Swim Bike Run

1

Second Tri----Getting better (Read 215 times)


Gotta TRI

    Well yesterday was the second tri of the season, an international(olympic) distance and overall I'd say it was good. Unfortunatly my mental game was way off, my head was just not in it. I raced this race last year and had hopes of beating my time and as the swim course had top be shortened last year due to weather, it's a little hard to say if I accomplished that goal.

     

    Like I said, my head was not in it, and here's why: 1. I'm like 20lbs over my end of season weight from last year which  of course is my fault and I'm working on it however mentally it is wearing on me.

    2. My placement in transition was right on top of a stump and very uneven ground. 3. Knew my training is not yet up to par. 4. Coming off a not particularly good race last weekend (speciffically swim ) and 5. Had only 4 hours of sleep prior to race.

     

    So, we got to the race venue at 5am and relaxed a little and had breakfast in the parking lot before ambling in to set up, and get body marked and such. After a short run in the parking lot I headed in to put on my wetsuit and do some laps to prepare for the swim. I should note here that this lake is particularly COLD. I think they said the water temp was about 62F. I don't know for sure but do know that it was COLD! I had also opted to wear my sleeveless wetsuit today as I like the added freedom of movement but boy did it take some time to get used to the water! My group was the 3rd wave to start and instead of takiing off like a bat out of hell( like last week ) I took off very casually and controlled and calmly. This paid off big time!! I same the entire .9mile course non-stop and was not gassed coming out. 31:07

     

    T1 times not posted yet, but know I took a little longer than I wanted. I started easy on the 27.25 mile bike course as not far into it you hit Devil's Hill which is a pretty steep but actuall pretty short hill oon the northern end of the lake. I felt pretty good for most of the bike but was also not pushing it as hard as last year and ended up coming in a little over last year's time at 1:32:37 ( 1:29 last year ).

     

    T2 was fairly quick but I broke a shoelace on my Zoots! Again, mentally a burden. I also stopped on the way out to pee which I had to do the whole bike ride. The 6.2 mile run was actually ok for me this year. Last year I had pushed so hard on the bike that I didn't have enough left for the run and ended up walking a fair amount of it and had four blisters on my feet from running in new shoes. This year I was able to run non-stop though I did get one blister on big toe, but finished in 57:14.

     

    Total race time 3:06:04

    Placed 453 out of 884

    78/103 age group

    322/486 gender

     

    Overall, a good race. Wish my head had been in it, wish my training had been further along but generally happy with it and considering my previous lifestyle very happy indeed.

    2010 Dec. California International Marathon 2011 Jan. Disney Marathon
    db7


      Great effort considering all the negative factors.  How do you like those Zoots?  I ve been thinking about it.

       

      DB

      Tougher than most, dumber than the rest. "You can not count the miles until you feel them" TVZ


      Gotta TRI

        I'm a big fan of the zoots. I ride sockless on my bike in pearl izumi tri fly's and transition directly into the zoots which cuts transition time both with not dealing w/ socks or laces. I also wear them on all my running races from 5k to full marathons. I train mostly in my brooks defyance.
        2010 Dec. California International Marathon 2011 Jan. Disney Marathon
        pitrunner


          I think it sounds like you did an awesome job. And even if you're unsure of your performance vs. last year, it sounds like you learned valuable lessons that you applied. Great job!
          T-Bone


          Puttin' on the foil

            Excellent!

            Don't be obsessed with your desires Danny. The Zen philosopher Basha once wrote, 'A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.'