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Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance
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Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint
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 Swim
Comments: My plan for the swim was to start on the outside, take things nice and easy and just let my natural swim stroke take me to a good time. I had very little swim training leading up to the event because of some injury problems. I had exactly 1 open water swim this year and not many pool swims either. This lack of training showed up very fast. Even though I was trying to take it easy and relaxed, my breathing got out of control very fast. The course was very shallow, and I actually stood up a few times to breath and move forward dolphining. Lots of people were dolphining. Such as it was. When going out to the first buoy, I did find myself drifting to the right some. I was forgetting to use the sun to help navigate, something that I suggested to Jackie and Kameron before the race. Once I started doing this, I kept on a better line. When I got to the first buoy, I was breathing very, very hard. I stayed fairly wide, around the large number of people. I was so out of breath that I side-stroked between the two buoys. I can actually side stroke fairly quickly and was able to keep up with the other swimmers doing freestyle. I rounded the second buoy and turned toward the shore. I was a bit more settled after some side-stroke, but still breathing very very hard. I abandoned my typical 3-stroke breathing and went to a 2 stroke pattern. After not too long, we got close enough to dolphin again. I tried to keep swimming, keeping my 2 stroke pattern going. I did dolphin some too. Eventually, I got close enough to the shore that my hand touched bottom on the swim stroke. That was my clue to get up and run. For whatever reason, people were walking here, going very slowly. I went around and past several. On the way to transition, I passed a few more people. I also was successful getting out of the top of my wetsuit. I felt very slow and very out of shape on this swim. I was very surprised at my overall placement. There were lots of others around me the whole swim. I somehow ended up with the 44th fastest swim time. No clue how I did so well relative to the field. It was a struggle from the very start. What would you do differently?: Its really hard to say. I thought I had a good plan, but my body just did not want to follow it. Sure, I'd love to say train more, but thats not realistic given my injuries. Hopefully next year I'll be in better swim shape and actually stay calm.  Transition 1
Comments: I had a very good T1, placing 44th fastest overall. I got out of the top of my wetsuit on the run from the water to the TA and found my spot quickly. I sat down and pulled off my wetsuit. While sitting, I toweled off my feet, also removing the grime from the run to TA. Socks and shoes went on easily. I then stood up, put on my sunglasses and helmet. I had a touch of trouble buckling the chinstrap. I grabbed the bike and ran well to the exit. I had a couple of second delay getting my shoes clicked into my bike. Nothing major though. What would you do differently?: Not much. Overall went very well, especially considering I had not done a transition in about 15 months and didnt really practice it either. One thought I did have though, is to pre-buckle my helmet and slide the chin strap on. Might save a second or two.  Bike
Comments: I PR'd my bike by about 1mph. So I have to be pleased with that. I finished 48th overall, a strong placing. Out of the gate, I passed a number of people. I have no idea how many were in my agegroup. I was surprised there were so many people given my relative placings in the swim and T1. I did get passed by a few too, but not close to as many as I passed. I moved along at about 23mph through to the hill. I felt pretty good. My HR was perhaps a touch high, but not bad. We turned up the hill. I'm normally a pretty decent climber and I passed more people here. A couple passed me as well. I was working pretty hard and was definitely anaerobic. The sprint course turned off to the right and the oly course went straight. It was a rather rough road that we turned onto. Not pothole rough, but very splotchy pavement. At one point, I tried drinking some gatorade. As I was puting the bottle back into the holster, it slipped. Bye bye gatorade. Had I been in a longer race, I might have gone back for it. But in only a sprint, I didnt bother. I eventually got myself into a good rythem. I was maintaining 20-23 mph for the flat portions. I checked my HR a few times and saw that I was in the 115 range, below my aerobic threshhold. I've often raced at about 130 on the bike. Why I didn't go harder, I'm not sure. Probably a result of the very stressful swim. Not quite sure. Overall, I feel like I left time on this bike course. How much, I'm not sure. Yes, I PRed by about 1mph on average. But I could have reasonably gone faster. What would you do differently?: Give a greater effort. I was biking below my aerobic threshold for too much of the ride. Transition 2
