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Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon
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Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint
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 Swim
Comments: Could see the seaweed below me most of the way, and dozens of small jellyfish. Overheard someone say they weren't dangerous at all, but I avoided them all the same. Managed to swallow some seawater which made me gag a bit. I really only had to stop to catch my breath about 3 times I think, and then the swim was over. I had done it!! I knew that if I survived the swim, I would be able to finish. Felt dizzy standing up after the swim and walked up the ramp -- no way could I run. Plus the concrete and ashpalt really hurt my bare feet. No one else seemed bothered by it, though, so no doubt I just need to HTFU and build up some callouses. What would you do differently?: Nothing really. I was extremely nervous about doing this OWS, so I'm glad it went as well as it did.  Transition 1
Comments: This being my first ever T1, I just wanted to make sure I got everything covered. Was tough peeling the wetsuit off my ankles and feet, had to sit on my butt. No probs getting my shirt on, or socks on, though, or bike shoes and helmet. What would you do differently?: Just get more efficient at everything. Maybe using body glide would help me get the wetsuit off faster?  Bike
Comments: I didn't push super hard on the bike, since I knew I still had the 5k run. That said, I wish I had HR data, since I suspect I was in Z4 much of the time. I only passed one or two people, but got passed numerous times. What would you do differently?: Nothing, I was happy with the bike leg. Transition 2
Comments: Again, just wanted to make sure I covered it all, so I wasn't in a hurry. Really not much to do in T2 -- take off the helmet, and put on running shoes.  Run
Comments: Ok, the run is where I was most disappointed in myself. I knew I wouldn't be able to run the whole distance, but I was hoping to at least come close to my effort at the last 5K I did. That just wasn't to be. First off, I hadn't practiced any bricks recently, and my calves were very tight and crampy after the bike leg. They just did NOT want to run, LOL. And I just felt winded and couldn't keep a run going for more than a couple minutes before I had to walk. It also didn't help that I was one of the last ones out on the course. I watched the truck go by with race assistants picking up the traffic cones. And two darling little girls by the water station offered me some freshly plucked dandelions as I trudged by, since they thought I was the last runner. Bittersweet. What would you do differently?: Well, run, to put it bluntly. Post race
Warm down: Just walked and caught my breath and then found the rest of the gang, who had cheered me on at the finish line. Stopped by the sponsor's booth to pick up my goodie bag, since I didn't pick it up on Saturday. What limited your ability to perform faster: I've thought a lot about this, and really the run is the only thing I'm disappointed with. The swim I was just really happy to get through at all, and I actually did better there than I thought I would. And the bike is exactly what I expected it to be. But the run overshadowed both of those since I just couldn't do it. After a year of trying to become a runner (though admittedly, not always with sustained commitment), it's just really frustrating to still be where I'm at. Event comments: Even though I'm upset by the run, overall I'm very pleased with this race. Why? Well, for one simple reason -- if you had told me a year and a half ago that I'd be completing a triathlon, I'd have asked you to get your head examined. So to have come this far is really wonderful, and I'm quite proud of it. I've met so many cool people through this new hobby, and I'm so grateful. It's helped me adopt a much more positive outlook on life than what I had before. And as for the running.... well, I've decided to focus my efforts on just that, or mostly that, over the next few months. Jogging twice a week just isn't enough volume for me to improve. So I intend to get out at least 4 times per week and try to work through this hurdle -- a hurdle which is probably as much mental as it is physical, perhaps even more so. Profile Album Last updated: 2007-08-01 12:00 AM
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 2008-05-06 11:37 PM |
Pro  3932      Irvine, California |  Subject: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon |
| 2008-05-07 8:56 AM in reply to: #1386369 |
Extreme Veteran 393 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Hey, good job being out there and getting it done! The first tri is always a learning experience for everyone. Onwards and upwards! |
 2008-05-07 12:10 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2008-05-07 3:08 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Master 1281 Long Beach, CA | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Great job, Triathlete! I'm proud of ya! Despite the jellyfish, panic attacks, and hotel neighbor sex noises...sounds like you did a great job. Don't stress the run too much. It'll come. Just keep training. By the way, I know the OW panic feeling. You did a great job by overcoming it and swimming. Woo hoo! |
