Here are the stats:
| Run |
22:11 |
| Bike |
41:11 |
| Swim |
8:20 |
180 out of 953
143 out of 532 Males
28 out of 78 Males in the M3034 Age Group
Overall I felt really good. The swim is still my weakest link.
Swim: 400 yards – 8:20 Overall 275/953 Age Group 36/78
I started at the back and to the left of the main pack hoping for a straighter line around the first boat and to the bouy for the left hand turn. As soon as we jumped into the water though I realized that I was behind some slower people and quickly fought my way past them and went out really hard. I struggled with sighting to the first bouy and almost ran into a paddleboard/lifeguard. Once we made the left hand turn around the Swan it was mostly straight to the finish with Swans on the left. It was a super crowded swim and I was constantly running into people and trying to get around them. I had to keep reminding myself to relax and settle into my stroke. There was a lot of churn and I needed to focus on breathing. The last stretch I felt like I was doing more looking around to avoid people than efficiently swimming. As I came up out of the water I knew I had done a very strong swim and was feeling it a little.
Successes:
My time, holy cow! That’s way faster than any average workout I’ve done at the pool. That is 2:05 per 100 and I don’t ever recall hitting that on any 100. Wesuit was a good choice due to the churn making the water cooler.
Even Better If:
Better sighting and bi-lateral breathing!
T1: 3:02 Overall 267/951 Age Group 36/78
I was really wobbly coming out of the water. I struggled to run or walk in a straight line. My entire body wanted to go to the left. I did fine getting my wetsuit off, but struggled trying to get my shoes on since my body was so out of balance. Once I got my shoes on and started run/walking my bike out I felt fine.
Even better if: I read more about transition setup and how to make T1 smoother.
Bike: 12.8 miles 41:11 Overall 267/951 Age Group 40/78
After leaving transition and making it on to the main road I hit it pretty hard. As we left town I was feeling good. There were some gradual climbs initially that led into some steeper hills. I think there were 5 main hills – ones that you’d hit 30mph going down and then be at like 10mph as you hit the top. Race organizers touted this as a freshly paved fast course, which makes me wonder what it was like before. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t freshly paved either. I know that last year they had to reroute the bike course due to construction so maybe some parts were newer and I just didn’t notice! I passed my co-worker Lisa, part of a Team, right before the first big hill (at maybe mile 4 or 5). I had a Gel pack about half way through. The bike course basically made a square around the lake in a clockwise fashion. The course was open to traffic but the only real traffic I remember was in Buffalo and they did a pretty good job of separating us from it and stopping the traffic at intersections. A little over halfway through I was trying to shift back into the big gear on a downhill/flat and I couldn’t get it to go so I was left spinning. I tried a few more times later and it still wouldn’t go. I decided not to keep trying because I didn’t actually want to break anything. When I got home it seems to shift fine, but I did break a rear wheel spoke somehow. I know the two aren’t related, but it seems odd. It was really frustrating to not be able to shift onto the big ring but I tried not to get discouraged and just kept hammering along. It feels good to pass people with really expensive bikes! Once we get back into town the route snakes through a couple of parking lots. I thought we were getting ready to make the final turn back into the park and reached down to unsnap my shoes. As we left the parking lot I realized we still had about a 1/2 mile to go. Rookie mistake! I didn’t do anything stupid and made it back to transition and dismounted without trouble. About halfway through the ride I needed to pee. I also felt thirsty. I did drink to counteract the thirst but didn’t pee on the bike.
Successes:
A nice solid ride. Average speed consistent with my training paces. Felt strong over the duration.
Even better if:
I didn’t have bike problems. I need to spend more training time on hills.
T2: 1:03 Overall 229/952 Age Group 36/78
This transition went much smoother. As I noted I had already loosened my shoes so I popped off the bike and ran/walked it back to my rack. The little downhill from the Olympic area to the Sprint area was a little awkward, but I found my rack slipped off my bike shoes and into my running shoes and off I went.
Run: 3 miles – 22:11 Overall 180/953 Age Group 28/78
The run felt really good. I tried to find a bathroom so that I could take care of the pee problem but the port-a-pots were kind of blocked off. Really it was that spectators were prevented from crossing the run area so I would have had to significantly back track to get to that set and I didn’t see any other ones on the course until I had a 1/2 mile left and at that point I just sucked it up. I started the run out slowly to loosen up my legs. We navigated out of Sturges park and through a parking lot to run alongside Lake Buffalo. On the way out I saw Jeremy on the bike coming in (I think he saw me). I got passed once or twice and passed a couple of people. I was just trying to maintain a steady pace. The sun came out and felt pretty warm during the run. Right before the turn around point an Olympic distance runner went flying by. I was a little surprised that I guy dressed like an elite runner would be so far back until he went running by the turn around point! On the way back I focused on slowly picking up the pace. The run also got a little crowded on the narrow bike paths/sidewalks. I saw Jeremy and then Hope (the Team’s runner who also has an 8 week old at home). As we entered the park I really started picking it up again and right before the line I passed a Team FCA Endurance runner that had passed me early on during the run.
Successes:
Again, the time is pretty solid and a much better pace than my training runs would have indicated. I’m also pleased with what seemed like a steady run that probably was a negative split.
Even Better If:
I’m not sure. I know that I need to run more in training and do more brick workouts, but I feel pretty good about my run.
It started later in the day and I was doubtful that we’d get to see any of it. It was actually a free day, so if I had known about it and had been training, I might have been able to compete. Nevertheless, I did some research and found it online. It was the II TRIATLON DE BENALMADENA, a 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike, and 5 kilometer run event. As we left our hotel to begin our events for the day, I noticed policia up and down the main road and they were beginning to block off the course. I was hopeful we’d get to see the bikers as they came past. We weren’t able to find a cambio to exchange our dollars so we ended up wasting a lot of time, which turned out to be a good thing. Just as we reached the turn around point the lead motorcycle went zooming by. I was fretting the decision of trying to get the kids to stop and stand around a bit to watch, but they all seemed happy to do so. We waited and watched for 10-15 minutes as the riders came by. We probably left before the mid-pack triathletes came by, but it was fun to watch and cheer them on! It definitely made me want to compete and think about getting back into swimming.
