Pre-Race
Got up at 4:20, took a shower and I ate my bagel in the car
on the drive downtown to transition. We arrived about 5:20am and it was still
dark. A flashlight/headlamp is not on my packing list, and I hadn’t needed it until
now. I managed well enough with the light from my phone. I found a spot on a
bike rack and there wasn’t anyone near me. Temps were nice, in the 60’s and no
wind. There was a threat of rain, but so far nothing seemed to be
materializing. I turned my running shoes upside down as a precaution and had a
spare pair of socks in a zippy bag.
It was too dark to get a swim in before I had to walk over
to catch my boat. So I kinda figured I would really need to execute my intended
plan when I did get into the water. Melissa and I walked the ¼ mile from
transition to the boat launch. We talked to Erik who is a local guy that I did
a bunch of open water swims with, and ran into Richard a friend from Masters
swimming that was one of the guys that talked me into this whole triathlon
thing.
We boarded the boat on time to head out for the swim start.
Swim
The swim begins by jumping off a local sightseeing boat.
There were 3 waves of us on the boat. First wave was fast long course athletes,
then my wave of slow short course athletes. When I filled out the registration
back in February it asked what my predicted swim time and bike pace would be. I
had no idea what my bike pace would be so I put what it was the last time I
rode outside. However I am 2-3mph faster now. Oops. I spent most the wait on
the boat talking with a guy I knew from swimming at the Y. He is a runner that
was taking up swimming and this was his first triathlon.
So it was finally our turn. Jumping off from both sides of
the boat. It was indeed quite a jump. Probably 4 feet into the water. My
goggles immediately filled with water when I got in. I was expecting that
because I don’t keep my goggles very tight in OWS. It was also shockingly cold,
which I was also expecting. I could feel the panic starting again.
But my plan had me prepared for this. I just kicked a bit
away from the boat so nobody would jump on me. I cleared my goggles, got some
water down my suit, and just put my face in the water and blew some bubbles
while doing a bit of kicking. Then I took a few strokes focusing on my
breathing. Stopped, surveyed the area as I was now pretty much the last pink
cap by the boat and then headed out for my swim. No issues after that.
I passed A LOT of people on the swim. I got run over by a
super fast long course swimmer so I just moved a bit further away from the
buoys. My watch buzzes every 500 yards so when I wasn’t even to the first turn
buoy and it buzzed I thought it was odd. Then I got a second buzz on the return
and I thought that this is REALLY weird. I have a long way to go yet, but I am
past 1000 yards in this ½ mile swim? A third buzz while in the boat slip the
led to the swim exit. The exit was a boat ramp that had a bunch of rocks and
then a slippery concrete/slime surface. I fell down, then just crawled up the
ramp to the carpet and then was able to run to transition. My goal time was 17
minutes but I got out and glanced at my watch and it was 24 minutes. So
something was up. After the race, I saw that it was a 1600 yard “1/2 mile” swim
and I did it in 27 minutes for a 1:40 pace. I was super happy during the swim
and the results made me happier after.
Swim time 26:51 35/88 overall, 4/8 in my age group
Melissa said that I was one of the first pink caps out of
the water.
T1
I was able to run quickly into transition. Sat down on the
ground to take my wetsuit off and put on my socks and shoes. Grabbed my bike
and off I went. Time 2:31
Bike
The bike course was a bit shorter this year due to some
local construction, but it still started out with some weird twists and turns
over the first 3 miles or so. That included some short but super steep hills
which I had to get out of the saddle to get up. My goal was to get my heart
rate back down to a reasonable level during these early miles and then when we
finally got out on London road I would put the hammer down and that’s what I
did.
The outbound ride was on the wide shoulder of an expressway.
There were big cracks with grass growing out of them and they were really
bumpy. My hands were super slippery which I realized a bit later on the bike
was probably from the boat ramp. At one point I was drinking my nutrition
bottle, hit a bump and bottle fell right out of my hand. Good thing it was
nearly empty.
It was also about this point that I realized that I forgot to
put my gel in my racing kit. I had tucked the gels in a side pocket of my bag
but never took them out during transition. I thought of it while on the boat
and hoped I would remember, but nope. So, I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade at the
bike aid station.
I made the turn at the halfway point on homestead road and
then another on the scenic highway to head back towards transition. My power
was a bit below where I wanted it, so I knew I had to pick it up now. I passed
quite a few people on the outbound ride, but I passed one guy on the inbound
ride and then I didn’t see ANYONE for like 10 miles. I got passed by someone
about 2 miles from the end of the bike. It was just weird.
My daughter and mother in law were waiting about 3 miles
from the bike finish with signs to cheer me on. I gave a big wave as I rode by.
My goal was to average 20mph and finish in 1:45 and I did
that. My legs were really feeling it at the end.
Bike time 1:44:42 20/88 overall, 3/8 in age group
I found out later, that I was the 3rd bike in overall.
The first bike belonged to Erik my ows partner.
T2
Other than the fact that my legs did NOT want to move when I
got off the bike this transition went quite well. Just a quick change of shoes,
throw the hat on and put my number belt on as I ran out of transition. Time
1:24
Run
The run was “interesting”. My watch was set to 1:45/0:45 and
my goal was to do that pace for at least 3 miles. I ended up doing it the
entire way. The first mile was fine, just getting the legs all working again.
It takes you past the finish line where they announced my name as starting the
run course. I saw my masters swim coach who had volunteered that morning and
got a high five from him.
The second mile was run partially on a “carriage trail”
where horses pull carriages. It was loose sand/gravel and I tried to run off to
the side for better footing. At the end of that second mile was a big hill. So
mile 2 was a suffer fest.
Mile 3 I seemed to fall into a groove finally. I saw my kid
and MIL again on the run course which was nice. I was able to give a high five
to the guy manning the turnaround cone. He was everyone’s favorite person that
morning. Mile 4 was more of the same. I had settled into a grove and was
feeling ok. I took some water and a couple of Gatorades during the run as well.
My legs were tight and my hamstring was sore too but nothing
bad enough to slow down (any more than I was) or stop. Mile 5 looped back
around transition before heading to the finish line. Ignoring the watch now I
just continued my run all the way through the finish.
Run time 57:58 61/88 overall, 3/8 age group?!?! (apparently
my age group had a lot of bad runners)
Final time 3:13:24 which was 36/88 overall, 22/48 of men,
and 3/8 in age group! I actually podiumed in a triathlon race?!?!?
Unfortunately, they only gave out awards to the top finisher
in each age group.
Final Thoughts
I actually really enjoyed this race. I felt very prepared, I
went in with a race plan and I executed it perfectly. The swim was long, but I
just kept it smooth and steady the whole time. The bike was the suffering that
I expected it to be, but had already experienced in training a couple of times.
I had family and friends there cheering me on both on the course and at the
finish.
I have these thoughts of doing a full IM at some point, and
then I do this race and during the run I am saying to myself “why the ****
would I want to do that?” Right now I am liking this Olympic type distance, and
this race in particular suits my biking strength.
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