Race
Report from Greg McDowell:
Greg’s
Second Tri
Once was not enough. After completing my first baby tri on 3/28/10,
I returned to Huntersville on 4/25 for a second helping. This one
would double the swim length from 250 yds to 500 yds,
while the bike (20k) and run (5k)
would remain the same. I was concerned about the longer swim, but
certain I would improve upon both the bike and run.
After swimming 250 yards just once prior to the first tri, I knew
I would need to build up incrementally to prepare for 500. I made
4 trips to the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center, swimming 300, 400, and
then 500 yards twice – as I prepped. I only got on the stationary
bike three times in April, but twice as part of my mini-tri preparation.
On two occasions, I swam for 15-20 minutes, showered quickly (transitions
of 7 and 5 minutes), biked 30 minutes (transitions of 15-30 seconds)
and ran a mile on the treadmill. This was as close as I could come
to simulate the event.
On the day of reckoning, I woke to a 4:30 alarm, ate a light breakfast,
went downstairs to warm up (elliptical, recumbent bike, stretch and
run – all in 20 minutes) and came upstairs with coffee for my
bride, and began final preparations. Once again there was a threat
of rain, but this day would be warmer than the first tri – 63
to 70 versus the 48 degrees experienced 4 weeks earlier.
After a striking inability to put the bike rack on the car properly,
we finally loaded up at 6:55 for the 20 minute drive to Huntersville,
where I was to be in place, bike racked, body marked, etc. by 7:30.
The drive was quick; parking was easy and I had plenty of time to
stop and get helpful assistance in adding air to the tires of my borrowed
Lemond bike (thanks again, Ron!) before getting the lay of the land.
While it can take a few minutes to arrange one’s gear in the
transition area, I had done this before, and could begin the long
wait even sooner than before. My scheduled swim time was 9:45:15,
long after the 8:00 am starters would complete their under-1 hour
race.
While
surprisingly nervous, I was able to pass the time with my supportive
wife May. She had been sick and missed my first tri, but here she
was, all bright and cheery for a long wait in a warm aquatic center.
(May has supported me through 12 marathons plus several other races
of various lengths, and it is a comfort to have her by my side.) We
sat and watched the very fast swimmers; each launched 15 seconds after
another. Compared to the first tri, the crowd was thinner and maybe
more calm, except for me. There were about 350 competitors instead
of more than 550 in March. Due to the double length of the swim, however,
there would be no double-entry starts. The 500 yard swim would snake
through the entire pool. Some of the early swimmers pushed off the
wall after 500 yards instead of immediately climbing out of the pool.
I made a mental note to limit my swim to no more than the required
lengths.
At about 9:15, I made a final pit stop and then decided to hop in
the warm pool nearby to loosen up after sitting on bleachers for over
90 minutes. I didn’t have my goggles, but swam a lap of mixed
strokes. Most of my preparation had been breast stroke, and my plan
was to continue this approach, despite my occasional freestyle (crawl)
training attempts. I returned to the bleachers, dripping and slightly
chilled, and sat with May until the appointed time.
Swim -
I lined up with the other novices at 9:30 or so. There was a
break of a few minutes before our timed group would begin. Not
sure if that was to give us clean water, or to allow the removal
of bodies. We novices joked about using yellow arm swimmies;
one fellow said he told his son he needed the son’s duck
inner tube. Another jokingly said he might have to do some breast
stroke if he tired, and seemed surprised when I said that was
my plan for the entire race.
I started
with 25 yards crawl, and then settled into my breast stroke.
Lovely wife May was at the end of the first length, and several
more, taking pictures. It was odd to be unable to acknowledge
her. In my marathons, I wave or sometimes have her join me for
a little walk/jog on the course. That wasn’t really appropriate
on this day, at the pool. About 150 yards in, I realized I was
catching the person who started 15 seconds ahead. For a length,
I thought that I would just ease up. However, the rougher water
made me realize that the only option is to make a pass. I learned
quickly that passing is tiring. You have to find the right time,
pass quickly, then duck under a rope after kicking off the wall.
