Triathlon Thread 2009

[twoWDWfools]

Ah Jeff, one day.... We've actually got the Dec Hawaii marathon penciled in for 2010. That's the one w/o nasty climbs, right?

Maura - the scrunching of the socks is a huge help! When putting them on, stay standing, put heel down and raise front of foot. Pull socks on over ball of foot, roll onto ball then lift heel and pull socks on rest of way. This way foot stays in contact with ground - no tipping over. Hopefully that description made sense.

Carrie - you'll do fine and remember, it's your race no one else's (my mantra when needed).

Mike - thanks for the insight on Athena/Clydesdale as I've had the same question.

Haven't been swimming as much since have the du this Sunday (lots of us with events this Sunday) then next 3 events are runs or bikes. Will work on the swimming though to keep up on it.

 

[mkymsehi]

Ah Jeff, one day.... We've actually got the Dec Hawaii marathon penciled in for 2010. That's the one w/o nasty climbs, right?

Honolulu is fairly flat most of the way. Starts flat. There is a 2 block short incline about mile 2, where it bottlenecks.

Through downtown, and Waikiki is flat.

At mile 7 1/2, you go up a moderate incline up Diamond Head Crater road, then down, and then back up, and back down. This is mile 8 1/2 to 9 1/2.

Then flat all the way out to Hawaii Kai loop and back.

Slight grade around mile 21 1/2.

Just shy of mile 24 there is a pretty good uphill, then it flattens for about a 1/4 mile. Finally you go back over the Diamond Head Crater road, and it's downhill then flat to the finish.

So to answer you question Liz, yeah, it's got no nasty climbs.

http://honolulumarathon.org/?s=course

Keep me posted of your plans by April, 2010, and I can help you register in May, 2010.

 

[jmasgat]

Hello, fellow triathletes...I can say that now! Finished my first one today (no bets yet on whether there'll be a second) Details later on...don't have all my times.

Until I got home and saw posted results, I had thought I won my age group! (50-54) and was announced as such. But just checked online and saw that someone else is now showing as winner. I took 3rd in swim (lots of slow pokes like me, thank god!), 4th on bike, 2nd on run!.Got a little necklace/medal out of it---which went to 1st and 2nd place people, so no harm/no foul. Will post report and picture later.

Thanks for letting me peek into this forum--not a big post-er, but did read and get advice.

Maura

 

[chimera]

Very nice Jeff!

Question: Athena or not? Does it matter? In some races, they say if you do Athen, you don't compete with agfe group. Does that mean you don't start in that wave either? I guess I don't understand what it's there for. Plus, seriously. 150 pounds? OMG, I'll never be 150 pounds. That seems like a really low weight category. I'm torn between nedding every advantage I can get and knowing that it really doesn't matter and wondering if it even is an advantage.

Carrie...with the duathlon, Athena was a totally separate class. I think the weight was 145lbs. They did have two age groups, something like 0 to 39 and 40 to 99. I was the only one that registered Athena (so won my division). If I had registered in my age group, I would have been 4th out of 4.

Guess it depends on what you want out of the race. I know I'm too slow to win anything on time alone, so took the easy out since girls don't generally like to register Athena because of the implications. Can you check past results? That might give you an idea of where you'd finish in each division...help you make the decision.

 

[jmasgat]

She Rocks sprint triathlon-Waterloo Recreation Area, Michigan

The race: ½ mile swim, 10.7 mile ride, 3 mile run
The field: 206 entrants, all women and first-time friendly—probably 1/3 were first timers. More of the first timers did the mini-sprint.
The weather: Very pleasant, not too hot and the water was fairly warm.

Pre-race: Stomach has been in a knot for days and this morning was no exception. Not surprising, and expected that it would calm down once race was underway--except it never did! DH drove us down and we got there in plenty of time to setup and hang around til race start. I was in wave 3. To wetsuit, or not to wetsuit, that is the question. Even though the temp was warm, I did and was probably glad for it, but can’t tell you why!