Comments: The start of my T2 was very good. Got the bike racked well, helmet off fine and shoes swapped fairly quickly. These essential functions went very well. For whatever reason, I decided to go into my bag for some gatorade. I needed those calories, right? In an oly I would have but probably not a sprint. That wasted some time. I also saw that I had made a mess in T1. My wetsuit was strewn on the ground, towels were not on my spot, etc. So I picked up my wetsuit and put it on the fence. Moved a couple other things. More wasted time. Placed 164 overall in T1 time. What would you do differently?: See above.  Run
Comments: My hamstrings were both very sore getting off the bike. But they settled down by the time I exited the transition area. My plan was to focus on cadence and form. Go at a nice, steady pace for the first 2 miles, pick it up for the next half mile, then continue to increase pace to the finish line. Coming out of transition, my HR went high quickly. I slowed down a touch and got back under control. As I crossed the road to go to the path area, I heard my wife call me. It was nice to see her. Shortly after entering the path area, a guy passed me and said to me and the guy in fron to me, "Pick it up, boys! You gotta move faster than that!" My response was, "Hey! I'm a swimmer, not a runner!" Anyway, he was one of many, many people who wizzed by me during the run. I knew that was going to be the case going in. It is frustrating to have person after person do that, but thats the way it is. I have to run my own race. My HR was in the mid-140's for much of the run. This is anaerobic for me and was a fairly good pace for a race like this. Coming out of the pathway area, I saw my wife again. I also heard someone else call my name and cheer me on. I could not make out their face as they were partially behind a tree. I found out later that it was my friend Dana. She was in the masters group a couple of years ago and I bump into her periodically at events like these. I also heard a cheer when I was approaching the Hess station. It was Jamjam and it was great to get more cheers! The run was fine going out towards 5 & 20 and back to the pier. I was working fairly hard, but was in control. Had I known the course better, I probably would have started picking up my pace coming back down the pier. I did not have mile markers to gauge how much was left, so I didn't pick up my pace here. Really, it wasnt until I passed the Kershaw park building that I picked up the pace. For pretty much the entire run, there was a guy maybe 10-30 yards ahead of me. I was surprised that he didn't pull away too, but he didn't. Well, I closed on him after picking up the pace, and passed him in the shute towards the finish. It felt good to actualy pass someone on the run! Overall, I had a decent run. I felt I left some time on the course by not picking up the pace earlier. Again, not knowing the course well and not having mile markers led me to be conservative regarding my pace. I had plenty of gas left in the tank at the end. After the race, several people commented that I looked good running. I was a bit surpried to hear that, but it felt nice to get some feedback like that. I'm definitely sensative about my relative slow running. So to get positive feedback like that was nice. What would you do differently?: As discussed, I would have picked up the pace earlier. Its hard to complain too much though, I was not far from a PR pace. Post race
Warm down: I was met at the finish by my wife. We walked for a bit as I settled down. After a minute or two, I was fine. What limited your ability to perform faster: I had a fantastic time doing this race. It was great to be out doing something that I love and spending time with great people. It was my one and only event of the year. I had spent most the last two years dealing with injuries. Its taken that long to find answers and the right people to work with. Because of this, I only started running in May and was only able to bike consistently since July. I have not been able to swim consistently since my surgery this past November. Despite all of that, I somehow put up a very good time. I was less than 4 minutes away from a podium spot. It really was beyond my expectations. At the same time, I know I left a good bit of time on the course. My lack of racing showed up with my less-than-ideal pacing. I didnt know how hard to go or how my body would respond if I did go harder. I finished the race knowing I had more to give. In retrospect, I probably would have maximized my performance had I been more able to keep calm during the swim. Going that hard early did have me worried about overextending myself later. I definitely could have and should have gone harder on the bike. No reason to be 10 bpm below my estimated aerobic threshold in a sprint race. I likewise should have picked up my run pace earlier. But overall, I had a great race. Well beyond my expectations. It was so much fun being out there and competing again. Lets hope that I can stay healthy for awhile and can train consistently for awhile. Just thinking about all these things gets me excited about what I might be able to do next year! Event comments: Score-this runs a good race. This was a very well done event. Last updated: 2007-08-06 12:00 AM