I wondered whether I had made the right decision. Shortly after,
I began tickling the next swimmer’s feet (that’s
a technical term). After two passes, I was exhausted. By this
time, I’d lost track of my distance. Ten laps, 20 lengths
in total; don’t go past the ladder. I looked to my right
and saw at least 4-5 more ropes. Darn, another 150 yards to
go, maybe more. At about 350 yards, I flipped to my back and
engaged my elementary backstroke. It’s not the fastest,
but I can do it forever. I have swum continuously for an hour,
alternating between the crawl or breast stroke, and the back
stroke. I have always been able to get my air back, on my back.
20 yards on my back, flip and return to breast stroke. Fifty
yards to go and I do the same. Each time, I could tell that
no one was gaining on me. I didn’t care so much about
my time at this point, which I figured must be suffering. I
only wanted to depart the pool on my own, sans stretcher. I
had not started my watch, so I could only estimate that I was
about 11-12 minutes in the pool. Only that night did I find
that my time was 10:27, including a 30-40 yard walk/jog to the
transition. Of 202 men, I was #148. My time was exactly twice
the 250 yards of Tri #1. Not bad! |
| T1
–
My first opportunity to really save time. From here on, I was
in familiar territory. The remainder of the event would replicate
my first event of four weeks earlier. In March, my 2:48 was unimpressive.
This time, I was sure to be quicker. I ran to my bike, where my
fellow novices were joking about being passed or chased by the
breast stoking swimmer. Quickly dried, I sat down and put on socks
and shoes. Downed a Gu. Slipped on the shirt I would wear to the
end; no change would be required at T2. Plopped the helmet on
my head and moved my bike out of the rack area. Struggled to put
on my gloves, but I wouldn’t be bothering with a waist pack.
May had my keys and phone. While sure I had been quick, I found
later that I only shaved 10 seconds off my previous time with
a 2:38. |
Bike - –
I felt good on the bike. I was determined to cut some time on
this identical route. I used the hills to my advantage, getting
my downhill speed up to 32, 7-8 mph higher than before. And
I kept my momentum up the biggest hill so that I didn’t
get as near 10mph on the inclines. There were fewer bikers on
the route, so I didn’t pass very many, maybe 6-8. As before,
two riders passed me about two-thirds into the ride. While my
back became tired and sore toward the end, I thought I was noticeably
more fit for this one. I glided more and thought I would be
saving my legs a bit for the run. But there were still several
times that I bore down to get my speed up, trying to not be
satisfied any time my speedometer dipped below 20mph. I clocked
41:05 (18.1 mph avg.), just a bit (1:45) faster
than before. My time was #117 of 202 men and moved me ahead
of several in my group. |
| T2
– This time, I was faster in transition, registering just
44 seconds. I ran out of the staging area with
my own bottle of G2, confident that I would begin my strength
area. |
Run -
Surprisingly, no shockingly, my legs were not working properly.
Nothing hurt. I just had no energy. Realized I had skipped a
second Gu, but thought surely I would pick up speed soon. I
wasn’t sure whether I had improved in the bike, losing
track of times, but I knew I had worked pretty hard. Maybe that
was the explanation. After just one minute, I walked 30 seconds.
I would walk a couple more times. Similarly to my previous experience,
I had mile splits of 9:30, 9 and 8:30. Overall, my time was
27:53; 8 seconds slower, placing me #149 of
202 men, about the same (but one place lower) as the swim. How
do you say this? I was relatively stronger in the swim? Or,
I run even worse than I swim? |
My overall time was 1:22:44,
(only) 2:51 more than the shorter tri. Besides finishing #140 of 202
men, I also finished ahead of three quarters of the women, so I was
in the middle of the entire field. In my “Masters Novice Men”
(over 40, first, second or third tri), I was #4 of 15. Add the under
40s and I was 11th of 30 Novice Men.
My goal was to match my 1:19:53 of the shorter tri, but overall, I
was pleased. I had maintained my swim pace, improved my bike and even
the transitions a bit. The run fell short, but that can probably be
fixed with more training – just like everything can improve.
That’s the great thing about the Triathlon (said the Novice
competitor of Two events!), there’s so much to work on! And
since I haven’t had a PR in any running event in a few years,
it adds some fun to the event. That’s two PRs in 4 weeks.
Thanks to Ron for the bike, and encouragement. Thanks to my wife.
Without her, I never would have gotten the bike mounted on the car,
and would have returned to bed and sulked for a day or three.
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