog closely. It is an 11-23. So I obviously need to work on my cadence.

VolsFan. Its on! We will try to hook up with you as it gets closer. I think we are coming up THursday but I will check that.

Good news is I am back running. Nothing special but at least its something...

Good for you on the running!  Let me know what the plans are and I will try. We probably won't head over until lunch time on Friday so we can work part of the day. I'll have the squeeze and 2 teens in tow, so my schedule probably won't be very flexible : )

Vols...hows things? Getting some miles in?  

Did an ow swim today. Water was very comfortable with the suit on.

Long time lurker.....first time poster.  I am looking forward to my first Gulf Coast Tri next month.

I have a question for any veterans about the swim.  Will the swim course be set up prior to race day?  Are there opportunities for practice swims (either "official" or on your own) before race day?

I'll be coming in on Friday AM and would love a chance to swim at least part of the course since I haven't done an ocean swim before.

Any info would be much appreciated!

Last year they didn't put out the buoys until like 4 am on race morning. On Friday we just practice swam on our own.

In most years past, the buoys have been in place by Friday afternoon, IIRC. I didn't race GCT last year, tho..

You will definitely see a lot of folks going to and from the beach in their wetsuits on Friday, so you'd have plenty of company if you went for a swim.

I remember my first time at GCT; it was my second ever tri and first at anything remotely like 1.2mi. - Standing on the beach, those buoys looked like they went out into the Gulf forever. It was a little(lot) intimidating and I got started on the 'what am I doing here?' mind games...I am here to report that once the cannon goes off, and you're swimming like you've been doing in training, Gulf Coast/open water or not, everything works out just fine. Good luck with your training!

Thanks for the quick and helpful information.  I hope to be able to get in a little swimming on Friday.

It is definitely a little nerve-wracking making the move to an ocean swim for the first time, but I suppose (hopefully) that swimming is swimming!

 Remember that salt water is super bouyant. When you pair that with a wetsuit, you become a human cork! Makes for pretty easy swimming.

Just look at it as another training day, visualize positive outcomes, and get some good mantras going. We will do this thing and the worse thing that happens is you die trying (my buddy tri-ghost thinks thats the most noble death).