Cedar Beach Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Miller Place, New York
United States
Tri and Du It Multisport
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 18m 54s
Overall Rank = 18/245
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 3/21
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4AM. Had a banana, bowl of oatmeal and cup of black coffee.
Event warmup:

Met Mike in the parking lot at 5:30 AM, right when transition opened. Still didn't get the first spot on my bike rack!!! Arghhh. ;) But got the second spot :) Did 4 X 100m Running strides in the parking lot. Swam about 400 meters out & back. Floated in the calm Long Island sound and marveled at the Sunrise, soaking in how happy I am to have chosen this awesome tri-lifestyle. What an unbelievable gift.
Swim
  • 13m 11s
  • 805 meters
  • 01m 38s / 100 meters
Comments:

Wow, it really was a picture perfect morning for the second weekend in October. The Long Island Sound was very calm and the temps were in the mid 60's.

I worried about this swim because back in 2008 when I did this race, the Sound was like the Atlantic Ocean on an angry day. My swim took me 30 minutes back in 2008. I knew if I had any chance of placing I would need a great swim, and thankfully that's what I got.

I went out hard but stayed within myself. I got to the first bouy rather quickly, but noticed I was 15 yards or so to the left of it. A bunch of swimmers in front of me just cut the bouy off and kept going. I couldn't do that. I swam to my right and hugged right around the bouy. Cutting a corner turn bouy is cheating, and if I did cut it - it would rattle around in my head forever.

After the first bouy turn, we had to swim against the current for the longest length of the swim. I strecthed as far as I could with each stroke and pulled back as fast and hard as I could. Rounded the final corner bouy and headed home.

My best guess is the Swim was a wee bit short.
What would you do differently?:

I haven't swam with currents in a while so I probably should have sighted better and would have saved myself :20+ seconds.
Transition 1
  • 00m 41s
Comments:

16th OA. I was on a mission.
Bike
  • 43m 53s
  • 15 miles
  • 20.51 mile/hr
Comments:

My legs did not want to cooperate the first loop. I caught up to my buddy and training partner Dan and we leap-frogged a bit. I passed a few guys in front of me, and they passed me back. I only recall one guy passing me that I didn't see again.

Luckily Ted (Sammeg) was on the bike course and yelled at me in his 'scary voice' everytime I passed him, which was right before the biggest hill on the course so the motivation was much welcomed. Thanks Ted :)

On the second loop of the course my legs and quads were cooperating nicely. But then the ride was over. I gave everything I had on this short rolling bike course.
What would you do differently?:

I honestly expected a faster ride than this; however I've focused on Ironman training this year and have only been doing speed on the bike the last month.
Transition 2
  • 00m 58s
Comments:

6th OA. I pretended I was an ITU racer and had a wicked fast transition. Flying dismount and kept the speed going right into transition. No socks, shoes on boom, grab the race belt, and I'm off.

Looking around transition I could sware I only saw three or four bikes.
Run
  • 20m 43s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 06m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

I managed to finish just in front of my friend Dan at transition. After my fast transtion I was panting, and I dove head-first into the Pain Cave. Dan passed me and I tried like heck to keep him in my sights. But the first half of the first loop is on concrete path that winds though the beach. You can cut tangents and corners and sometimes you are only seeing 10 feet in front of you. I saw a few other racers in front of me, and for some reason, I thought perhaps me, Dan, and two other guys were the top 5. It was fun "Racing", knowing I was near the front and pushing to keep in contact with the front of the field. Hell, it was better than fun; it was thrilling and exhilarating - and it hurt really bad! :)

After we came out of the paths, we u-turned back to the beach on the flat road with a few downhills. I used this to slowly close the gap on three runners in front of me. We u-turned again back by the beach, the announcers called our name and I was starting to feel really good!! I picked off a runner cramping with side stiches, and I really closed the gap on two other runners; Dan was about :25 seconds ahead of me and I knew I wouldn't catch him. On the paved road back to the beach I dug even deeper and came up on really tan guy I'd been chasing for the whole run and BOOM! I sprinted past him to make sure he didn't latch on.

I could see transition and the Long Island Sound to my left and the final u-turn. I came up on one last runner and came up right behind him, and BOOM! I spinted past him, too. I made a right onto a coned tarmac, and then made my final right into the finish line straightaway!
What would you do differently?:

I left it all on the Run course. But here's a funny story: The final athlete I passed was Ken, the Northeast X-Terra Champion. I was so damn shocked when he came across the finish line. I couldn't believe I beat him. I congratulated him and then tried to console him by saying, "Hey, if this had been an X-Terra you would've smoked me." He looked at me stangley and then we just bs'd about the race and the awesome conditions we had.

A few minutes later one of the race coordinators came walking by with the preliminary results and I saw Ken's name as 3rd OA, but my name was not 1st or 2nd. I didn't even see my name. So I said, "Hey, I beat that guy. Where's my name." The race organizer kindly remarked that Ken started in the 2nd Wave - 5 minutes after I started in Wave 1!! LOL!! I'm such a humbled tool. ;):)
Post race
Warm down:

Rooted Mike down the home stretch and simultaneoulsy critiqued his Running form aloud. To which he responded F*ck You, Bobby. Again, I'm an idiot.

Hung out with my friend Dan and Adam and got my AG Award.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

WEIGHT. I'm 177 lbs. At a smidge under 5' 10" - I'm fat. Like jelly belly fat. I need to be 20 pounds lighter and then maybe I can sniff the top 10 at this race.

Event comments:

Cedar Beach Triathlon is a great local race. The swim can be easy or very difficult. I've done both here. The Bike is challenging as you are either going up or down, but there is only one steep climb and it's not that long. The run is technical but mostly flat. The race has a great local laid back vibe, and despite the small field there is some great competition here. I couldn't imagine a better way to end the Triathlon Season then with the Cedar Beach Triathlon.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2011-10-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:11 | 805 meters | 01m 38s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/21
Overall: 0/245
Performance: Average
Suit: QR Hydrofull
Course: Counter clockwise rectangle in Long Island Sound.
Start type: Dive Plus:
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 00:41
Performance:
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:43:53 | 15 miles | 20.51 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/21
Overall: 0/245
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course:
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:58
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:20:43 | 03.11 miles | 06m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/21
Overall: 0/245
Performance: Good
Course: 2-loops, flat.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4