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 2007-09-24 10:03 PM |
 Master  1324   Rochester, NY |  Subject: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance |
| 2007-09-25 5:13 AM in reply to: #977647 |
Pro 5123 Canandaigua NY | Subject: RE: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance Great race Rob! Overcoming the injuries the last year and having a strong race is something you should be proud of! |
| 2007-09-25 8:28 AM in reply to: #977647 |
Veteran 188 Rochester, NY | Subject: RE: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance Nice RR, Rob! Like I said earlier, you really ran a fantastic race considering all you've been battling for so long. At each race you learn more about where you can/should push yourself, and when you should relax. You learned a lot on Sunday and it'll only help you in future races, which I know you'll be doing! It's very cool that you did so well!!  |
| 2007-09-25 10:46 AM in reply to: #977647 |
Extreme Veteran 532 Plymouth MA | Subject: RE: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance Great job!! I think its awesome that you were able to get out there and race finally. You must be so happy with your splits too. That run time is not slow! It's always fun to be able to hang with the BT peeps before and after. |
| 2007-09-25 8:41 PM in reply to: #977647 |
Master 1848 Canandaigua | Subject: RE: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance Always enjoy your RR. You did a great job and looked like you were have a great time. Nice job on the bike and swim. You rocked that course. |
| 2007-09-25 9:21 PM in reply to: #977647 |
Expert 1023 Malvern, England | Subject: RE: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Sprint Distance Congratulations on your A race of the year. I can't wait to see you compete next year now you have your injuries starting to be under control ...of course the decision next year will be whether to try and smash this time (and get a podium spot?) or try for the OLY.
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Mary M Gooley Hemophilia Center
65F / 18C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 55/471
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 10/48
I think I had almost as much fun getting ready for the event as I did the event itself. The day before, I got out my tri suit, something that I had not worn in almost a year and a half. I was very pleased to see that it fit and that it would work well the next day. It was also nice trying to pull together all the needed things for the race.
The night before, a bunch of us went to Marmadaddy's and Jamjam's for dinner. BTers there included, myself, Jackjack, Kam32, Dexter, Rstocks, and Boyddr. Also great was that everyone brought their families! Tons of kids running around.
After the party, I put everything in the car. I tried to go to bed early as I had set the alarm for 4:10AM. I may have fallen asleep a little earlier than normal, but not much.
It should be no surprise that I woke up early. Before the alarm. I got up at 4 and got dressed. Went downstairs and ate my normal breakfast of a bowl of cereal. Probably not an ideal pre-event breakfast, but whatever.
I was out of the house by 4:35. As as drove down the road, I saw that the gas tank was on empty. The car's computer said I had enough gas for 9 more miles. Flipping great. Where do I get gas at 4:45 on a Sunday morning? I was very relieved that I found an open gas station in Victor. I took the opportunity to get some coffee.
I got down to Canandaigua about 5:30. I parked in the big open mall lot under a street light. That was really helpful as I got stuff ready to walk to transition. I had not realized that I could park closer, even in the lot right next to transition. Oh well, things worked out fine.
Once at the race site, I got bndy marked and got my timing chip. Had a little trouble getting a long enough strap for the chip, but got it resolved eventually. I then was able to go into transition and was directed towards the back. Wouldn't you know it, but I was sent right next to Jackjack! It was great to have a familiar face to share transition space with. I knew that I would not have to worry about rude neighbours!
It was probably about 6AM now, so I had about an hour to kill before the pre-race meeting. There were lots of other people around, so it was great to chat with folks. Might be worth finding a place to sit down though, instead of standing around on pavement. But something for another day.
Made a couple of rest room stops. I also did some jogging. I found that the Kershaw Park building was open. It was very convenient to visit the rest room there and not have to stand in line for the port-a-potties. I actually visited it several times before the race started.
I jogged for a few minutes on a couple occasions. Usually on the way to the Kershaw restroom. After the pre-race meeting, I went down to the water to warm up somme there. I swam out most of the way to the first buoy and back. I also got a little warmup before my swim wave started. I was in the first Sprint wave and there was about a 10 minute break from the last oly wave.