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West Point Lake Triathlon
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West Point Lake Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic
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 Swim
Comments: I went out slow and did breathing every 3. I caught up with folks pretty quickly and passed about 5 or so folks. I took a better line than most of the folks for the first 600m or so. I made the turn towards the 200m leg and swam right over some woman going slowly around the bouy by mistake. We all had to stand for the first shallows. I jogged across and dove back into the water. I felt very good now and the prerace jitters were going away. Per my stategy, I swan within myself and kept percieved effort at moderate to moderate easy. The last 500m I started passing a bunch of folks. They all stood up in the shallows and I kept swimming. I altered my stroke to delve less into the water and kicked more to keep my feet from sinking. I usually delve to the 3:30 position in the water to counterbalance my rump. This worked great and I passed a few more people as they waded. What would you do differently?: I can be faster in the water with the same amount of work. I was trying to save for my other two events. Once my run improves more I won't need to keep so much in the tank after the swim and I can put more effort into the swim. I think I can be a 1:45 swimmer eventually. For my first Oly, this was great and I was very happy with this leg. A slight ego boost, I got out of the water and ran up the ramp to T1. A nice young cutie thought I didn't hear her but she said 'I wish I cou;ld have that one!' Not sure what she meant, but I'll take that to mean my bod even if it's just the swim time. sorry lady, my wife has been to every race and is a babe! (Thanks to Erin my VERY supportive wife and hot babe!  Transition 1
Comments: I have to get these from the official results. I took my time as this was my first Oly. It was at least in part what had me miss 3:00 for my total time. What would you do differently?: Beh. I would go faster. I was enjoying the race and taking my time. We'll worry about transition times once the run is not the major factor for lame time.  Bike
Comments: Ok, I haven't been able to ride during my taper week, but overall I'm happy with this as my first Oly performance. I tried to stay comfortable. Whe I left T1, there were not many bikes off the second row of racks and I felt pretty good. As the race went on I was passed, and passed and passed. WTF? isn't 18mph ok? I started to get pissed off about it, but then I talked with Mjolnir, my bike, and he and I calmed each other down. I started to say to myself, 'ride your race, Steve, ride your race'. I knew if I felt comfotable on the bike, I would have more left for the run. So I calmed down and then started feeling really good. The nutrition was too much! I ate all my Clif blocks and drank a bottle of water. I felt soooooooo full at the turn. I tried the clif bar I had in my nutrition plan and it was soooooo dry. I looked like Tom hanks in Big with the caviar. I had to chuck the rest and tucked my wrapper under the leg of my trisuit (no pockets! bad purchase. damn you all3 sports!). The back end of the ride was down hill and i began to feel better. My legs had warmed up and my Clydesdale rolling down hill was paying heavy (pun intended) returns. I passed 7 (yes i counted) people. One passed me again in the last 50 m before transition because he went too fast despite being warned by race folks. In the last 1/4 of the bike leg, I knew I was goin gto finish the race and it felt great. I started talking to my bike again, out loud, to help me keep my pace. 'You are Mjolnir, hammer of Thor, that makes me Thor, and Thos would be an asskicking triathlete. Let's go Mjolnir!" p.s. It's nice to pass Felt B2s and Cervelo P3C on my Trek 1200. It makes me want to keep it even though I'm thinking of buying a Felt B2 soon. Go Mjolnir! What would you do differently?: Well, I hate to make an excuse, but this shin injury has heald me back some. I was also worried about the run too much to push harder than this. Still 18 mph aint so bad for my first Oly in my first season. Transition 2
Comments: I jogged to the rack but once again I took my time. What would you do differently?: Care more about my transition time in my first Oly. Not gonna happen. I'll work on it at Tugaloo.  Run
