My 6th annual Presque Isle Triathlon

Race: Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon

Date: August 26, 2018

Location: Erie, PA

Time: 1:22:29

Overall Rank: 62 out of 247

Age Group Rank: 7 out of 18

Results: http:

 

As always, my race report is too long. For those with limited interest, just know that I had one of my best performances at the Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon in recent years, and I had fun. For those of you who care more, read on!

 

This was my 6th time racing at Presque Isle State Park. I finished the course in 1:22:29, coming in 7th in my age group (of 18) and 62nd place overall (of 247). The course this year was in a different part of the park so it is hard to compare this year’s results with previous ones, but 62nd place is the best I’ve ever finished. Interestingly, my best segment was the 12.5 mile bike ride, in which I came in 54th place (finishing in 36:39, my average speed was 20.4 mph), but my swim segment was not far off (58th place, finishing 775 yards in 14:43). My running segments have never been my strong suit but I actually had a solid performance today, running 3.1 miles in 25:29 at a pace of 8:02 miles/min. This was the 73rd fastest run among the 247 competitors, and it was by far the fastest running pace I have ever had during a triathlon.

 

Observers report that my transition times were slow. It takes considerable time for me to strip off my wetsuit in T1, and I admit to spending an extra 10 seconds to my T2 today, as I chose to walk from where my bike was racked to the transition zone exit where the run course began. I didn’t think my transition times were any worse than normal, but it’s definitely true that I was slow compared to my friend Dan. Dan’s finish time was 66 seconds faster than mine; he placed 5th in our age group. This is typical, as he has always beaten me, and I admire him for that. The funny thing is that his success over me was not necessarily in the way I expected it. He out-performed me by 22 seconds in the swim, 54 seconds in T1, 8 seconds on the bike, and 35 seconds in T2. All of this is typical. However, I had a faster run by 53 seconds (not typical). If my transition times were equal to his, I would have beaten him by 23 seconds. So my friends, this is a great reminder that transitions during the triathlon count, and a race can be won or lost because of them. We shall not speak of my transition times again.

 

Besides all these statistics, I want to say this was a fun race. The weather was beautiful. The swim was in Lake Erie at Beach 10. The swim was a wave start, and I positioned myself with 3 or 4 rows of swimmers ahead of me in the middle of the pack. I didn’t really plan it that way, but after the race began and I found myself with kicking feet in my face and swimmers crowding me from both sides, I figured this was great practice for my upcoming Ironman, where the swim course will be populated with 2000 swimmers all at once. I didn’t panic and I didn’t even get frustrated. I just swam left or right to find a hole between swimmers. I drifted to the outside, away from the buoys. I probably swam a farther distance than I had to, but with water clearer of competitors, I could relax. Indeed, I didn’t swim at top speed. Maybe I was thinking about my longer Ironman swim (going slower means I can swim longer…), but honestly I just wanted to feel comfortable. That strategy doesn’t win races, but it does preserve the fun.

 

I started the bike segment using my typical strategy of maintaining a pedal cadence of 80-100 rounds per minute. With this, my speedometer hovered around 19 mph. About a third of the way through my ride, though, I began to second-guess this strategy. Science shows that at a cadence of 80-100 rpm, a cyclist is at the peak of energy efficiency. Just like a car, if one has high efficiency, one can go more miles using the same amount of energy (food for the body, or fuel for a car). But this was a sprint race! I’d be finished in less than an hour and a half, and I have trained my body to exercise for a lot longer than that. It therefore didn’t matter if I was burning fuel a little less efficiently, because it didn’t need to last that long. With this eureka moment, I shifted into a higher gear and pedaled at a lower cadence. This pushed me into the 21-22 mph range. I stayed aero for the whole race and tried to concentrate on making my pedal stroke smooth (if slower), and to keep my toes pointed forward at all times. This is something I’m not yet in the habit of doing all the time, but I am working on it. This foot position puts more force into each stroke and I can literally feel the bike thrust forward when I do it.

 

The bike segment featured unprecedented wind off the bay. There were wind gusts that pushed me from side to side, and I don’t remember ever being exposed to that condition before. Nearly all the wind was perpendicular to my direction of movement, so I wasn’t slowed down too much. Even during the higher gusts, my speed only dropped to 18 mph.

 

Running straight off the bike always feels strange, and today was no exception. I am so glad I have a GPS watch now, because it can tell me my running pace at any given moment. I was initially running at a pace of 7:45 miles/min. I knew this was not sustainable for me, so I tried to slow down. The key word here is “try,” because I only had limited success. I felt like I was running down a hill (I wasn’t) and putting on the brakes wasn’t having much effect. After about a mile, I got to an 8:10 pace and kept it there. I was working hard, my legs hurt, my breathing was labored, and my heart monitor tells me I was at the top of my range. Exactly right. This is what it should feel like toward the end of a race. At age 43, I don’t know how much faster I can train my body to be in swimming, cycling, and running. However, after 7 years of doing triathlons, I feel my experience allows me to race smarter. I know my limits and I know how much to push on any given day. Let’s just not mention those transitions. I want to end this report on a positive note.

Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon

Race: Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon
Date: August 20, 2016
Location: Presque Isle, PA
Time:
Overall Rank: 60 out of 367
Age Group Rank: 5 out of 19
Results: http:

Race Report for the 2016 Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon. Read all about it if you care! 

