Tri For Fun Sprint Triathlon
June 6th, 2009
.5 mile swim – 16 mile bike – 3 mile run
The Lead Up
So the Tri for Fun in June 2008 was the first triathlon I ever completed (I'd gotten two-thirds of the way thru one in 1997 only to wipe out on the bike and slide shirtless on my back for 20 feet). After the June triathlon last year, I endeavored to prepare a bit better, train a little harder, and make the kids a little prouder. While I had gotten some decent training in, to kick off the tri season with the Napa Half Iron in May, I have secretly been really looking forward to this sprint tri to see how much the training has paid off since last year.
Training
While my training from the beginning of the year up thru May 2nd was really quite good, I must admit that I somewhat stagnated in preparation for the this race after the Napa Half Iron. I was really good about watching what I was eating prior to the half iron, but I have spent the last month with a relatively lackadaisical approach to nutrition, brick workouts, and overall fitness. I will say that I have spent a significant portion of my time with mental preparation (aka daydreaming), though I'm not sure this really helped me during the race. When it was all said and done, the past month I have been getting about 2 swims a week, 2 runs a week, and about 4 rides a week. Not too bad, but most of the training wasn't executed with virility and vigor, so I was not too sure what to expect.
Night Before the Race
So continuing in the tradition of procrastination and trying new things the night before/day of the race (this is generally a no-no), I ended up spending time lacing my shoes up with the Yankz lacing system; in theory this would allow for quicker transitions...of course I probably should've tried running with them prior to the race. Around 10:30pm I began to get all of my gear together, and went thru my normal double and triple checks to ensure I didn't forget anything. I mixed up some Propel for my water bottle, packed a packet of PowerGel, and shaved the beard I had been growing for the better part of 3 weeks. I got into bed around 12:15, played Bejeweled on my cell phone, and continued to toss and turn throughout the night until the alarm went off at 5:30...so it goes.
Pre-Race
So we got to the race about 45 minutes before the start and made our way to the Y-tri (the triathlon club to whom I've pledged allegiance) bike rack. It was good to see some of the folks from the club, and we set about getting our transition area situated. I went and got body marked, did a little stretching, and before too long made my way down to the water for a little warm up. As I got my goggles on, I went to pull on my swim cap and literally ripped the thing in half (not too sure if my head is like a triple XL or what, but I immediately thought “oh, crap”). Fortunately, it was a good 10 minutes before my wave kicked off, so I ran off (this actually ended up being a decent warm up) to the registration stand to ask for another cap. They ran out of green (that is the color they had allocated for the clydesdales) so they gave me a yellow one, and wrote “green” on the side of it; definitely a bit cheesy, yet respectfully utilitarian. I made my way back down to the water, and did a little swimming to warm up. I was in the 3rd wave of athletes, and before I knew it we were off.
The Swim
So I definitely didn't want to make the same mistake I made last year, and go gangbusters in the first 200 yards, only to fizzle out and wonder how on earth I would make it to the end of the course (or the bottom of the lake), so I took it relatively steady and easy for the first 300 yards. After turning the first buoy, I was feeling pretty good, so I pushed the pace a little bit and sat in behind some other athlete who was moving about the same speed. After turning the last buoy (about 250 yards to go) I felt pretty strong about the swim, and focused on finishing solid. I kept swimming until my hands started clawing sand (some people start running as soon as they can touch their feet to the ground, but I nearly always trip and face plant back into the water when I do this – makes quite a spectacle for the spectators and race photographers) and then hopped up and started running to the shore. I was pretty happy with the swim, and ended up with a time of 14:06 (this included the 30-40 second jog up the hill to the transition area), a decent improvement from my 16+ minutes from last year.
Transition 1
So I got to the transition area and started pulling the wetsuit which came off pretty quickly. I had considered doing the race without socks for the bike and the run, but decided I could spare the extra few seconds to get them on. I got my bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses, and powerGel and was off to get out of the transition. Not too bad overall...definitely an area for improvement in my mind...total time 1:55.
The Bike
So I had been excited to use my new tri-bike (new to me, it is a used bike overall) for this race, however in the 3 training rides I took it on, I ended up with 3 flat tires (I think there is a bur or something in the rim – I need to investigate) so I didn't want to chance it. I hopped on the bike and started cranking away. The first 2 miles are fraught with peril as there are several speed bumps and reflectors to get out of the park where the race is held; the pinnacle of these ensnarements is a speed bump followed shortly by a tire spike (the kind you can't back a car over or it will destroy your tires). I actually heard a loud sound as I negotiated this last hazard, and was certain I had flatted, but after a few hundred meters, all appeared to be well. After 2 miles, you make your way onto a two lane state road where you go out 6 miles and then return. I was hammering out on the first half (this was a bit easier as there is more downhills) and ended up passing a decent number of people. I settled in on the return trip, and passed a few more people, though was feeling it a bit more as there was certainly more uphill. I got back to the park, negotiated the same hazards as the way out, and ended up with a decent bike time of 43:40...not quite as fast as I was hoping for, but I'll take it.
Transition 2
So I dismounted in the dismount area and ran with my bike into the transition area, only to have difficulty finding my stuff. I looked around for probably 10-15 seconds before realizing that I was on the wrong aisle and needed to go over one. Not the end of the world, but definitely a little frustrating and a lesson learned. I racked my bike, grabbed my shoes (with my new Yankz laces), and took off on the run...total time 1:20.
The Run
So the run has been my Achilles heel in virtually every tri I have done, and I have ended up walking portions. I knew that the bike to run transition was going to be painful, so I took it a bit slow out of the transition area. Never one to pass up anything free, I grabbed two clif shots from a volunteer at the beginning of the run course (I didn't really have any intention of eating them on the run, but figured I could use them in training), and I ended up carrying them the entire run. I got passed by a couple guys (normally it is more like everyone) at the beginning, but then it appeared that I was holding my own in the run. I got to the first mile marker with a 7:50 split (I was surprised), and was actually feeling pretty good (though I have felt good before, only to walk later on). At the 1.5 mile turn around I was at 11 minutes and some change, and I realized that I might actually have a decent run time (for me that is). I pushed it the whole way back (there were a lot of rolling hills), and was excited to see the finish line in the distance. I got passed by a woman who was absolutely movin, and I kicked it in for the last little bit. Gretchen and the kids were near the finish, and it was good to hear them cheering. I ended up with a final run time of 22:13 (7:24 pace), definitely satisfied with that one, though still plenty of room for improvement.
Aftermath
So according to the website, my final time was 1:23:21, which was a big improvement over last years times (June 1:50:53 and August 1:33:52). I got together with Gretchen and the kids and met up with some of the other guys from the team and their families. We did some group pictures, ate some decent grub, cheered on the fellow athletes, and hung out for the awards ceremony. I ended up finishing second in the Clydesdale division, which I was happy with. I found some areas for improvement, and am looking forward to the next one. On the way home we stopped at In n' Out Burger where I wolfed down a cheeseburger and fries...I'm living it up until Monday when the training for August kicks in. :-)
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