Comments: Ok, before I write this, let me tell yall that I haven't been able to do anything except elliptical and water jogging for two week hoping and praying my left shin splint would go away. To be fair, it didn't limit me for the race as far as pain, but my running endurance was crap. The other issue was that I forgot my watch and it's replacement, so I was running completely by feel. I would have run ten minute miles if I knew I could beat 3 hours, I know I would have! I'm so angry at myself as normally I would be obsessed about having all my equipment. We went to all3sports yesterday and I was going to buy a Garmin 305, but Erin said that would be a great x-mas gift. So that put a monkey wrench in the plan. So, I ran blind, without a watch. And it hurt, oh man it hurt. Not enough training you fool! Passed passed passed passed. Lame. Mile 3-5 were the only that felt any good. By mile three my shoes were filled with the water I was dumping over my head and every step was squish. It struck me as funny so I started counting squish noises to keep me going. Finally at mile 5 a hot chick ran in front of me who ....let just say she was worth following. I stuck with her until 5.5 and she must have wanted to get away from her stalker. She turned on the afterburners and I couldn't keep up. Soon a clydesdale came up behind me and patted ME on the back (Karma) I ran with him for a bit and then he took off. Finally wee turned the last corner and a 40 year old dude passed me. I coul dhear the crowd and I got pumped up . I stared at this guys calf and kept up his pace. I was not going to get passed anymore! Enough already! One of the crowd saw me behind him and said, 'don't let him pass you!' I turned on the afterburners and beat him by a fair bit. What would you do differently?: Watch. Watch. Watch. Garmin. Train more, train more and hmmmm train more. Running is by FAR my rate limiting step as a triathlete. The winning Clydesdale time was a crazy 2:22. If I want times like that we need swim 25, bike 1:10, run 48. That is sooo doable in my lifetime. I just need to learn how to love running and not become injured while training for it. While I'm happy I finished just over 3 hours, I could have easily broken 3 hours. I enjoyed the race, but I wish I had not looked at the times. I also wish my competition was a little less buff. Eat some ring dings will you! Post race
Warm down: Walk around. I felt a little sick and weak. No appetite. No thirst. I had some oranges and a cookie. I hugged my son and wife. too tires to ride or walk around. What limited your ability to perform faster: The run was soooo bad. Event comments: Well, I learned a lot about racing this time. I learned more about my ability to push myself. I'm a good swimmer, OK cyclist and a lousy runner. I need to be more systematic about my training and more patient. In a few days I'll be satisfied with my performance. I should have realized that the Oly folks would be a bit more fit and that this would be a greater challenge. I can do this distance. I can do a HIM if I put in the work. I'm ready to do it. Last updated: 2006-07-09 12:00 AM
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 2006-07-23 1:21 PM |
Elite  2552    Evans, GA |  Subject: West Point Lake Triathlon |
| 2006-07-23 2:35 PM in reply to: #490346 |
| Member 50 Memphis | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Great job, man! Awesome swim time! I did the race today as well and I can't touch that swim time. Keep up the work in the other areas and you'll be at the front of the pack. I agree with you that everyone seemed ultra-fit at this event. I commented to my wife that I don't recall most of my other tri's (all 3 of them) having such fit participants. On the positive side this just made me compete harder. We lucked out on the overcast skies and cooler temps. Keep up the work on the run! |
| 2006-07-23 4:32 PM in reply to: #490346 |
Veteran 125 Joplin, MO | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon GREAT race! I wish I could swim in OW like that...your swim time was 10 MINUTES faster than mine. I LOVED your race report. I did the race today as well. I had the same observation about the competition. I was expecting more participants and WAY more diversity in performance level. And 18 mph on the bike for that distance is awesome. I don't know where all these 20+ mph people came from. |
| 2006-07-24 8:48 AM in reply to: #490346 |
Pro 3705 Vestavia Hills | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon GREAT job! -- particulary the swim split ... nothing you can do about the water level (been a particularly dry summer), but even with the sand/mud bars you posted a great time. Feeling unfit at the TT start line? Aw fergitaboutit -- you are a doctor + you know what this is doing for your body, for your health. So you may have goals that you haven't reached yet ... what you have accomplished over the past months is awesome. Speaking of which, as someone learned in the art of human physiology you know that it takes time to develop your aerobic engine, especially as it relates to developing the oxygen delivery system to the muscles (see: http://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/resources/educational-resources/exphys/00/vosmax.cfm) ... so don't sweat the run just yet - especially since you are just coming off an injury. Congrats on a great race, solid times for an Oly -- rock solid for your first! |