Swim: We were off and I have to say, the swim was every bit as bad—worse—than I thought it would be. No problems with getting kicked, and started off feeling not too bad—that’s positive. Now for the negative: felt like I was being tossed around like a rag doll. Probably swam off course-ish, it was SO choppy! And this was supposed to be calm, so I hate to see what other races are like. Did my best with sighting and just trying to keep moving forward, although at times I felt like I wasn’t actually going anywhere. Turned to come back and realized that the buoys seemed all wrong—apparently they had drifted. Saw a couple of people heading in what I thought was the wrong direction and decided to “just head for the shore”. I figure if I was going somewhere I shouldn’t. someone would tell me. Got closer to the shore and had a “Twilight Zone” moment. I was swimming, but the shore wasn’t getting closer! Finally dragged myself out and headed to transition, which was probably 1-1:30 minutes away and where the mat was.
Swim time: 24:16 (including long run in to transition)

T1: No problems—in and out reasonably quickly 1:42

Bike: Headed out and tried to keep up a good strong cadence. Choked down a gel because I figured I would need some energy. Stomach was still tense. Ride was fairly uneventful—passed a few, got passed by a few. Somewhat rolling terrain, why are the hills always at the end!
Bike time: 38:03 (16.9 mph) Not too bad for me.

T2: Mostly uneventful, except my race number elastic broke and I was running out trying to tie it (Only had to wear the number on the run) Was somewhat distracted as I left and went where they told me. 1:45

Run: I figured I would do the best in the run, so when I started out I was a little freaked. No leg problems—I seem to do the BRIC thing okay. I just felt pooped! The run was 2/3 trail and 1/3 road. The trail had several hills-seemed steep to me, and I walked ‘em, I am not ashamed to say. At one point, since I had been distracted at the start, I though I was on the wrong course--just kept seeing people doing the mini. Just tried not to panic and keep moving, and eventually felt okay, but figured my pace wasn’t stellar. Hit the road at the 2 mile mark and was glad to feel pavement under my feet. And, of course, had to have one last uphill! Felt fairly strong finishing and was glad to be done!
Run: 24:45 (8:15)

Overall time: 1:30:29 Good for second in my age group, although while I was there they posted the results and I showed first, and got announced as such. Came home and now that the results are posted I am second—no problem—the 1st place person was about 9 minutes ahead of me!

Post-race: Since my stomach was still tense, I kept to liquids, but they had good food—pizza, bagels, really nice cookies, oranges, bananas, various drinks.

Conclusion: Well, I did what I set out to do—finish a tri. It was a lot harder than—what—I thought it would be? Time to go on vacation, relax and contemplate the future……..

Maura

 

[twoWDWfools]

Congrats Maura!!!! You did it! Great job on taking second in your first tri, too!!

Now enjoy that time off.

 

[mkymsehi]

Good going Maura! First tri and you place second in your age group. Oh yeah baby, you'll be back for more.

 

[tiberius]

Good job, Maura!

I also did a tri this weekend, for me it was my second.

Here is my Race Report for the Y Freedom Tri today in Pearland, TX. (No, I don't know if Pearland is called that because of anything to do with pear growing, although Sugarland, TX's named is derived from the business of the sugar industry there....)

