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2009 Spring Fever Triathlon is finished


I just got back from the Spring Fever triathlon in Claremore. I don't know my time but I finished within a few minutes of the 90 minutes I expected.
EDIT: They posted final results (no splits yet) and I was 55 seconds off my estimate.
EDIT: I have added a couple more points.

Pre-Race

I got there just after transition opened and picked a spot I could find. I swam a few laps and then sat around and ate crackers and a peanut butter Clif bar. I walked around the rec center for a while with my wife, who was a great supporter.

Next time:

  • Walk into transition from the swim and bike entrances just before it closes, to see what it's like when it's full.
  • Don't eat any kind of bar with peanut butter in it.

    Swim

    What a mess! It was very chaotic and crowded. I couldn't get a rhythm because I kept running up on the woman in front of me. I ended up side-stroking and even walking quite a bit because I couldn't get around. I had up to five people piled up on the turn-arounds in front of me and I don't know how many behind. I was passed a few times but I don't know how or where they went.

    Next time:

  • Practice breakaway sprints in the middle of distance swims.
  • Get in a faster swim group
  • Earplugs worked well and kept me from being dizzy after the swim.
    Edit: I've since quit wearing earplugs, instead I lean my head over so the filled ear is pointing down and jump and land hard one time. This nearly always clears my ears.

    Transition 1

    I was really out of breath and my heart rate was pretty high when I came out of the water. I took my time getting dressed so I expect this to be a pretty long time.

    Next time:

  • Bring a hand towel. It was very useful in the muddy transition area.
    Edit:
  • Hang the bike on the rack on the back side of the saddle, not the nose. Makes it much much easier to pull the bike out by the handlebars. If it's hung by the nose of the saddle the bike may not fit under the rack and you won't be able to pull it out without messing with the bikes next to you. Doesn't apply if your legs are really short or you're the last one out of the water.

    Bike

    The bike course went into the wind for the first half. The air was 54°F, the wind was 10mph, and I rode through a light rain for two or three miles. This made the ride pretty cold. Since I didn't have my lowest gear I had to stand up to get over some of the steeper hills at the first and this really hurt. I didn't really settle into the ride until the turn around. I tried to drink Gatorade on the bike but my stomach cramped when I tried. I averaged 12.0mph for the first half, indicated as 5.7 miles on my computer. Max indicated speed (on a big downhill) was 31.0 or something like that.

    Once I hit the turnaround and got the wind at my back it was great. I tried to drink more but my stomach cramped up pretty good and I threw up. Mostly liquid, probably pool water. I never broke my stride, though. :) I averaged 13.6mph for the whole ride, so I rode the second half at 15.2mph.

    I haven't looked at the pictures, but I think I had a textbook dismount-into-run right at the dismount line. My family was right there and I was through the dismount and running with the bike before it registered that my wife was cheering me.

    My Oakley Fives were fogged the entire ride. That didn't happen on the training rides. I had to take them for a couple of turns in the course, to see where I was going.

    I tried to keep my heart rate around 150 for the ride but it hit 160+ on the steep hills.

    Next time:

  • Bring a jacket or sleeves.
  • Bring a fully working bike with all the gears. (see Broken Axle)
  • Bring a bottle of water.
  • Train in the rain to check equipment

    Transition 2

    I was dead tired at T2 and took my time putting up the bike and taking off the helmet & gloves. I planned to wear my sunglasses for the run but the sky was overcast and the glasses were still fogged so I dropped them also.

    Run

    My heart rate watch started beeping as soon as I started running. I slowed down, and slowed down, and slowed down, and after about 1/4 mile I just started walking. My legs felt like lead and I stumbled and walked/ran pretty slowly up the hill to the turnaround. At the turnaround I got some water and rinsed out my mouth, and even drank a little. Then I ran the second mile back to the finish. I started feeling pretty good then and finished the race in good shape. My heart rate was around 150 for the second half.

    Next time:

  • Train on hills.
  • Add strength training for legs.

    Overall

    My self-coached training worked out pretty well. I negative-split each event because it took me so long to get in the groove. Maybe race jitters? I'm happy with how I finished. I'll do more triathlons, but probably not until I build a stronger running base.

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