This race kicked off my tri season, man does it sneak up on you quickly. Going into this race I had only done one brick workout working on T-running(huge weakness for me). I had barely been swimming and definitely didn't have any base distance swims in as of yet. On top of all this I just got my new bike a month ago and I'm still adjusting to it.
Race morning I woke up at 5:15 had a bagel with pb and started to load my bike into the car (rental still since mine is in the shop). I was really surprised to see it fit in there. I got up to the Boulder res @6am and didn't really hit any traffic. Its close enough for me to ride up there but theres 2 hills that would drain a little of my precious race day energy. I got a great transition spot right at the end of the row and close as possible to the bike out. I was set up, marked and warmed up by 6:35. My wave wasn't scheduled until 7:15. The water temp was a frigid 62*. I wore my brand new Runners Roost Tri uniform and headed over to the beach @6:45. Apparently there was a reason for a delay but I never found out what it was. My wave didn't actually kick off until 7:30, and that is why you didn't warm up in the water prior to your race. Don't follow these people, they will be standing there cold and wet waiting for their wave to go. Which basically negates any warm up and acclimation they just had in the water. Basically they are only in the water bc they had to pee, and there you go thinking they were with a great idea of swim warm up.
Swim Start:
I was calm and focused for the start, I put the rest of my wet suit on about 5 mins before entering the water and again wore ear plugs (I don't even want to know what cold water in the ear feels like). I had knew a few familiar faces in my wave Men Sprint under age 39, 77 guys in this wave but never saw those faces. Ever notice how different people look in wetsuits? Its got to be one of the most unflattering things for both men and women... just sayin. I stuck to the inside and about 5 feet from the front, the start was not packed at all and I actually started swimming to the start line before the gun even went off. My starting pace was apparently faster then the 6 or so guys in front of me and I almost swam right up on their feet nearly missing getting kicked in the face. I fought for position like a champ and created a little breathing room. Breathing, well breathing became a little bit harder about 200m in when my face and lips started to become cold and numb. I kept a controlled stroke and tried to remain calm even though the discomfort level was building. I tried to think of other things like how much cleaner the water seemed this year as opposed to last year.
At the first turn I knew that I was pretty close to the front pack/leader and I really hadn't pushed it. I kept the pace and concentrated on breathing and keeping water out of my mouth (which was difficult with numb lips). At the second and final turn home my goggles fogged up and I couldn't site the beach at all. I started getting off course, weaving and then slamming into people. I even stopped 2x to try to see but all I could do is aim for a guy less then 20' from me and hope he was headed in the right direction. I swam to the beach until my hands hit the sand, no stagger but I was out of breath. I normally run to transition with a pretty good pace but this time my feet were numb and the ground was rocky. I dipped my feet off in the wash buckets and entered transition in search of my bike.
T1:
I made the decision to put on arm warmers for the bike which added about a min to my transition but I still feel like it was a good choice considering air temperature @60 and how cold and numb I was coming out of the water. It wasn't freezing cold but it wasn't comfortable either. Next race I should have a great transition under a min for sure. I put my socks on and already had my shoes on the bike. I reached the mount line, jumped up and missed placing my feet on the shoes. In all I think it was a pretty good transition considering I hadn't practiced it at all this season and Ive never left my shoes on the bike before (Syracuse 70.3 I was going to, but it was a wet grassy TA instead of dry pavement).
Bike:
I was still a little out of breath so I took it out slow. I knew that a lot of people go out too fast and pay for it because this course starts out with a med sized roller then a gradual climb for the next 8 miles. As predicted 2 guys passed me within the first mile. The bike felt great, it was smooth, everything was working on it and this race I was sure I wasn't going to have a mechanical. To remind you, my past mechanicals include brake rubbing and 3 flat tires. I was so sure that I didn't even have a tire kit on the bike, just a water bottle with water.
This was the first time this year I've ridden this course sans wind (of 4 or so rides) and due to the calm you can really feel how much incline there is to overcome. On the flip side though, you do get it all back with a speedy 4 mile decent. Other then 2 riders passing me in the beginning I pretty much road alone, which is fine but you don't really feel like you're in a race. At mile 12 just before heading uphill again I looked back, my legs were starting to fade and I wanted to ensure my position. No one in view.
Mile 15 I got passed out of nowhere by someone in my AG, and there was nothing I could do about it. He was gone and I wanted off the bike ASAP to start hunting him down.
T2:
I took my feet out of my shoes with about a mile to go, hoped off the bike at the dismount line and watched a guy in my AG try to pass me and drop a shoe so he had to go back. Seriously, if you lose focus for even a second in this race you could do something stupid that will cost you HUUUUGE. I was out of transition around a min with a few gulps of water (I really need to concentrate on taking in more liquids while on the bike).
Run
I was already out of breath coming out of T2, then faced with a hill within the first mile I was unable to recover until mile 1.5. I passed a few guys in similar situations and attached myself to the hip of a 22 year old guy who was right at 7 min pace. We pushed each other stride for stride until mile 2.5 when I lost the fight and just couldnt hang on to the pace any longer. Off the bike my feet are always numb and running on numb feet can get pretty awkward, but the condition is getting better. The last .3 miles was downhill and I did spark up a small kick but it just wasnt enough to catch up with my buddy the 22 year old.
I also wanted to mention that my friend Dan and his GF both did their first tri today. It was great getting to talk with them about their experiences both during the race and training leading up to it. Its all pretty overwhelming and there's much to learn in a short amount of time but both had a great race. They were unsure if they were going to do another but I know better, knowing full well that the Tri bug has some pretty potent venum.
I really need to take a look at my training and stick to a schedule. I feel as though I set up a great schedule this year but have not stuck to a training plan that optimizes my success for them. I also have to remind myself as to which races are my A races and where I actually expect to reach my goals. For this distance I should be able to get under 1:30.
(Distances: 750m, 17, 5k)
overall place: 28 out of 283
division place: 5 out of 29
gender place: 25 out of 136
time: 1:32:17
swim: 14:17 pace 30:38 11/77 in wave 5/29 Div
t1: 2:25
bike: 52:15 pace 19.6 mph 11/29 Div (based on time)
t2: 1:18
run: 22:04 pace 7:07 6/29 Div (based on time)
Looking at the numbers and comparing my training to date Its clear and obvious that I have only recovered about max 70% from the BB10k race.
Now lets compare this race to my last sprint tri in 2009
FLT Comparison: (724m, 13, 5k)
.5mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5k Run
0:14:57 pace =33:13
0:46:37 pace= 16.73 mph
0:22:05 pace= 7:07
= 1:28:46
90/471 men, 71 of 225 in my age group 25-29
After the race I headed into the mountains to Vail, CO to check out the Teva Mountain Games. It was a blast be able to watch world class climbers, mountain bikers (team Timex was there), and a great dog jumping contest.
I got hooked up by Native Eyewear and got to stay at the Vail Sonnenal Resort
Hotel
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