I knew it could be one of those days when I opend the door and felt the warm air at 530 this morning. On the way to the race site, I saw a store signboard showing a temperature of 81 degrees at 545AM.
Transition setup and chip pickup were easy and pain-free, with my row being in the middle--even if I were to the outside edge. The race started on time, and was generally well run, IMHO.
The swim was a 300 meter pool swim with racers being staggered every 10 seconds for 3 out and backs in a 50 meter pool. All swimmers were seeded based upon their projected swim times. I was passed by one swimmer and I passed 3 others, so I figure I was in the right spot and finished pretty much right at my projected time. I crossed into T1 transition and had an easy transition, not being competitive for an award, I took my time to get ready and headed out on the bike. I was able to keep a good pace up on the bike, but started to feel the heat. I had decided to pack Gatorade in my water bottle, which was a good move with all the heat to keep my nutrition better balanced. I was finishing the Gatorade as I neared the return to the transition area without touching my other bottle (with water). In the end I finished the 12 mile bike in a time that satisfied me and was glad that even though I was feeling the heat, I was able to keep pushing a pace when I wanted. T2 was much quicker, although I would have been more comfortable losing an extra 1:30 to change socks, but I was fine without doing so. I did decide that I should bring my full 4 bottle water belt to make sure I was never without water, and 1 nearby racer wished aloud that he had done the same. Early in the run I realized that I am pushing 80-85% of max heart rate, so I decide to do a 3 minute run/1 minute walk pattern to keep the heart rate down a bit (or at least to keep from killing myself). I was pretty much running 12:30 miles until slowing a bit near the end, although I could not help but sprint across the finish to beat out two other runners (although they were not in my AG). I did manage to do the 3 miles in 38:27. I really would have liked better, but it was hot, I did more walking than I normally would have and I had not run in 2 weeks to rest a sore knee. All that considered I should be happy I could run at the end! Finally I finished with a time of 1:33:08 for the 300 meter swim/12 mile bike/3 mile run triathlon.

In the end, the last finisher was a runner dressed as the Statue of Liberty, who was the designated final finisher. (Yes, they did market the race to first-timers as promising they would not finish last!)

All in all, I enjoyed the event, but really would have liked my weather to have been more normal (even for the Houston area!). I think today was another 100 + degree day. Even being generally acclimated to the weather here, I still found the conditions challenging.

 

[deekaypee]

The mixer starts here on the 'Ohana thread.

'Ohana Monday Mixer

Ah, it's summer. The 4th of July is right around the corner. Summer always strikes me as the time for family vacations and road trips. And I'm sure many of us who are traveling are either participating in races--and to those of you doing events in the summer heat--or we're continuing to train. So...these random thoughts made me think about the challenges of traveling for WISHers, whether traveling to an event or for other reasons.

This week's mixer asks you to share your best tips and strategies for traveling. We're interested in all things related to staying active on the road, from packing your gear to what kind of exercise you prioritize while squeezed for time and in unfamiliar territory.

A sampling of possible questions: What are the must-brings? How much to pack? How to pack your gear--tips and mistakes to avoid? How to best deal with bulky shoes and stinky clothes? What kind of XT do you do while away from home--do you have anything you bring with you?? What about your guidelines for running/walking in areas with which you're unfamiliar?

I'll probably ask a race-specific traveling question closer to January, but tips on race packing are always appreciated. And those of you who are on the road frequently, for business or pleasure, your expertise is much appreciated.

 

[jmasgat]

Richard Congrats on finishing in that blistering heat. It sounds like you were very smart in all your choices, and I think that's as impressive as your results. Pacing is such a hard thing to manage, and you did a good job. Couple that with good nutrition and it's all wonderful!

Maura

 

[wtpclc]

Huge congrats to Richard and Maura! Will be back later with my report. very odd race.

 

[wtpclc]

And now for, the rest of the story……

For the last month, our training has been awful. Not necessarily 100% our fault, but it’s been bad. We saw this local tri and were pretty sure we wanted to go for it. If nothing else, we just needed to add a hard workout and get some transition practice in. Then 2 weeks before the event, I sprained my wrist. So, we didn’t sign up until I knew I’d be ok to swim and ride. Wednesday, we made the call and signed up. From Wed to Friday, the course map changed twice and no mention of that was noted on the website. Grrrr… I’m a little anal about getting lost these days, but what can you do when they keep changing the course????

OK, so we arrive that morning and it seems like a great day to race. A bit windy and chilly but that beats the heck out of too hot for me.

Here’s the transition and Scott setting up.

We scoped out the immediate area pre-race and the hills up from the beach did not look fun. Here’s the first one. A sand path through the dune grass.

Then we had grass and then up another sandy hill. Ugh.

Oh well, we’ll deal with it. The 2nd hill had a lot of sticks though and that concerned us a bit.

Then, we headed to the beach to start. It really was quite a nice park.

We finished setting up. I redid my helmet and gloves a thousand times, but finally had a setup I was pleased with. Then, it was off to the beach for pre-race meeting.