SWIM: Today's race was under really great weather conditions; both the air and water temperatures were in the upper 70s. Despite the reasonable temperatures and clear skies, there was somehow quite a chop in the bay water where we swam, and that presented a challenge during the swim to the first buoy. At the start, I positioned myself at the front on the right side, just as in past years. This worked really well, as I was able to avoid the crowd of less-able swimmers in the middle and rear of the wave. The choppy water was a challenge but I've swam in worse. Nevertheless, I still had to battle myself in that I was swimming too hard to get out ahead of everyone, and consequently I was out of breath and didn't concentrate on maintaining good rhythm. Curving around the first buoy, the waves were less and I was farther away from other swimmers so I got into a better rhythm. I drifted a little off course to the right, but nothing serious. Starting at the second buoy, on my way back to the beach, I started to encounter large numbers of swimmers from earlier waves. These were the weaker/slower swimmers from the younger age groups that started first. I bumped into one who was treading water, and she said "sorry!" I've never had anyone talk to me during a swim segment before, and I laughed in my head that that would even occur.

I finished the 585-yard swim in 13:11, which was 4th place in my gender+age group of 19 swimmers. I had the 60th fastest time overall, out of 367 competitors.

BIKE: I felt like I swam pretty well at the time, but looking back, I really wasn't as tired as I should have been. That might explain why I felt strong and fast on the bike segment. I passed lots and lots of people, and was passed by maybe a dozen at the most. I was maintaining a speed of 21-22mph during the first 4 miles and I remember questioning myself whether or not I should take it down a bit in order to preserve my legs for the run. I decided against that, knowing that with all my training I was in good shape and could probably still run well. So I kept the pace at my maximum output for the duration of the bike segment. I noticed that my legs got tired after a bit in the aero position so I switched around between arms forward on the aero bars to the handlebar drops to the handlebar hoods. I was surprised to find that my speed was just as fast when my hands were on the hoods as in any other position, but this may simply due to the temporary leg muscle relief the hoods provided.

I finished the 12.5 mile bike segment 5th in my gender age group and 64th overall. I have done this same race in 4 previous years so I can see how much improvement has occurred in my bike performance since 2012. Um, not much. I had a faster bike segment in 2014 (35:50), and my time in 2016 was only 2:03 faster than my slowest time of 38:07 in 2013.

RUN: My typical behavior in a triathlon of any length is to expend too much energy in the swim and bike segments and then suffer during the run. Today was not like that. I dismounted from my bike, changed my shoes, grabbed a GU, and started running at a fairly brisk pace without too much discomfort. In fact, I started passing people on the run and this was an unusual situation! I again made an assessment about whether or not my pace was too fast. It felt too fast, but I decided to push myself and keep it going. I've got an Ironman race coming up and I needed to prove to myself that I was prepared for that upcoming event. Anyway, it seemed to take a long time to get to the turn-around point, but I finally made it. As I ran back to the finish line, I concentrated on people-watching, looking at the facial expressions of folks as they passed me going the other way, plus admiring all the different triathlon suits they were wearing, plus looking at all the tattoos people had. This kept my mind occupied. There was one man with elaborate tattoos on his arm and shoulder that I passed once or twice, and he passed me once or twice. We had about the same pace, so I started up a conversation. This helped both of us immensely. At first, he was pushing me to go faster, and then toward the finish he seemed to need me to pull him along.

With his help, I had a strong finish (for me). I finished the run 4th in my gender age group and 75th overall. This year's performance was my best in 5 years of doing this race. I was 35 seconds faster than in 2014, which was my previous best time.

Combining the swim, bike, run, and transition times, I finished the entire race in 1:21.38, which was 5th (out of 19; top 26%) in my gender age group and 60th (of 367; top 16%) overall. I feel great about the race and had a lot of fun. This was Shannan's first race at Presque Isle and she had great fun, too. I am now about 22 days away from my Ironman and I feel very prepared and know I'll have fun that day, too. This was a good thing to do just before my big race, since it has bolstered my confidence.

Wilmerding Indoor Triathlon

Race: Wilmerding YMCA Indoor Tri
Date: April 3, 2016
Location: Wilmerding, PA
Time:
Overall Rank: X out of XX
Age Group Rank: X out of X
Results: http:

The race started with the time it took on the treadmill to go 1.5 miles. I ran it in 11:09: Bumped the treadmill up to 8.3 mph. I don't think I've gone that fast before. Whoa, maybe I should get out more!!

Then I jumped on the exercise bike and went 5 miles in 14:09: I'm not sure I like those fancy bikes at the YMCA....I found it a lot different from my road bike, and even my indoor trainer.

Then I ended with a swim of 200 yards in 2:31: I went really fast at the start and then by the last lap I was really struggling. Fortunately, I was in the first heat and no one else had gotten to the pool yet, so no one saw me struggle. But now YOU know!

Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon

Race: Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon
Date: August 23, 2015
Location: Erie, PA
Time:
Overall Rank: X out of XX
Age Group Rank: X out of X
Results: http:

My first and only triathlon for 2015 is in the books. I went up to Erie with Daniel Pruzinsky to compete in the Presque Isle Triathlon. This was the 4th time we've done this race. The day was absolutely perfect for racing: clear skies, air temperature in the upper 60s, calm wind, flat water. About 30 min before the start of the race, I had what i thought would be a good omen. A green tree frog the size of a fingernail fell onto my head and then onto my arm, and just sat there, grinning, for 10 minutes while I admired it, showed it to people, talked gently to it, and then walked it to a safe place out of the way of the race course. This soothed my mood and made me happy. Later, we entered the water and started the swim. I took off very fast and felt really good during the first third of the swim (total length = 616 yards). However, after rounding the first buoy I began to lose my breath. The wet suit can be constrictive and the colder water temperature (74 degrees) didn't help. I lost my cool and stopped swimming for about a minute. I treaded water and watched half my age group swim past me in their green swim caps. A life guard in a kayak asked if I needed assistance and I shook my head. I just had to catch my breath and push past the mental inertia of staying put. I began swimming again, but stopped a couple more times for shorter periods to calm down. I don't know what happened to me there in the water, but I had started out feeling so good and now I was feeling lost and defeated. Sports performance of all kinds is dependent on a combination of mental and physical preparedness. I think what happened here is that I knew deep down that I was not physically prepared for this swim, but in the first few minutes of the swim I was making use of several years' worth of experience to mentally get through it. Eventually, my mind realized that despite "feeling good," my body was not trained for this swim, and then I panicked and stopped swimming. You see, I have only swum 7 miles within the last 5 months. Before I got busy moving into a new house and getting married, I was averaging 10 miles of swimming per month. OK, so with my swim over, I psyched myself up for the bike ride and did well. I averaged 21.6 mph on the bike during the 13-mile loop. Then I ran 3.5 miles at a 8:37 minute/mile pace. My bike performance was slightly down from 21.8 mph last year, but was still quite reasonable for a lack of training (only 24 miles in the last 2 months, compared to a typical level of 100 miles per month). My run was satisfactory. It was slower than last year but not by too much. I actually have been doing a lot of running lately, and I just set a personal best in a 5K a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, my disappointing swim was still in the back of my mind and there was little reason to push myself harder during the run segment. I always sound a little negative about my races when I write about them, but all is well. I finished 10th out of 20 in my age group and 94th out of 378 competitors. This is great for being so out of shape, coming off a wedding and honeymoon, and recovering from a head cold. I had a lot of fun and I am enthusiastic about beginning earnest training for next year's races.

Presque Isle Triathlon 2014

Race: Sprint Triathlon

Date: August 23, 2014

Location: Erie, Pa.

Time: 1:19:21.45

Overall Rank: 69 out of 355

Age Group Rank: 9 out of 24
Results: http:

This was my third triathlon of the season and it was a good one. This was also the third time in as many years that I did this particular race, and I have improved each year. In 2012 I finished in 1:24:47.10; in 2013, I finished in 1:24:13.45; and this year I finished almost 5 minutes faster in 1:19:21.45.

SWIM segment, 616 yards

Time: 10:44.15

Age Group Rank: 5 out of 24

Overall Rank: 45 out of 355

Compared to last year, I improved my time by 21%, finishing 2:50 faster. Water conditions were different this year, so maybe some of this apparent improvement had more to do with external circumstances. Indeed, when I look at my rank compared to other swimmers, I was in the top 13% this year, but last year I was in the top 11%. These data suggest that, on average, most swimmers enjoyed a faster swim this year, and my improvement was not as great as that of the average. I did not feel the water conditions were too bad. Nevertheless, the race director decided to change the swim direction on the route (from counter-clockwise to clockwise around three buoys) because of “water currents” that made swimming in the opposite direction more hazardous (somehow). Water temperature was 71 degrees.

The swim segment was an in-water wave start, meaning groups of about 50 swimmers started in the water all at once. The entry into the water was disorganized and I was too far back in the line to get near the front of the group. As my friend Dan and I treaded water and waited for the starting signal, I had some opportunity to find my way to the front of the group but decided not to take it. The wind and water currents were pushing the whole group of would-be swimmers away from shore and the front half of men treading water were already past the starting buoy. If I had made my way to the front of the group I would have felt like a cheater. I’m sure the men who started ahead of the starting buoy were not intending to cheat, but if I had made any purposeful forward progress in the water past that buoy before the official start time, I would have received an advantage I didn’t feel I deserved. I stayed in the middle of the group and consequently had to navigate through a human mass of flailing arms and legs after the starting signal.

Almost immediately, I started to see lifeguards in the water with their red flotation devices and 1-2 swimmers hanging onto each. There was a rescue kayak to swim around, and numerous swimmers who had stopped in the middle of the course just to get their bearings in choppy water. Somebody was doing the backstroke. I assume this person started out doing freestyle and lost their nerve. It is more comfortable to swim backstroke in a bay because you can breathe more easily and you don’t have your face in cold, dark, and murky water. But you also can’t navigate, and you run into people. In sum, there was chaos in the water all around me and I just kept my calm and swam through it as fast as I could. By the time I got to the first turn, I had very few competitors nearby and I was able to concentrate on my race strategy: long, strong arm strokes.  

