Ernesto's group (4th season) - Closed (Page 79)

Scott good times in spite of your difficult week. I look forward to your report and I have the same questions as Mitch. 3D was predicting a fast bike. I have not been on the Island since I was stationed there in the 90's. I wish I could have joined you, but kid stuff dominated my weekend.

The two transitions weren't as big a deal as I feared they would be.  Just different.  The headache came after the race in finding the gear bags. The race volunteers brought the bags up from the beach and put them in a big pile near T2 but they made everyone wait until the run course was almost cleared before they would let anyone grab the swim bags.  Made for long lines, then we had to wait in line again to get bikes out of T2 and turn in the timing chips.  I know they need to keep transition areas clear for people still on the course, but there has to be a better way to retrieve gear down there. The current was a bit of a help for part of the swim, but of course it was also a hindrance for part of the swim.  Pretty much nullified any advantage in getting a strong time. (at least in my opinion) The water was very shallow for a good portion and the weeds were very thick.  Got tangled up pretty bad a couple of times.  The wind was not a factor on the course because there was almost no wind to speak of.  The air was barely moving around the edge of the island for the bike course and was stifling in the interior for the run. Lots of walkers due to the heat. Because of the mess on the island from the Grand Prix, they changed the run course and we did not run on the trail.  In fact part of the run was pretty messed up as far as broken concrete and such.  It was well marked, but if you weren't paying attention to where you were putting your feet, the potential was there for a turned ankle or trip and fall. All in all, not very impressed with the overall state of the island. There was a very strong odor of garbage and dead fish for a good portion of the bike, the grounds are in really rough shape and a lot of the buildings look like they have been through a war. Such a shame since it used to be such a beautiful place. Once again the City of Detroit has let us down.

Its sad, the Island was so beautiful in the 70's and 80's, and started to fall apart in the 90's. I guess it is just a side effect of a city going from 1.6 million people to just over 700,000. I saw it was #2 nationally behind Flint for Violent crimes.

On a side note. I am considering doing either the sprint in Saginaw mid July or the oly in Caseville depending on kids schedule. Interested in either?

Good race for me. Definitely the toughest course, conditions, and the most competitive (and largest) field I have done. Time 1:25'06". 5/8 on my category (decided to sign up for "Clydesdale 185lbs+ 40 years and older as it was a smaller category and thus a smaller swim wave). There were a few factors that affected my performance, but not much I could have done for most of them (I will bold them as I describe each leg). This race marks my (hopefully definite) move up from BOP to MOP racer. Full report to follow in a couple of days, but for now:

Swim:

Objective: Stay with the pack and finish in better shape (I feel previous races that I finished the swim so winded that it affected the rest of the race).

First swim in the ocean (actually in a bay, the first two races were in lakes), and the wind generated nice waves, not so good for a point-to-point swim parallel to shore. That made for a tougher than normal swim (Factor 1). Good news: I was able to stay with the pack. Bad news: this resulted in me getting pommeled and swam over a few time, although ironically this made me feel like I was in a real triathlon this time. Finished in fairly good shape, which was great, but that got cancelled by...

Transition 1:

Overall my transitions are horrible (more about this in T2 description). But after the swim, we had to do a 1/3 mile run in loose sand to get to the transition area (Factor 2). By the time I got there I was ready to collapse or take a nap (I though napping was the second of the three sports, but was told otherwise by a volunteer). This negated any benefit from finishing the swim in better shape than before.

Bike:

Objective: avg 19 mph on the straightaways.

Overall happy with my bike. I was avg. higher speeds than before and feeling like I was doing less effort...until...Holly Climb Batman! The bridge (nicknamed the "monster" by local riders) (factor 3). I know complaining about a bridge to a group of athletes that ride in Colorado is pitiful, but this being FL I don't have anywhere near me to practice going uphill. I actually did great on the climb, and going downhill at 30+ mph was amazing...until...Holly U-turn, Batman! 200 yrds after the bridge, U-turn and head back uphill again. This time it was much MUCH harder (also against a 10-15 mph wind). Feel that the effort took a lot out of me. The head wind for the rest of the ride forced me to promise my legs that next race I will be sporting aerobars (first time that I think it would have made a difference).