So, finally, it was time to start. It was chilly down on the beach, but I knew the water was warmer than the air, so it’d feel good to get in at least. Had a lot of shallow until we could swim,but I finally dove in. With all the swimming I’d been doing I couldn’t wait to put it to use. Did about 10 strokes, focusing on not going too fast and running out of breath and then sighted. Could nto make myself go back in. I was already out of breath. Ugh. Breast stroke, side stroke, back to crawl. Did it for a while, but it just wasn’t working for me. WTH? OK, almost ot the first bouy and was already last. On the bright side, the long course people would be lapping me so I wouldn’t be all alone. Guy in Kayak asks if I’m ok. “Yeha, I’m fine. Just really slow.” Ugh.

About ¼ of the way through and I’m getting lapped. Oh joy. Still struggling to do the crawl. Really, I’d just about given up. Oh, and I got a cramp. I never get that. Didn’t do anything different. WTH? Plus, I’d had to pee since before the pre-race meeting and couldn’t. Grrr… I can’t go while moving. Not like I was going that fast, but still wasn’t happening. Ugh. Just hoping I could make the whole race, as I did not need to add a potty stop to my slow time. How the heck will I do twice this distance in 2 months??????

Oh and then my goggle started to leak. Finally, made the last turn and had about ¼ to go. Now, there’’s only about 12 long racers behind me. Swell. Here I thought I was doing so much better. Made up my mind to do the crawl again. Just couldn’t get the core to go. So, I was one-sided and started going off course. Ugh. I finally finished and had about 6 long course people behind me. Hadn’t seen a short course person in who knows how long. 

As I take off my goggles, it gets better. The leak seems tto have washed out a contact. Checked inside my goggles, nothing. Feeling my eye, nothing. OK, not only do I suck, I’m going to spend the rest of the race blind in one eye. This should be fun on the bike. The road was not in great shape, so no a good sign.

Run up the first hill. Still checking my eye dreaming of my contact coming back. Why did I not pack a mirror for transition?????? Ran about half way up the next one and said forget it. I walked up the rest and jogged into transition.

By this point, I really don’t care how fast T1 is. It really doesn’t matter. Girl next to me is in the long course and says she’s wishing she was done. I said it could be worse, you could have been this slow and only finished the short course. Oh, darn. Forgot to lap my watch. That’s ok. Not like I wanted to know how slow I was anyway.

Yeah, I was having a pitty party for myself. The inside band of my chip bad had come loose. Yeah, wish I hadn’t chosen not to pin it. It’s full of sand, so I dump that in the bucket. Wash off my feet and such, put on my helmet. Mirror fall off. Guess it will stay behind. Go to put my gloves on and one is gone. Not under the bike. Not anyway., Spent quite some time searching and decided to give up. Got the bike down and it was on the ground. Must have been on a pedal or something. Ugh. Can I just say uncle and be done? No. I’m a WISHer. We don’t do that.

So, hop on my bike, riding with 1 eye. Lovely. The girl next to me in transition (who, BTW, had a little Mermaid towel, very cool) was giving me some kind of encouragement. Yeah, I’m in the BMZ and having a pity party. I wasn’t rude, but should have just said thanks and shut my mouth instead of whining.

Get on the bike and grab my Gu. Swell, my race belt is upside down. At least I didn’t dump everything out, I guess. Finish my Gu, can’t get my pocket open for the empty pack. Could not find a place to put it so shoved it down my skirt. Nice, now my hands are stickey too. A few blocks further, I notice my belt is crooked, grab it to straighten and rip the number. Geez! Stop and grab a pin and pi it. From now on, it will be pinned in the center to avoid stopping my bike or running backwards through crowds. OK, back on bike. Oh, am I supposed to be racing? Hmm, I think there may still be a long course person or 2 behind me. Yay.