T1 TRANSITION

My transition time between swim and bike was 2:00.2, which was 20 seconds faster than last year, and ranked me 9 out of 24 in my age group. The time savings is probably due to my triathlon suit, worn beneath my wetsuit. I did not have a triathlon suit last year; instead, I had to put a biking shirt on over wet skin, and that is hard to do quickly. Today I was worried about shedding my wetsuit because I had a deep cut on my shin from a bike incident a few days before. It hurt a lot as I put the wetsuit on before the race, but it didn’t hurt taking it off.

BIKE segment, 13 miles

Time: 38:06.75

Age Group Rank: 9 out of 24

I improved my time over last year by a little more than 2 minutes, or 6%. My average speed was 21.8 mph on this very flat course around the peninsula. Part of me is pleased with this improvement, but another part of me is surprised it wasn’t a greater improvement. I expected more improvement because in 2013, my brake pad was rubbing on my wheel during the race, and in 2014, I have been doing more bike training. I also invested in a set of aerobars and I stayed in aero position for the entire race today. However, my bike training has concentrated on longer distance rides with more hill climbing. I never maintain a 21.8 mph pace during training. In fact, I was not pedaling in my biggest gear during this race. I shift gears based on pedal cadence, and I was staying within the most efficient range of cadences (80-100 rpm) without being in my largest gear. I have the potential to go much faster if I can strengthen my leg muscles to pedal in my largest gear while still maintaining a fast cadence.

There was a lot of wind on the course (as usual), especially on the bay side of the peninsula. I watched my average speed drop from 22 mph to 18 mph during the last couple miles of the ride as wind blasted me from the right side. Using aerobars will provide no improvement in speed when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the direction of travel.

I could have pushed myself harder during the bike segment, but there is always a little voice inside me that tells me I have to save some of my effort for the run. I know this is not often the best strategy, but it worked fairly well today.

T2 TRANSITION

My transition time between bike and run was 59.65, about 27 seconds faster than last year. I am not sure what caused me to be faster.

RUN segment, 3.5 miles

Time: 29:47.25   

Age Group Rank: 14 out of 24

I ran this segment 69 seconds faster this year compared to last, but only 17 seconds faster than in 2012. I really need to work on this next year. My running pace was 8:31 min/mile; in just a simple 5K running race, I can go below 8:00. Today, my calf muscles felt tight for the first mile but they didn’t cramp up. I ate some “energy beans” and felt better. I also avoided most of the water stations. In my last race two weeks ago, I was feeling nauseated during the run, and I think maybe I was over-hydrating then. My stomach felt better today until the last 0.4 miles when the course goes into a grove of trees and I quickened my pace. I knew I was close to finishing and could afford to push more. Just before doing so, I had been running just a few steps in front of a man who was breathing hard. He would clear his throat every 12 breaths. Yes, I began to count and look for a pattern. Breathe-breathe-breathe…a-hem! Breathe-breathe-breathe…a-hem! It was remarkable how regular he was doing this and I wondered if he was aware of this habit. My question was answered at the end of the race when he found me in the crowd and apologized for all his noise. He simply had some phlegm and he couldn’t dislodge it. He wanted me to know that he doesn’t have an odd habit at all! How funny that he would be so self-conscious to apologize to me. On the other hand, it makes me feel good to know that I had a running companion that must have been studying the back of my head as I considered what was coming out the front of his own! He was one of several bikers and runners with whom I shared passing moments, both literally and figuratively. We are all in the same struggles of life together, even if we go at our own pace. 

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.

Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon 2013

Race: Sprint Triathlon
Date: August 24, 2013
Location: Erie, Pa.
Time: 1:24:13.45
Overall Rank: 111 out of 370
Age Group Rank: 16 out of 29
Results: http://runhigh.com/2013RESULTS/R082413GA/AgeGroups.htm

This was my fourth triathlon of the season and I have one more in two weeks. This one went fine but it was another mediocre or ordinary experience for me, as I improved my time compared to last year’s race by just 34 seconds. That amount of improvement is not satisfying given the more intense training I’ve done this year. However, it’s still an improvement and I did quite well considering my month of August has featured a lot of traveling and stress at work.  I recall saying last time that I was not worried much about being slow in transition zones, but with this race, I can see that I could save a minute or two by having faster transitions, and that would at least make me feel better about my overall time, even if I had no measurable improvement in the actual swimming, cycling, and running. I will have to consider how to speed things up in all areas next year!
 

SWIM segment, 640 yards

Time: 13:34.10
Age Group Rank: 2 out of 29
Overall Rank: 39 out of 370

If I can celebrate anything with this race, it was the swim. Compared to last year, I improved my time by 17%, finishing 2:16 faster. When I look at the overall results, I was ranked #39 out of 370 competitors. That’s an incredible feeling, knowing I was faster than almost 90% of the field. I attribute this to better sighting (swimming more in a straight line to minimize overall distance covered), a stronger stroke (I have increased my speed over the last year), and my new wetsuit (no wetsuit last year). The wetsuit not only provides warmth in 74-degree water, but it also increases buoyancy in the torso and legs, which helps the swimmer reduce drag. The water was somewhat choppy. It was also filled with seaweed that got in my mouth sometimes! The swimmers were released in “waves” according to their reported confidence in open-water swimming. I was supposed to respond to an email a few weeks ago asking me about my confidence, but I have been on several trips and didn’t read the email until the day before the race. Therefore, I was placed in the fourth of five waves, which ended up being composed of less-confident swimmers. The same thing happened to my friend Dan, so we positioned ourselves up front and soon got ahead of our group. We had a few minutes of time in the water without other swimmers around, and then we started encountering the waves of swimmers ahead of us. Traffic jam! I feel like I was fighting these swimmers for the rest of the race, often coming into bodily contact with them. I have lost my fear of being hit y someone, and I just try to plow through the human mass as best I can. It’s not fun, but I think I do it pretty well.