Transition 2:

Let just say that the guy that finished 4th on my age group beat me by 20 seconds, and was better at T2 than me by a full minute. Need to stop thinking of transitions as opportunities to catch my breath. Had the slowest T1 and T2  in my category.

Run:

Wanted to keep a 9:20 pace.

Was complaining about weather in my previous two races (rainy and windy). Be careful what you wish for. 84 degrees, sunny, hot and 84% humidity (factor 4). So if water is 100% humidity, 84% is what? Kind of happy and slightly disappointed with my run.  I knew it was going to be a hard one as soon as it started. Was able to keep my 1st mile at 9:30 and then at the end of the 2nd one I saw my garmin and told me (with a frowny face) that my pace for it was 10:30. I decided to push and finished the last 1.1 miles in just under a 9:20 pace. Finished ready to throw up, which told me I learn how to push myself. This was my first time that I felt like I pushed as hard as I could (learning to race, I guess). And yet, disappointed at that 2nd mile. Specially when I learned that the 4th place guy beat me by 20 seconds (podium was more than 5 minutes faster - so no chance there).

Overall very happy. This race is known to be one of the most competitive short distance tris in the area, and yet I moved from a BOP to a MOP in all disciplines (even better if you take away transitions out of the equation). Next race might be an Olympic distance; definitely first priority will be to practice transitions. Feel like I am leaving a couple of easy minutes in there.

Funny you mentioned this. My run was next to the beach (beautiful set up), but had areas of broken concrete. Around mile 2.1 I actually trip and saw myself doing a face plant. I still have no clue how I stayed up-right, a few muscles in my back were screaming after I saved it (thankfully not for long) - and the best part is that as soon as it happened I hear from behind "Holly Sh*t, Nice Save!".

Wow - you're making me question signing up for the race there in September!

I'm not too sure I'll race there again until things are really cleaned up.  Maybe things would have been better (for the run) if we'd had access to the entire island.  Not sure what they could do about the smell until they clean up the interior lakes.  Sadly, I think it's going to take privatization and millions of dollars to rehab the facilities there to make it what it once was.

ernestov - 2012-06-18 3:53 PM Just had a moment of insanity an pulled the trigger for Ironman Lake Tahoe, the highest altitude IM in the world, with over 10k feet o climbing on the bike. September 22nd, 2013.

I saw the race announcement - definitely looks like a cool race.

ernestov - 2012-06-18 3:53 PM Just had a moment of insanity an pulled the trigger for Ironman Lake Tahoe, the highest altitude IM in the world, with over 10k feet o climbing on the bike. September 22nd, 2013.

You're a mad man!  I'm jealous just a little.

ernestov - 2012-06-18 2:53 PM Just had a moment of insanity an pulled the trigger for Ironman Lake Tahoe, the highest altitude IM in the world, with over 10k feet o climbing on the bike. September 22nd, 2013.

Ernesto, I am jealous Tahoe is such a great location for an ironman.

Catching up on everything after slightly falling off the planet for the last week.  Weight on Sunday looks like it's going the wrong way, but it's pretty much stable.  Just not going down...

Training for the last week has been pretty swim focused/non-existent.  I was on night shift and coped much worse than usual. I had some shifts changed because of the Olympic Torch passing through our area, which didn't help. On the positive side we got to see the olympic torch on Saturday, which was kind of cool, if a little anti-climactic.

