Swim
Comments: Compared to last year, my confidence and swimming skills have vastly improved, partially from weekly ocean swims ranging from .5 to 1.2 miles. As comfortable as I am with ocean swimming I still don't like lake swimming, something to do with how the water tastes. Seeding myself in the middle of the pack the start was a washing machine of contact. It wasn't too bad and it spread after the first 100 yards or so. I was passed a few times, as I expected, and passed a couple myself which felt good. There were a couple feet I tried to draft without much luck, need to work on that. Most of the swim I was able to stay with a strong crawl except for a couple spots of breast stroke after a few bad breaths full of water. Last year's time: 11:07. Already 35 seconds faster than last year, off to a good start! What would you do differently?: Work on drafting Transition 1
Comments: The run up the boat ramp to transition was a little slow, even with numb feet it was a bit rough. My feet ended up with lots of small gravel stuck to the bottom which I (mostly) wiped off with a towel before putting my socks on. Shoes, sunglasses, gloves, helmet on... grabbed bike and was on my way! Last year's time: 3:48, delta of 1:42! What would you do differently?: Splash some water on my feet to clean them off better, I missed a few little stones which I had to take care of during T2. Bike
Comments: As I went up the first hill I was not far behind the middle pack from my wave and I smiled knowing my swim was fast enough to keep me with the pack. They pulled away along the lake as my hybrid bike was just not as fast as their road/TT bikes. My strategy was to start strong along the first couple miles along the lake to gain some time ahead of my shadow I was racing. I kept to my plan and rode strong and fast. A few other racers on faster bikes passed me and again I smiled, knowing that I beat them out of the water. Crossing over the dam I was hit by a blast of wind coming off the lake and I realized this would be a nasty head wind when riding up the hill back to the dam. It did make for a fun tail wind down the hill and out to the turn around. On the way back towards the lake the head wind was present but not too strong. The climb back up the dam was steady until near the peak when the brunt of the head wind hit with full force. Pushing through it I cleared that hurdle and kept a steady and comfortable pace along the lake as to not over work my legs the last couple of miles on the bike. Last year's time: 52:38, delta unknown due to timing not recorded. What would you do differently?: Performance wise I'm happy with the bike segment. Upgrading to a road/TT bike and more training will improve my time. Transition 2
Comments: I felt a few pebbles in my shoes that I missed during T1 so I had to roll my socks up and clear them out before putting my running shoes on. Last year's time: 1:53, delta unknown due to timing not recorded. What would you do differently?: Make sure feet are clean in T1! Run
Comments: As usual my legs were a bit stiff off the bike, loosening up around 1 mile. My pace was steady and on the slow side, as most of my run training recently has been for distance as I ready for my first Half Marathon a week after this race. At the first aid station I asked for water, splashed it on my back then took a taste... Poweraid! Lesson learned via sticky back/legs: taste before splash! Good thing I didn't pour it on my head. The hill at the 2.2 mile was going to be a fun challenge that I intended to run up. I made it about halfway then switched into quick walk/jog cycles through the steep part. After that it was mostly downhill and my legs were feeling good. Crossing the finish line I raised my arms in celebration. Last year's time: 32:40, delta unknown due to timing not recorded. What would you do differently?: Train more on steep hills. Post race
Warm down: Stretched out legs and poured some nice clean water over my head. What limited your ability to perform faster: Just need to train more. Everything else went smooth. Event comments: Fun event and perfect way to finish my first full season. Last updated: 2013-08-26 12:00 AM
|
|
United States
Tri-California Events
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 90/187
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/21
This race is the first anniversary of my very first triathlon. After a full year of training and 4 other sprint triathlons this season I was looking forward to setting a new personal record.
Enjoyed my traditional pre-race sushi dinner, Packed all my gear and loaded up my truck.
Got to the lake fairly early, biked over to the transition area and set up my gear. Enjoyed some light conversation with those on the same rack, ranging from regulars of this event to a couple new comers to the sport.
I was in the first wave so I had to hurry up and get into the water for some warm up before the start. Compared to last year, my first triathlon ever, my nerves were very calm and I was looking forward to the start.