T1 TRANSITION

My transition time between swim and bike was 2:25.20, which was just a fraction of a second faster than last year. This is significant, since last year I was not wearing a wetsuit and this year I was. It takes a bit of time to pull the wetsuit off, so I am happy to see that it didn’t slow me down at all. I should still work on being faster, though, as I was ranked 25 out of 29 in my age group.

BIKE segment, 13 miles

Time: 38:06.75
Age Group Rank: 19 out of 29

Here is the big surprise. I finished this segment around a minute slower this year compared to last year. Cycling is my strongest sport and my goal was to burn rubber on the road. Dan and I were evenly matched on the swim, so he was just a couple bikes ahead when I started the cycling segment. He increased his lead almost immediately. Several things worked against me. First, I was last on my road bike two weeks ago, doing the North Park triathlon. My legs did not feel strong, then or now. Second, and more acutely, I was out of breath when I started the ride. I don’t remember having this issue before. Third, I experienced a mild stomach cramp almost as soon as I started riding. Fourth, my front wheel began rubbing one of my brake pads. When I noticed this, I slowed down and attempted to adjust the brake pad with my hands with no success. I thought about stopping to take off the front wheel and then re-install it. But I knew if I stopped to service my bike I would lose valuable time. So I just kept going. At some point I figured the rim would wear away enough of my brake pad that it would stop causing friction. I assumed that happened, because after a couple minutes I forgot about the problem. After the race, as we were walking our bikes back to the car, Dan said “what’s that noise?” and I saw the issue had not been resolved. So, it appears I raced the whole time with a misaligned wheel or brake pad, and that could certainly be a cause for my slower performance this year. I really hate to blame it on a mechanical issue, though. I was not in top condition. That is still a big reason why I rode slower than expected.

 

T2 TRANSITION

My transition time between bike and run was 1:27.10, more than 17 seconds faster than last year. I would have gone even faster, but I was super thirsty after my bike ride and paused to take several squirts of water from my water bottle. Maybe I should have loaded my bike with a water bottle instead of keeping it in the transition zone. For sprint-length races, I keep it in transition because the bike segment isn’t long enough to require me to drink. At least, that is how I reasoned it. But next time I will take water with me. It doesn’t weight that much.

RUN segment, 3.5 miles

Time: 30:56.30

Age Group Rank: 21 out of 29

I ran this segment 46 seconds slower this year. I am really disappointed in that, because I actually felt like I was running fast. However, it took a mile of running to feel that way. I had to run my first mile at a very slow pace because my calves were starting to cramp. When I feel that happen, I just slow down and give them a chance to adjust; else they go into a full cramp and force me to quit completely. This must-avoid-the-cramp period must have gone on longer than I thought. Eventually, I was running at a good quick pace and was passing a lot of people in the last mile.

To sum up, I swam faster and improved my transitions. Then I got tired and couldn’t ride my bike or run as fast as I wanted. I still beat my old time, so all is well, and I look forward to this race again.

Penn Trafford Recreation Commission Triathlon

Race: sprint triathlon
Date: 15 June 2013
Location: Penn Township, PA
Time: 1:08:51.2
Overall Rank: 123 out of 202
Age Group Rank: 4 out of 13
Results: http://smileymiles.com/2013/RES13%20PENN%20TRAFFORD%20TRIATHLON.htm

PTARC Sprint Triathlon 2013.
Yesterday's triathlon was my 6th solo race in my triathlon "career." Back in 2011, this PTARC triathlon was my first. So now I can compare the two races to gauge my improvement in the last two years. The event included a swim of 200 yards in a pool followed by an 11-mile bike ride followed by a 5K run. Yesterday I finished in 1:08:51.2 which was 10:27 faster than I did in 2011 (a 15% improvement). Yesterday I came in 4th out of 13 in my age group; in 2011, I was 13 out of 13.

Swimming:
Dan and I shared a lane for the event. He quickly passed me but I stayed fairly close behind him the whole time. I am not used to sharing a lane with anyone so I find it distracting. I am thinking more about my position in the lane than about the quality or speed of my swim stroke. A separate issue is the flip-turn. I don't have a lot of control about where I end up in the lane after a flip-turn, so instead of fishtailing around in the lane behind Dan I just did open turns. I didn't feel good about the swim.

T1 transition went really smooth. I wasn't cold, either, which was a big concern given the temp was in the 50s.

Cycling:
Dan was coasting down the first hill so I passed him almost immediately. He told me later he was unsure about the upcoming intersection and whether the policeman there was saying "stop" or "go." Dan trailed me the whole rest of the bike race. I hardly ever looked back to see where he was, but I knew he was always close. I think I managed my energy really well, as I maintained a quick pace but didn’t burn out too early. There were only two spots in the latter half of the bike course where I coasted for a few seconds in order to rest my legs. My average speed on the course in 2011 was 14.9 mph. In 2013, my average speed was 18.2 mph. Of course, I have a faster bike now than in 2011 but my body is faster, too!