| 2006-07-24 9:13 AM in reply to: #490346 |
Master 1404 Atlanta, Ga | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Good race. My first Oly was at WPL last year. I come from a running background and still had a difficult run. That will change in time, just be sure to keep working at it. Good race report. Shows you put a lot of thought into your events. That's one of the best things about triathlon: It's a very mental sport. Also, each race is seemingly just an audition for the next. |
| 2006-07-24 9:19 AM in reply to: #490346 |
Veteran 199 Smyrna | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Great job out there yesterday. I'll completely agree that the competition that attended this year was FIERCE. This was my second year racing and it has been an interesting race each time. Those shallow parts on the swim completely flipped me out (though I was one to stand up and walk in the 2 spots). Running over the dam is one of the biggest mental challenges for me to overcome at this venue. You just have to tell yourself to keep going one mile at a time. Nice performance yesterday and great way to push yourself through it. You will only improve from here forward. Good luck training for your next! |
| 2006-07-24 11:12 AM in reply to: #490346 |
The Original 7834 Raleigh/Durham | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Steve- great race! Don't beat yourself up over your times- this was your first olympic ever. And the more races you do the more you'll learn what you need to focus on to get stronger. Each race is practice and a is a learning experience for the next one to come. Hopefully your shins will get better so they won't cause you pain in your upcoming races. Way to tough it out through the run considering you haven't been able to run much for this tri. Remember: It just takes time and you'll get there. This is a competitive sport and everyone is on different levels. Remember that comparing yourself to others is only going to bring you down. Do your best and be proud that you're even out there. You're doing more than the average American is doing and that's something to be proud of. You've come a long way and you will get better with time if you train smart! Congrats and good luck to many more races! |
| 2006-07-24 12:09 PM in reply to: #490346 |
Veteran 225 Dothan, Alabama | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Great race and report. You have your first oly done. From your report it sounds like you learned a lot. Thanks for sharing. I can really identify with passing those nice tri-bikes on the Trek. Its a cool feeling. (Doesn't make me want one much less though.) Imagine how much faster you'll be on that B2. Congrats Doc! Keep up the good work. |
| 2006-07-25 7:37 AM in reply to: #490346 |
Extreme Veteran 363 Georgia | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon congratulations! Who cares about time, it was your first oly and you did great! Be proud. |
| 2006-07-28 10:16 PM in reply to: #490346 |
Elite 2552 Evans, GA | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon I was on vacation and missed all this great feedback until today. I appreciate all the kind words. I'm happier with my accomplishment now that I have had a chance to put it into perspective. I'm ready to get back to work! |
| 2006-07-29 11:51 AM in reply to: #490346 |
Regular 88 Newton, MA | Subject: RE: West Point Lake Triathlon Great race my man. I think you did a great job considering your injury. I was worried about you finishing this one because of it and having to back off the running so much, but you pulled through. Congrats! |
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Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 11/12
The night before I was having heavy doubts, so I tried to image the race. I did so as I fell asleep and first thing when I woke up. I woke up over 1/2 hour at my in-laws house at 5:45. Took a shower. I ate a bagel with peanut butter and two granola bars, double espresso canned by Starbucks. Drove the five minutes to the race. Walked the 400m to the start and set up my transition. I immediately noted that these folks were a lot more fit than the sprints I had run. I should have expected that.
I set up transition and it was pretty crowded. I realized I had left my watch and bike food box at home. I duct taped the gu and Clif bar to the bike and placed the Clif blocks on the top tube.
Man, they did not allow much time to warm up. I had serious butterflies and I jumped in the water for 250-300m swim. I only got 200m in before they called us out of the water.
We then stood in line as there was a seeded start. I stretched lightly in line and socialized. I started the swim filled with a lot of self doubt and I felt fat. Just being honest folks.