| 2008-05-08 10:41 AM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Member 33 Corona, CA | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Grats Keith! Don't beat yourself up about the run, you'll get it licked once you put your mind and body to it. |
| 2008-05-08 10:50 AM in reply to: #1386369 |
Champion 7546 Santa Cruz, California | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Good job Keith! This is your first one...keep on training and you will do nothing but improve on the run! way to get past the nerves in the OWS! Sounds like a successful race to me! kiu! |
| 2008-05-08 11:50 AM in reply to: #1389779 |
| Pro 3932 Irvine, California | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Thanks for all the encouragement, you all! Found out that Koz Enterprises (the race organization) incudes T1 and T2 in the bike segment time, so I just guesstimated each T to be 5 minutes, which might be way off. Now that I see my split times, I feel much better about how I did -- my run time was far better than I had expected. I think I convinced myself I did so poorly since I was out there alone at the end, and saw them picking up the cones. So much of triathlon is MENTAL, I'm discovering. |
| 2008-05-08 1:34 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Champion 5345 Carlsbad, California | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Awesome job out there Keith I discovered a few years ago at the Imperial Beach Tri that Koz typically does not split out T Times for some reason. The races are not USAT Sanctioned and so I guess they can do whatever they want to. (Swim Buddies are certainly a big bonus) |
| 2008-05-08 6:54 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Expert 709 | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Keith, congratulations on getting #1 under your belt. It sounds like you had a good experience and have already figured out what you'd like to focus on in the near future. That only means one thing, you'll be doing more. Great job. |
| 2008-05-11 12:12 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Master 1332 Vista, CA | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Nice report, Keith. Your attitude is GREAT! And, I'm glad you realize how far you've come. No more kicking yourself -- You ARE a triathlete. Not many people can say that -- wonder what the percentages are, in fact? Again, good to meet you out there. You're so right about the mental aspect of tris. You handled the swim beautifully. :-) |
| 2008-05-11 2:02 PM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon SUPER CONGRATULATIONS, TRIATHLETE! The Cherry has landed. Uh, popped. Uh ... you rock! See, so your times were fine after all. And about the running, sure, more helps, but lessee ... you've been running for a year, so are you running more now than you were a year ago? Hmmm? I thought so! Great accomplishment! And you PASSED someone on the bike? Sheeeeet ... I'm lucky if I do that NOW. |
| 2008-05-28 8:54 AM in reply to: #1386369 |
| Extreme Veteran 333 Bend, OR | Subject: RE: Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon Keith, congrats on getting your first Tri under your belt! It's always nerve racking on the first one since you're not quite sure what to expect. You finished and have now set a benchmark. You ready for #2?? Cheers! |
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United States
Koz Enterprises
70F / 21C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 586/600
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 44/44
My pre-race began the day before, since I drove down to spend the night in San Diego. (Didn't want to have to wake up at 3 am and drive down on race day.) Stayed at The Dana, an upscale motel right on Mission Bay, and very close to the race site. Stopped by the race site and checked out the swim course. They already had the buoys in place. I have to say, I felt nervous, but I also felt like I could do it, which calmed me down a bit. Once I got to the motel, I had planned to practice my transitions and then clean my bike and chain. Well, I got thru the transitions, but never got around to cleaning the bike or chain, LOL.
Tried to go to sleep around 10 pm, but was not very tired. Also, I was an unfortunate audience to a couple in the room next door who were very eager for each other's company. It was too funny for me to be that upset by it, LOL. Besides, it didn't keep up for very long... ;)
Woke up at 5 am, got dressed and had two WW english muffins with peanut butter. No coffee this time, since my nerves pretty much made any caffeine unnecessary.
Met up with Mike, Kelly, Matt, and Sherri at the race site. Set up my transition area, and walked down with the others to the boat launch. The water seemed pretty warm surprisingly. After yakking amongst ourselves, Matt and Mike headed back to the t-zone, and I decided to wait in line for the bathroom. Ended up taking forever, so much so that I was afraid I'd miss my swim wave. Threw on my wetsuit and gingerly walked over the scrappy concrete down to the boat-launch for the swim. It was a floating start, but just off shore. I got quite anxious as I floated there, and felt a panic attack coming on, but managed to calm my nerves by breathing slowly with my stomach, and relaxing my facial muscles.