I'll get back to the run gait analysis posts later this week, but I wanted to write up a quick report on yesterday's race.
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| New race jersey for 2013 |
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| Left leg |
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| Right leg |
I wasn't 100% sure if I was going to do the race, but I decided to give it a shot. One of the main reasons I was hesitant about doing the race was that I knew I had to change the tires on my bike. I've been riding exclusively on the trainer since my last triathlon in September...and the tires that I have on my bike are not safe for road riding (they are bald and have a few holes that I've patched). It sounds silly, but it's kind of a hassle to change the tires on both wheels; but I had some time Saturday night, so I went ahead and did it. If nothing else, it was good practice for next time I get a flat.
The race was in reverse order because it's not really safe to get out of the water and get on your bike soaking wet when it's 25 degrees outside! So we started with a 5K run. It's an out-and-back course with rolling hills through Clear Creek Park in Shelbyville, KY. I started out around a 6:15/mile pace and couldn't believe how many people were in front of me. I figured some would start fading, but it never happened. I actually faded some because I could tell my breathing with a little to strenuous. With a bike and swim still to go, I decided to back off a bit.
5K Run
20:12.9 (6:31 / mile pace)
4th out of 14 in my Age Group
22nd out of 125 Overall
With the race being in reverse from typical triathlons, the transitions are a little weird and require some thought. I ran in my new tri jersey (pictures above) with some ear warmers, gloves, and my long-sleeve Under Armour shirt. So all I had to do in T1 was pull off my running shoes, put my bike helmet on and go.
T1
0:20.8
1st out of 14 in my Age Group
2nd out of 125 Overall
The bike was two loops of a 6 mile course. I knew that I was pretty far back after the run, so I started setting my sights on riders ahead of me. I spent the entire ride picking off one rider at a time. I felt strong on the bike and my legs felt good. I was pushing pretty hard the whole time and since there was only a swim left, I drained my legs of every ounce of energy they had. I spent the entire last loop thinking about what I needed to do in transition. I had to get my feet out of my bike shoes, take off my gloves and socks, pull off my shirt, take off my helmet, ear warmers and race number belt. I went back and forth in my head trying to determine what would be the fastest way to get all of this done.
12 mile bike
29:56.1 (24.1 mph)
2nd out of 14 in my Age Group
8th out of 125 Overall
So I got my feet out of my shoes and pulled my gloves off on the bike coasting into T2. I hopped off my bike and racked it. I took my helmet, ear warmers and race belt off. Pulled my socks off and started running up the hill toward the pool. I pulled my shirt off as I ran up the hill and tossed it by the door going into the pool. I had my goggles stashed just inside the door and grabbed them as I ran toward the water. My plan worked out pretty good as I ended up having the 2nd fastest T2.
T2
1:08.0
1st out of 14 in my Age Group
2nd out of 125 Overall
The swim was a serpentine swim in a 25 yard pool. Up and back in one lane, then under the lane line and repeat for 8 laps. I had no idea what place I was in when I jumped in the water, but I saw that the leader was still swimming and there were about 10-12 people in the pool. I jumped in and started - just trying to focus on form. I was exhausted and even stopped doing flip-turns after a few laps because I was having trouble holding my breath long enough. I passed two people in the water and felt like I had a pretty strong swim.
400 yard swim
6:37.5 (1:39 / 100yd)
2nd out of 14 in my Age Group
19th out of 125 Overall
I checked the results after the race and saw that I finished 9th overall. I was 6th in this race last year and was hoping for a similar finish. Once the race results were posted on-line later in the day, I realized that not only were there almost twice as many people in the race this year (125 vs. 66), but that nine more people finished in under an hour this year (13 vs. 4). Very fast and competitive race!
Total Time
58:15.4
2nd out of 14 in my Age Group
9th out of 125 Overall
When I looked up my results from this race a year ago I was shocked to see that I managed to knock 4 minutes and 52 seconds off of my time this year! The course was identical to last year, so I knew that the distances were the same. My run was 39 seconds faster, my bike was 3 minutes and 55 seconds faster and my swim was 13 seconds faster. That is a lots of improvement in a year, especially on the bike. In fact, if I would have done it in this time last year, I would have finished 3rd overall.
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