The bike segment was fun because I like to bicycle and I find the course scenic and interesting. One thing that was hard this year was the fact that riders were so spaced out, I had no one in view ahead of me for most of the ride. I had to rely on my internal motivation to keep going fast, rather than push hard due to a competitive wish to beat the person in front of me. Dan was close behind me somewhere, but having a competitor behind you isn’t as motivating as having a competitor in front of you.

I’m trying to resist comparing Dan to a persistent disease that won’t go away—there was always the risk that I would have to “deal” with him again!

Dan finished his ride only seconds behind me. This is significant because it turns out that about 2/3rds into the bike segment, I passed a woman on a mild uphill section of the road. Her steering was shaky, as it gets when you are riding very slow and having trouble maintaining balance. I called ahead and let her know I was about to pass her on the left. I think she was wearing headphones though, so it may be that she never heard me. I gave her about 6 feet of buffer as I passed. I never thought twice about passing her until at the T2 transition, Dan caught up with me and said “that woman you passed? Yeah, she crashed. I stopped to make sure she was OK.” (Her injuries were superficial and she told Dan to go on)

I wondered for the rest of the race whether I had done something wrong. Dan tells me I did not cause her accident. Apparently she lost control after I passed her but not IMMEDIATELY after I passed her. My compliments to Dan for stopping to help. My compliments to him also for catching up to me so fast afterward. He really had to work hard to make up the lost ground. Would he catch me in the run segment?

Running segment:
After the swim and the bike ride, I now had a 5K run. My T2 transition went smoothly, though I look forward to changing my laces to the elastic kind, which will save a few seconds of shoe-tying. I grabbed a GU for a bit of fuel and consumed this slowly during the first mile. I don’t know whether it is a psychological or physiological thing, but in the past this has boosted my energy level and today’s race was no exception. Overall, I ran at an 8:20 min/mile pace and finished this segment in 25:50.2. The race course in 2011 was quite different (easier, in fact), so I can’t compare my times. But looking at my five previous triathlons, this was the fastest pace I have ever run.

I did have to walk a few steps in the first half mile because my calf muscles were cramping. This has been a chronic issue, but not recently. I’ll have to work on that.

So where was Dan? He usually beats me in a run. The cross-country running course double backed on itself in several places, so I could see Dan was just a few seconds behind me throughout the race. He’d catch up at some point, but when? I wanted to stop. I was tired of running and the course wasn’t much fun because it was just looping around ball fields in unmown grass. There was a place where a volunteer called out “almost to Mile 2!” and I thought “darn! I thought Mile 2 was a long time ago.” Eventually the course took us down to the high school track for one quarter-mile circuit. Surely this is where Dan would catch me. I ran in the second lane from the inside, giving him (or anyone else) room to pass. But no one did. Finally, Dan started to make his move. I heard him get closer. I stepped up my speed. Then in the last curve of the track he started to sprint. But since I anticipated that he would do that, I started sprinting as soon as I heard the change in his cadence. It was a stroke of good luck that I was in the second lane from the inside of the track. Dan was attempting to pass me on my left. But as we neared the finish line we saw that the chute that you run through was on the right side of the track! I headed right for it with Dan basically at my left elbow. But there was only space for one to go into the chute and I hit it first. I was actually surprised to see the final race results that put Dan 1.2 seconds behind me. It seemed that he was just a fraction of a second behind me.

Given that he had to stop to assist a cyclist who crashed behind me on the bike course, Dan deserves the 4th place age group finish that I received. But life isn’t fair sometimes, and his loss to me by 1.2 seconds is insignificant enough that I view it as a tie. I will only brag in jest that I beat him.

Presque Isle Triathlon

Race: Sprint Triathlon
Date: August 25, 2012
Location: Erie, Pa.
Time: 1:24:47.10
Overall Rank: 100 out of 356
Age Group Rank: 12 out of 25
Results: http://www.runhigh.com/2012RESULTS/R082512FA/AgeGroups.htm

This was my last triathlon of the season and I had a blast. Not only did I do well athletically but I was in the company of many friends. The location was on a peninsula extending several miles out into Lake Erie from near Erie, Pennsylvania. The date was Saturday, August 25th, which is significant because if I wasn’t doing this with friends, I would have missed the event completely. On my calendar, I had entered August 26th and was not even aware of my mistake until the afternoon before the race! Good thing I still had time to eat a big dinner and start drinking a lot of water to manage my hydration.

