Mighty Moraine Man Sprint Triathlon

Race: Mighty Moraine Man Sprint Triathlon
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:

1.  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.
2. 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]
3.  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.
4.  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.
5. 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.
6.  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.
7.  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.



Wetsuits were definitely required for the 60-degree water.

8. 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.