OK, time to get in the zone and go. My first 2 miles are absolutely pitiful. But wait…..I can now see out of both eyes. Woo hoo! Still, this kind o f stinks. Of course, the first half is against the wind. So, I’ll accept what I get and then really go hard when I have the wind at my back. Still, I was totally out of it. Couldn’t remember where I was, at what mile marker we split. OMG, I’m so far behind, will I get sent on the long course and not realize? Will this day ever end? Will Scott panic when he doesn’t see me on the out and back? Why do I do these things? I wish I had tunes. Being out here by yourself stinks.

OK, made it through the split to the out and back. 1 mmiore mile and the wind is at my back and I should get some downhills. So far, we only had one decent downhill and lots of up. Of course the road near the bottom of the downhill was in really bad shape, so I took it extra slow. Ugh.

On the out and back, at least I saw people. Others were so friendly and encouraging. That was really nice. Did much better the second half. Sadly, there were 2 spots where the road was torn up. They had carpet about 18” wide to cross. Not bad, but still had to really cut back the speed.

Finally, about a mile from the end I see Scott on the run. Oh, his WISH shirt was such a beacon of happiness for me. There was a great volunteer too who was cheering for the bikers (oh, that’s just me) and the runners. I really did well the last mile. Didn’t make up for the first 5, though.

So, Time to run. Leaving T2, they said waster was to the right, run to the left. No problem. I pack my own water. So, go for the run and take out my Gu. Oh, the race belt is till upside down. Oh well. Finish my Gu and realize that I decided not to carry my water because it’s only a 5K. I know have 1.5 miles to go before I can wash it down. Lovely. I still started out really well, though. Woo hoo! Maybe I can at least end on a positive note. However, I had no focus at all. Really wished I had tunes. The streets were empty and my body just slowed down with no focus and no inspiration. Then, I see this guy mowing his lawn with a push mower. He sees me. Puts the mower on the sidewalk (I was on the road) and stops it. Then, he starts cheering. I almost cried. How incredibly nice was that. Sadly, the high from that didn’t last long.

I kept chugging along, but it’s just so hard on empty roads. Oh, and I got a cramp again. This time I think it’s from not having any water. Just Cytomax on the bike and Heed at the water stop. Must put water on my bike in the future too. OK, my time is pitiful. I just want to be done. It ended on a good half mile straight away. That’s hard for me, as I want to sprint when I see the finish, but that’s too far to go that fast. Oh, and it was as light uphill. Scott met me with about ¼ mile to go. I really wish he wouldn’t run with me. Don’t know why, but it feels wrong. Oh well, at least I’m close and I know he wants to help. (He actually asked later if it was ok to run with me. Being the whimp I am, I said yes. Why hurt his feelings) Anyway, so I finish. Yay for being done.

While I was not happy, it was mostly with myself for not pushing because I felt sorry for myself. On the bright side, I learned a lot and that’s good. The biggest lesson was that I cannot blow off any more training. I really needed that lesson. And, here’s the irony:

1. When we checked results, I had my best swim ever. The field was just that much faster than I had seen before. Had I checked my watch, I would have known. While running, I came up with a new definition for Triathlon. Three chances to screw up a race. Had I just let it go after the swim and done the same after the bike, I could have PR’d the bike and done better on the run. Another lesson learned.

2. While you may be last on the course, you never know what the true story is. As it was, there was only 1 other Athena and no one else in my age group. So, I got 2 medals. (I know, I should have only gotten 1, but the last person in the long course got 2 for the same thing too). So, while I knew I was dead last, I would have felt a lot better getting those medals if I knew I had given it my all. You just can’t give up on yourself.

3. Did anyone notice that my mirror fell off my helmet in T1? Did anyone put together that I wanted a mirror to check for my contact? I didn’t even think of that until last night when I unpacked my mirror. OMG. My mind was just not there. So, as much as you need the physical training, you really have to turn on the mental focus. That really proves how I just really gave up after the swim

So, many lessons learned and I got a good work out in. The race really was nice and there was even a cook out after. Very nice day. I do like how tri’s are more of an event than just coming and showing up for the race. And now, I know what my focus has to be.

PS - Because I felt bad about not being nice to the girl next to me at T1, we amde sure we cheered for her at teh beginning adn end of the run. She was really nice adn told me tha ther first race started with a 300 swim. That felt so long hta tshe wanted ot kiss the ground when she finished. SO, there's hope for me yet.

