Tri Rock Annapolis 2012 (Page 2)

Interesting, that was me a year ago. I had done a tri at a local community center, so it was a pool swim, then road courses, but Annapolis was my first OWS.

Last year I recall just going up to transition and walking in. So I walked down the street beside the academy this year, and I said goodbye to the family on that corner. Then I saw the line, so I had to walk to the beginning of it, which made it look even longer, and probably looked like I was some idiot who tried to cut the line and got turned away. Once in line, I said there's no way they start on time, but by golly they did. (I never say by golly.) I think that once they got down to the wire they stopped checking the bikes, I was just waved through along with everyone around me.

Checkin was nuts this year - made me glad I got there at 5:30! Doughboy - I saw you come down the finish line, you looked great! Congrats!

I think the changes from last year were mostly good... that bike course still has some room for improvement. I got passed in the "no pass" zone all 4 times I was in it. It would've been a great place for a volunteer and/or official. The first turn-around is still just a bit too tight of a turn when you have 8+ people coming to it all at once. 

Did anyone else notice the run course was a little short this year?

No doubt. With my size, I can pass people coming downhill, and I do. I'm not afraid to hammer it and tuck in and fly, since I know I'll be puffing on the next incline, and everyone will pass me again, but I make gains where I can. The one no-pass zone was right after the bridge decline (on the way back) and I was heading toward a cluster that looked like they were standing still, relative to my gravity rocket status. I was frustrated that I had to actually use my brakes and cut into the tiny advantage I had. I backed off and did not pass, then 3 people started passing in the zone, and then a woman drifted left who had no business passing (.0001 mph faster than the next person, but not enough to overtake them in 2 minutes) so yeah - it could be a clusterfark.

Now don't you say a word about a short run course. I have to believe it was 3.1 so I can claim a standalone 5k PR time from a tri! Yeah actually, I think it had to be short. My garmin was squirrely, so I don't have data to compare.

The run was *just* shy of a 5k. I was running slower this year due to having been sick the past 2.5 weeks, and my time wasn't that far off from last year (when the course was long!). The 2 mile marker was at 1.75 miles. That goofy lolli-pop thing before/after the turnaround wasn't as long as last year, and I think that's what caused it to be a little short. 

Honestly, the first loop, I didn't even notice where the no-pass zone was on the way out, so I may have been one of "those people". As soon as I saw the signs on the way back, I hit my brakes if I had to... even though it was annoying. It was definitely a safety thing. Ah well. All in all, much improved from last year!

I thought my split was too good to be true for the run!  That's frustrating.  The bike was still a little cramped in some areas I thought.  Overall I thought it was a well run race.  

I saw doughboys shirt when I was walking around at the awards.  I got a good chuckle.

Since I am too lazy to type it all out right now, I'll just leave this link right here.

I met TheClaaaw @ Tri-Rock  - very cool meeting you - sorry I did not chat longer, the beer tent was calling me.

What a great race, perfect weather. Hope to do it again next year.

For those that got stuck in line, sorry... and for those that read this thread and are on the fence about it next year, DONT BE. The line to get into transition was just a small bump in a very well run race and you can bet that it will not happen next year. TriRock puts on a good event and they took notice of any issues that happened and continue to make it better.

I've done the race both years and was VERY impressed with the improvements over 1st year. Still some room (not listing the transition opening time on the website for those of us who didn't make it down Friday night - yeesh!), but I was thrilled with the growth in participation and turn of support from the city. It's such a beautiful, scenic course, and I'll swear I saw a guy taking his bike off a boat in Ego Alley. Bands, volunteers, and even the crowd were great -- and I LOVED the new finish line chute.

And how about that fantastic swim - flat as glass, and the temp was great. The water didn't even taste that bad! My first co-ed wave, which was interesting; sorry to all you gents who I kicked and thrashed. Improved bike course was terrific, although I may've been one of those illegal passers - truly, I didnt even notice the signs or section.

Love whatever tri team wears the Maryland flag kits - heard a lot of "go crab" cheers, which were awesome.

Have a great rest of season all. Hope to be back to Annapolis in 2013

you know, the more I read this thread and think about the weekend, the more I am inclined to cheerlead for this race and series even more.

I am REALLY glad to hear that the course was dead on accurate. Then I really did run a 5K PR. Maybe not having a garmin on to convince me I was pushing beyond my limits was a GOOD thing.

I have never heard "ego alley" about the boat docks. That's awesome. When we went to packet pickup, I told my wife "I am certain that same guy was on the same boat drinking the same beers playing the same guitar at packet pickup last year."

It sounds to me like wearing a giant block letter DOUGHBOY shirt, you can't be missed. Now I feel like a blatant AW. But it's nice to see people from year to year in the tribe, so to speak. I train solo on country roads, but I am a social animal. I love to see people at events.

And yeah, the long line to check in was ultimately not a big deal, and I'm sure they'll figure it out next year.

The crowd and finish line was like a big time race, way more than last year. I think setup played a part, weather another, and having a significantly higher athlete registration than last year was another.

So did anyone see my kids with their signs? We know someone took a picture, but my wife didn't think to take one for us. Olivia had on a princess dress and a WORST PARADE EVER sign. Jack had on buzz lightyear wings and a WHERE'S MY CANDY? sign.

Here are some family photos from downtown Annapolis the night before, and race day. My son's sailor suit is a replica of my Dad's uniform from the 1960s. Patches from his ship are going on for a 4th of July parade they'll walk in together this summer. 

I had really bad luck with weather and races last year. I had signed up for one in Ocean City in August - it got postponed once because of flooding and then ultimately cancelled again due to lightning.  That was to be an OWS swim in the ocean, and my first tri.  Then I had another one that was an outdoor race but a pool swim that got postponed and changed to a duathlon because of hurricane Irene.  So I did a full-on indoor race (for time instead of distance) in November because there were no other outdoor tris in my area that I was able to do and I wanted to do one so badly after all the training I had put in.  Finally, the weather cooperated and we really did have a beautiful day for Annapolis!

Did you think I said I was in a black WETsuit and running hat?  I was trying to figure out how a trisuit and running hat was "doing it wrong" LOL.  I did yell out "Hey, Doughboy!" when I saw you, but you looked pretty intense there being fairly close to the end...   Congrats on your race!

OK, color me idiotic. Yes, I read wetsuit when I saw Orca. I associate that name only with wetsuits for some reason, and wondered what type there was besides boring black, besides the occasional blue.

Glad we cleared that up - my attempt at cleverness was an epic fail.

Sorry about your crazy scheduling issues for 2011. See you at Dewey this fall. Be warned though, that 1/2 mile swim in the surf is nothing to play around with. Very very different than a dead calm swim like Saturday.

And I ALWAYS look intense. It's the bald head and sunglasses.