SWIM segment, 640 yards
Time: 13:34.10
Age Group Rank: 7 out of 25

The swim course was laid out as a 640-yard triangular course in Presque Isle Bay. This shallow body of water is located between the peninsula and the mainland, so it was supposed to be warmer and calmer water than if we were swimming on the Lake-facing side. Key phrase here is “supposed to be.” The wind was stiff (14mph gusting to 18mph) and the waves were significant (for swimming). Water temperature seemed to be in the mid 70s, which wasn’t too bad. However, the water was murky with visibility measured in inches and there was some floating, stringy seaweed. Except for the challenging wave action, I have swum in these conditions before. But one more thing made the swim a challenge: the swim was run as a time-trial start in alphabetical order of the swimmers’ last names. This means a slow swimmer with a last name starting with ‘A’ would be quickly overtaken by a faster swimmer with a last name listed later in the alphabet. This is an inconvenience for the fast swimmer and something really terrible for the slower swimmers, as they might be inadvertently pushed around by surrounding swimmers in addition to the nasty waves. The waves were really terrible, even for me, a fairly strong swimmer. I swallowed lots of water in the beginning but soon adjusted by rotating far to my side to take breaths between strokes. My biggest challenge was staying on course. I think I naturally swim to the right of center, and after the first turn of the triangular course I veered far to the right. A lifeguard on a Sea-doo watercraft intersected me and pointed the way. I looked up and saw about two dozen swimmers at least 25 yards to my left. That’s where I was supposed to be! I think I lost a lot of time being so far off course, and I got discouraged a little. Plus, with the heavy wave action, I found I was kicking with my legs a lot more during my freestyle than normal. So with some concern for lost time and wasted energy, I pushed hard to finish the third side of the triangle and I exited the water and ran to the transition area near the beach. I passed at least 10 people as I ran to the transition area. These folks were clearly fatigued by fighting that choppy water and seeing their distress made me feel a lot better about my own condition (sorry for them, though). My swim time was 13:34.10, which ranked 7 out of 25 in my age group.

T1 TRANSITION
My transition time between swim and bike was 2:25.95, which ranked 191 out of 356 non-relay race participants.

BIKE segment, 13 miles
Time: 37:09.00
Age Group Rank: 10 out of 25

Triathlon bike segment was along a park road

My pre-race strategy was to swim and bike as hard as I could and then run with whatever energy I had left. Running is my weakest area and in past triathlons I think I have held back on the bike segment so that I wouldn’t fatigue on the run. For today’s race, I was just going to go all-out and risk fatigue on the run. I can’t say that I swam as hard as I could on the swim segment because I simply wasn’t concentrating on my pace. I was concentrating on beating those terrible waves. So now that I was on the bike, I pedaled hard and didn’t stop until the end of the 13-mile course. The wind was still a problem at the beginning; a headwind made me work hard to maintain my average 21 mph speed on this flat course. The wind was the only challenge though; Presque Isle is basically a giant sandbar and the highest point on the whole peninsula is 7 feet above the Lake’s surface! I passed a bunch of folks on the bike and was only passed by racers who wore the teardrop-shaped bike helmets that have become popular among the top triathletes. No offense to anyone who wears one of those, but I think they look dorky and wouldn’t shave enough time off my race time to warrant wearing one (or warrant buying one at $175). Nevertheless, those folks passed me, so something has made them fast. I just doubt it’s the helmet.

Within the first mile on the ride I passed a friend of mine with a last name starting with ‘A.’ This didn’t mean I was going to beat him in the end, since he is a much faster runner. So I kept charging on that bike. About a mile before the end of the bike segment I passed another friend with a last name starting with ‘K’ (just like my last name!), so now I knew I was competitive and I tried to stay ahead of him the rest of the day. My bike time was 37:09.00, which ranked 10th out of 25 men in my age group.

T2 TRANSITION
My transition time between bike and run was 1:44.15 and ranked 276 out of 356 participants. One of my friends asked me later why I took so long to change into my running shoes. I have no good answer to this. I think I just go slow because I’m mentally preparing for the run (a big challenge for me) and that occupies my thoughts. I was never good at multi-tasking.

RUN segment, 3.5 miles
Time: 30:09.90
Age Group Rank: 14 out of 25

The 3.5-mile run course was out-and-back on a paved road for most of the way. My legs felt great but I was out of breath in the beginning. I consumed a GU for fuel and by the time I was done I had gotten into a sustainable rhythm. For a short while I was running pretty fast (for me), but I slowed down just a bit in order to manage my energy and be sure to complete the race. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t done this because I still had energy to burn as I crossed the finish line.

Near the finish line of the triathlon run segment.

Just before the turn-around point, my ‘A’-named friend that I passed on the bike segment passed me on the run. I expected this, but because he started the race earlier than me, it wasn’t clear how much he would have to beat me in the run in order to beat me overall. Since this was an out-and-back course, I looked at people who were racing in the opposite direction. I was both looking for my friends as well as the peoples’ race numbers, which indicated their placement in the alphabet and thus their start time in the race. I saw a satisfying amount of people behind me that had race numbers below mine. This meant that I was going to beat them in the overall race. I hate to admit that I am such a competitive person, but knowing I am beating somebody (anybody!) helps me keep going. For example, I saw my friend ‘C’ and then my friend ‘K’ and they were both behind me. I was beating them. Yay!

At the finish line, my friend ‘A’ called out and said “Jim, this is where you can sprint!” and since I still had energy left, I followed through with the advice and sped up. I finished the run in 30:03.90, which ranked 14 out of 25 in my age group. Overall, I finished the sprint triathlon in 1:24:47.10, which ranked 12 out of 25 in my age group and 100 out of 356 overall. I beat all my friends, and I am surprised that I feel less jubilant about that than I thought I would. I’m pleased about it, but beating them was really not that important. We finished the race; we supported one another; we bonded in the experience. That’s why I’m happy tonight.