- Gabe : S 7 / B 9 / R 10/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 26; 23:02'00"
- Jim:S 6/B 10/87 / Rest Days 2: Total=24; 22:03':37"
- Chris : S 5/ B 7/ R 7/ Rest Days 4; Total = 19; 19:50:02"
- Barry : S 6 / B 5 / R 10/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 20 ; 18:09:02
- Jackie: S 7 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 3: Total = 18; 14:28'57"
- Scott: S:5 / B 6 / R 12/ Rest days 3; Total = 21;
- Jennie P : S 4/ B 2/ R 8/ Rest Days 4; Total = 17 : 14:02'06"
- MatthewS: S 7 / B 6 / R 2/ Rest Days 3 ; Total = 15; 10:12'00"
- Rachel : S 7 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 7; Total =14; 25:02'27"
- Mike: S 3 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 2: Total =14: 15:44'15"
- Scott P : S 5/B 3/R 7/ Rest days 4; Total = 14; 10:51'57"
- MarkZ : S 1 / B 5 / R 7/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 14; 19:21':00"
- Andy : S 4 / B 1 / R 7 / Rest Days 1; Total = 12; 12:53':37"
- JoeP : S 3 / B 6 / R 3/ Rest Day 4; Total = 13; 15:22:56"
- Ernesto : S 3 / B 5 / R 4/ Rest Days 6; Total = 12 ; 13:21'58"
- Samyg: S 2 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 5; Total = 9; 8:15'49
- MarkH: S 3 / B 3 / R 3 / Rest Days 0; Total = 9 ; 6:59'00"
- Mitch : S 2 / B 4 / R 1 / Rest Days 10 ; Total = 7; 7:17':33

Congratulations to everyone who has been racing lately.  Sounds like some more great performances.  I look forward to reading even more race reports.

Scott and Jackie, I'm really sorry for your bad news.

I finally joined the Garmin 910XT group this weekend.  It was my birthday present from Kevin, but just took a bit of time to actually get it.  I was really excited that my first opportunity to use it was the Epic swim I did on Sunday.  It was my first ever open water swim at full IM distance, and I was really pleased with the time (1hr 17min 25sec was the official time).  It was also great having the data to look at afterwards (apparently I actually swam 4k - not sure if the course was long or my bad sighting...).  Unfortunately I also used the new Garmin for a bike ride on Sunday evening, during which it decided to turn itself off twice.  I assume noone else has had that problem?

Ernesto - that's a mad decision, but Lake Tahoe is beautiful, and I'm sure it'll be fantastic.

45 min swim last night.

- Gabe : S 7 / B 9 / R 10/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 26; 23:02'00"
- Jim:S 6/B 10/87 / Rest Days 2: Total=24; 22:03':37"
- Chris : S 5/ B 7/ R 7/ Rest Days 4; Total = 19; 19:50:02"
- Barry : S 6 / B 5 / R 10/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 20 ; 18:09:02
- Jackie: S 7 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 3: Total = 18; 14:28'57"
- Scott: S:5 / B 6 / R 12/ Rest days 3; Total = 21;
- Jennie P : S 4/ B 2/ R 8/ Rest Days 4; Total = 17 : 14:02'06"
- MatthewS: S 8 / B 6 / R 2/ Rest Days 3 ; Total = 16; 10:57'00"
- Rachel : S 7 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 7; Total =14; 25:02'27"
- Mike: S 3 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 2: Total =14: 15:44'15"
- Scott P : S 5/B 3/R 7/ Rest days 4; Total = 14; 10:51'57"
- MarkZ : S 1 / B 5 / R 7/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 14; 19:21':00"
- Andy : S 4 / B 1 / R 7 / Rest Days 1; Total = 12; 12:53':37"
- JoeP : S 3 / B 6 / R 3/ Rest Day 4; Total = 13; 15:22:56"
- Ernesto : S 3 / B 5 / R 4/ Rest Days 6; Total = 12 ; 13:21'58"
- Samyg: S 2 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 5; Total = 9; 8:15'49
- MarkH: S 3 / B 3 / R 3 / Rest Days 0; Total = 9 ; 6:59'00"
- Mitch : S 2 / B 4 / R 1 / Rest Days 10 ; Total = 7; 7:17':33