 

[tiberius]

Outstanding report and a great job, Carrie!!
You give a good reminder why we should always give a good effort, even if we don't think we are at our best.
Congratulations on the award winning race!




I have posted a full report of my own tri (including photos) to my blog which is linked in my signature if anyone would like to see it.

 

[jmasgat]

Carrie I am so damn proud of you! I have yet to experience what I consider true, flat out difficulty in my very short race career. I know I'm due, and I also know that I will probably fold under the pressure. But you never do. You make it through, you race for yourself and you get it done.

And your comment..."So, as much as you need the physical training, you really have to turn on the mental focus." is so true. I thought the tri was mentally tougher than running a 1/2 marathon. So many more things to concentrate on, trying not to worry about what just happened, and think about what's ahead.

You did great. Good luck in prep for your next one.

Maura

 

[Cindylou]

Carrie: What a great race report. Even though you might be a bit embarrased to admit you gave in mentally, it's a good lesson to many of us. It really will help me a lot in my upcoming race. I cannot believe the number of things that didn't go right in your race. Great job to you for not just walking off the course.

Richard: Great job with your race. The conditions sounded tough.

Maura: Great job to you too. Any place in your age group is great. I think your time sounds speedy. I hope you are able to enjoy your vacation.

Jeff: Once again I envy the beautiful scenery you enjoy while you train.

I am continuing to train for my Tri on 7/19. I swam in the lake for the first time yesterday. I just couldn't put my face in the water for more than a few strokes. I start to hyperventilate. I'm hoping I can overcome that fear in the next few weeks.

Cindy

 

[wtpclc]

Thanks guys! I posted it here so that people could learn from my mistakes. really, so many of them were trivial, but my mind just would not let go.

Maura - I really think, unless you are having the day I had, tri's make it easier for me to stay mentall focused, as I switch things up a bit and it';s easily brokem into benchmarks. There is a ton to think about, though, adn so many things can go wrong and set you off course, so I do know what you're saying.

Richard - just read your report. Way to go! Passed 3 people in the pool? that's awesome. I hear you ont he u turns. Not that it mattered too much to me, but those slow you down tons. I was by myself, but it really hurt dh. Besides teh turn being tight and ther ebeing no shoulder, teh volunteers were only about 5 feet back from teh cone. Bless them for helping but someone shoudl have told them they needed to be further back. Oh, and bless the people that put hoses and sprinklers out for runners. We have a rac ein August where tehy do that. So wonderful! Great job!

 

[twoWDWfools]

Great report Carrie and for sticking it through!! I agree that the tri gives me more to think about - keeps me mentally occupied more than just a long distance run (where I get bored).

Oh and I don't let Patrick run with me. I know how much he has to slow down and that makes me try to run faster than I should. Safer he cheers.

 

[wtpclc]

Liz - I think he does it because normally (on non-tri races), we run together. For some reason, though, I don't l;ike him doing it after he is done with a tri and coems back. I wouldn't give him up for a million dollars come a marathon, though. We both really help each other with those.

Cindy - I completely forgot to post my reply to you earlier. COme race day, expect teh worst and have a back up plan. OK< that's a bad way of putting it, but I think it would be good for you to be prepared to side stroke or brast stroke iun case you have issues putting your face in teh water come race day. I had 2 poeple do the breast stroke the whole tim ethis weekend and beat me no problem. SO, don't worry if you have to change strokes. that you can get over that fear before, though.

 

[Cindylou]

Thanks for the response Carrie. I really never even thought about doing anything but the crawl either head in or out until I saw your race report. I think I'm going to time myself at the pool to see the time difference in each of the strokes so I can have a back up plan. I keep telling myself that this is a race and I need to just tough it out mentally to get my face in, but it would be nice to have other options. Thanks thanks thanks.
Cindy

 

[mkymsehi]

Uneventful brick workout today.

27 miles on the bike, 2:00:54.

2 miles afterwards, cruising 19:44.