Janney and the Y North Park Triathlon

Race: Sprint Triathlon
Date: August 12, 2012
Location: Allison Park, Pa.
Time: 1:26:23
Overall Rank: 154 out of 410
Age Group Rank: 12 out of 26
Results: http://www.runhigh.com/2012RESULTS/R081212AD.HTML

Swim Segment, distance = 700m
Time: 17:09
Overall Rank: 119 out of 410
Part of the North Park sprint triathlon. I'm happy with this pace. I was ranked 119 out of 410 athletes. Time includes running a fair distance out of the pool to the T1 transition area.

Bike Segment, distance = 12 miles
Time: 40:26
Overall Rank: 148 out of 410
Part of the North Park sprint triathlon. I'm happy with this pace. The 40:26 time includes the T2 transition. I ranked 148 out of 410.

Run Segment, distance = 5K
Time: 28:48
Overall Rank: 203 out of 410
Part of the North Park sprint triathlon. Not proud of this pace but it's normal for me. My run ranked 203 out of 410, so I'm about average.

Slippery Rock University Mini Triathlon

Race: Sprint Triathlon
Date: October 2, 2011
Location: Slippery Rock, PA
Time: 1:17:01
Overall Rank: 27 out of 54
Age Group Rank: 5 out of 8
Results: http://www.runhigh.com/2011RESULTS/R100211AB.HTML
No photos

I swam well and I did it fast. The swim was in a 25y university pool (but they advertised that we would use the 50y pool) with very warm water. Relays went first, followed by the triathletes in order of seed time. The fastest swimmers went first, and you know what? I was third in line! Somehow I have become a "fast" swimmer!

Bike portion of mini-triathlon. This was 7 circuits around a university campus with one small hill. People were talking about how terrible the hill was, but I've been training on hills a lot bigger. I was totally prepared for this race, except for the fact that it was 41 degrees and raining. And even then I would have been prepared, except for two things: (1) I left my socks in the car so I wore no socks inside my cycling shoes...no big deal; (2) I decided at the transition between swimming and cycling that I wouldn't bother wearing my cycling gloves because my hands were wet and it would take too long to slide them on. Big Mistake! My hands rapidly became so numb that I couldn't feel what my fingers were doing and shifting became an endeavor that took a lot of concentration. Other than that, my neon yellow Pearl iZumi cycling jacket kept my core warm and dry. I recommend it highly.

By the time I was finished with the cycling, my hands felt frozen in the 41 degree, rainy weather. My legs were red and cold, my sockless feet were cold. It was a dark and stormy night, blah blah blah....So I didn't run very fast as I was having trouble picking up my feet. I don't think this was due to fatigue but rather the fact that my leg muscles were cold. Given the wet running shoes and my lack of socks (I left them in the car!), I started feeling discomfort on my left big toe. One cannot run his best when he's in pain with each step. It wasn't terrible pain because the coldness deadened the sensation, but at the end of the race I discovered my brand new shoes were bloodstained at the toe. I rubbed my big toe raw and didin't really know it. It's a small injury so I'll heal quickly. All in all, it was a great day because I completed the triathlon. In 41 degree weather. In rain. Who does that? I do :)

Despite my sluggish run, this was the fastest 5K run that I have done to date. I completed it in 27:49 which works out to a pace of 8:57.

Janney and the Y North Park Triathlon

Race: Sprint Triathlon at North Park.
Relay Team: Team Jim Kellam (male team)
Date: August 7, 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Distance: Bike 12 miles
Time: 39:59
Team Rank: 5 out of 16 teams
Bike Segment Rank: 123 out of 370
Results: http://www.runhigh.com/2011RESULTS/R080711AD..HTML

Bike portion of a USAT sprint triathlon; I was on a team. I completed the segment 5 minutes faster than expected. I've never had a faster pace (17.1 mph). Yay!!!

Our swimmer, our cyclist, and our runner. North Park Triathlon Team. 2011.

Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission Triathlon

Race: Sprint Triathlon
Date: June 18, 2011
Location: Harrison City, PA.
Distances: Swim 200 yards + Bike 11.2 miles + Run 3.1 miles
Time: 1:19:18.3
Overall Rank: 121 out of 151
Age Group Rank: 13 out of 13
Results: http://www.smileymiles.com/2011/RES%2011%20PTARC%20TRIATHLON%20AG.HTM

This was my first triathlon. The first part of today's triathlon was in a high school pool. I beat my heat (in fact, I was ranked 6 of 13 in my age group), so I was feeling good heading into the cycling portion.

Second part of triathlon. Sweet! I have never been in a bike race before, and this was so cool. Police and firemen stopped traffic as I (we) entered intersections. I actually passed a few folks on the uphill portions, and the only people who passed me were zooming ahead on fancy road bikes. I only have a hybrid. I thought I did well, though I was 12 out of 13 in my age group.

The final part of the triathlon was running around the high school parking lots three times and then around the high school track 5 times for a total of 3.1 miles. As usual, the first mile was really hard. I actually stopped to walk a little bit during the first mile because my calf was tensing up and I didn't want it to incapacitate me. This worked, and I was able to run the last 2 miles at a slow but uninjured pace. Uggh, I don't like running as a sport, but I guess I'll get better and it won't be such a bear.


My first triathlon. People remarked at me having a chair in the transition zone. Hey, if there is space, why not? It's easier to change shoes.