Today rest day. Yesterday only counting the bike portion, as both swim and run were under 30 min. Run was 29:30, have I known I would have gone 30 secs slower for my point

- Gabe : S 7 / B 9 / R 10/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 26; 23:02'00"
- Jim:S 6/B 10/87 / Rest Days 2: Total=24; 22:03':37"
- Chris : S 5/ B 7/ R 7/ Rest Days 4; Total = 19; 19:50:02"
- Barry : S 6 / B 5 / R 10/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 20 ; 18:09:02
- Jackie: S 7 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 3: Total = 18; 14:28'57"
- Scott: S:5 / B 6 / R 12/ Rest days 3; Total = 21;
- Jennie P : S 4/ B 2/ R 8/ Rest Days 4; Total = 17 : 14:02'06"
- MatthewS: S 8 / B 6 / R 2/ Rest Days 3 ; Total = 16; 10:57'00"
- Rachel : S 7 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 7; Total =14; 25:02'27"
- Mike: S 3 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 2: Total =14: 15:44'15"
- Scott P : S 5/B 3/R 7/ Rest days 4; Total = 14; 10:51'57"
- MarkZ : S 1 / B 5 / R 7/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 14; 19:21':00"
- Andy : S 4 / B 1 / R 7 / Rest Days 1; Total = 12; 12:53':37"
- JoeP : S 3 / B 6 / R 3/ Rest Day 4; Total = 13; 15:22:56"
- Ernesto : S 3 / B 5 / R 4/ Rest Days 6; Total = 12 ; 13:21'58"
- Samyg: S 2 / B 4 / R 4 / Rest Days 6; Total = 10; 8:50'23
- MarkH: S 3 / B 3 / R 3 / Rest Days 0; Total = 9 ; 6:59'00"
- Mitch : S 2 / B 4 / R 1 / Rest Days 10 ; Total = 7; 7:17':33

Squeezed in a 30ish minute ride pulling my 2 year old...took it easier as my legs were a bit tired from the weekend rides.

- Gabe : S 7 / B 9 / R 10/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 26; 23:02'00" 
- Jim:S 6/B 10/87 / Rest Days 2: Total=24; 22:03':37" 
- Chris : S 5/ B 7/ R 7/ Rest Days 4; Total = 19; 19:50:02" 
- Barry : S 6 / B 5 / R 10/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 20 ; 18:09:02 
- Jackie: S 7 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 3: Total = 18; 14:28'57" 
- Scott: S:5 / B 6 / R 12/ Rest days 3; Total = 21; 
- Jennie P : S 4/ B 2/ R 8/ Rest Days 4; Total = 17 : 14:02'06"
- MatthewS: S 8 / B 6 / R 2/ Rest Days 3 ; Total = 16; 10:57'00" 
- Rachel : S 7 / B 3 / R 4 / Rest Days 7; Total =14; 25:02'27" 
- Mike: S 3 / B 5 / R 6 / Rest Days 2: Total =14: 15:44'15" 
- Scott P : S 5/B 3/R 7/ Rest days 4; Total = 14; 10:51'57" 
- MarkZ : S 1 / B 5 / R 7/ Rest Days 2 ; Total = 14; 19:21':00" 
- Andy : S 4 / B 1 / R 7 / Rest Days 1; Total = 12; 12:53':37" 
- JoeP : S 3 / B 6 / R 3/ Rest Day 4; Total = 13; 15:22:56" 
- Ernesto : S 3 / B 5 / R 4/ Rest Days 6; Total = 12 ; 13:21'58" 
- Samyg: S 2 / B 4 / R 4 / Rest Days 6; Total = 10; 8:50'23 
- MarkH: S 3 / B 3 / R 3 / Rest Days 0; Total = 9 ; 6:59'00" 
- Mitch : S 2 / B 5 / R 1 / Rest Days 10 ; Total = 8; 7:49':04