Date: 18 May 2014
Location: Moraine State Park, Pa.
Time: 1:30:00
Overall Rank: 38 out of 97
Age Group Rank: 7 out of 13
Results: http://www.runhigh.com/2014RESULTS/R051814BB.html
I finished this 0.25 mile swim + 13.7 mile bike + 3.1 mile
race in about 1:30. I was ranked 7 out of 13 men in my age group. This ranking
is fairly typical of my previous triathlons; however, given this was a smaller
race, I was hoping to do a bit better relative to my peers. No big deal. In
fact, I am very happy about this race because it was unusually challenging in
several ways.
First, I had been mildly alarmed about this triathlon for a
couple months due to the expected water temperature of Lake Arthur. It turns
out I was right that the lake would be colder than anything I have ever swam
in, but I was wrong to be alarmed. The water temperature reported by the race
director was 60 degrees. My wetsuit handled that without any difficulty; I am
so relieved that I was not thrown into hypothermia during or after the swim!
Also, note to self—the neoprene booties I brought to wear during my swim were
not necessary to keep my feet warm and they would have slowed my swim given how
much water they absorbed; I am glad I left them on the beach before the start.
Second, the air temperature at the 9:30 start time was in
the mid 40s. This had the potential to complicate and delay my transition times
because I would need to wear extra layers. I imagined getting out of a cold
lake and immediately starting to shiver violently as the water evaporated from
me during the bike ride. This did not happen at all. I chose my wardrobe
perfectly. I wore the full length wetsuit, and this kept me warm even out of
the water as I made my way to T1. There, I peeled off the wetsuit to expose my
singlet triathlon suit. The triathlon suit has no sleeves and it is made of
very thin fabric, so I had earlier put on a long-sleeved UnderArmour shirt
(mostly nylon and elastin) under the tri suit so the cold air during my bike
ride would have less of a bite. This
worked perfectly. I was not cold on the bike segment. In fact, I left my
cycling jacket and long-fingered cycling gloves in T1 because I was not feeling
cold.
Third, the bike segment featured numerous steep climbs. My
bike training so far this spring has been below average compared to other
years, so I am happy that I could still pass a lot of people on the hills. I
really pushed. I pushed so much, in fact, that at mile 4.5 (out of 13.7) I
looked at my odometer to see how far I had gone. Answer: not very far at all!
Some other observations from the race:
- The bike corrals were too crowded. I am fortunate that I staked out an end on the rack, which gave me extra space to set out my gear during transitions.
- The race started half an hour late because the required ambulance crew had not arrived. The race director was overheard giving someone directions on her cell phone. I assumed it was them, and I wondered why an ambulance would need directions. I am glad it was not a real emergency. [It is possible she was giving directions to the pizza delivery guy; see below]
- As my wave of swimmers entered the water, prior to the starting horn, the man in front of me turned around and looked me up and down and said “You look like a swimmer.” I confidently told him he was correct. He got out of my way so I could get out in front. I appreciated that a lot, and it encouraged me to rocket ahead of most of the group as the race started. But alas, I went out too fast, so I got tired halfway through the swim. Then I swallowed a mouthful of water and I simply had to stop for 20 seconds to cough it up while treading water and watching forlornly as a dozen swimmers swam past me. Note to self: You don’t have to prove anything to other people—just yourself. There is no need to swim at an unsustainable pace.
- I was tired and glum getting out of the water so I did not run to T1. Plus, the wetsuit always takes a lot of time to take off. My T1 time was probably super-long.
- The bike ride was tough but went well. There was a racer behind me for a couple miles. He was trying to pass me, but he just couldn’t do it for a while. I pushed a little harder to keep him trailing me, but ultimately, that cost me. I must have slowed down a bit and he passed me.
- I felt pretty good at T2 but as soon as I started to run, my lower back and hamstrings felt stiff and painful. During the first half mile (or more), my calves were seizing. This happens on nearly every triathlon, so I must do more ‘brick’ training (bike + run). As always, the first half of the run seemed to take forever, and then the second half seemed faster. At mile 3.0 I tried to run faster (aka sprint to the finish), but I really couldn’t.
- Dan was there to greet me and I am honored that he would spend a few hours of his weekend to drive up and watch me and Shannan do this race.
- The food provided to the racers was the best I have ever had in 3 years of doing triathlons. There was hot pizza, homemade pasta, chips, homemade cookies, watermelon, grapes, apples, goldfish crackers, and cinnamon bread. In fact, the race director’s husband’s family owns a bakery so they gave us all a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread to take home.
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| Wetsuits were definitely required for the 60-degree water. |
