Graniteman Triathlon
Clearwater MN
0.44 mile/ 14.34 mile/ 5K (Relay)
July 11, 2015
This weekend, I ran the Clearwater sprint triathlon as a relay with a buddy from college. I did the swim/bike and he did the run. As a result, it wasn't so much a race day as it was a workout day. It was good to get in a swim/bike workout before my longer race (Bemidji, 1 mile/ 20 mile/ 5 mile) next weekend. Also, this was the first time I got to use my wetsuit, and it was my first open water swim of the year.
Going into the weekend I had been getting in some longer workouts. My runs were around six miles, I had done a 23 mile bike and I had done a mile or more in the lap pool a few times. Early in the week there was a prediction of rain on race day, but it stayed away until the evening and we ended up with a nice sunny day for the race.
I didn't have much in the way of expectations for this race. Looking at the relay times from last year, I knew we were going to be slow. My only hope for an overall time was that we wouldn't finish dead last in the team standings. Outside of that unpleasant likelihood, I felt like it was going to be a fun day irrespective of our performances.
Swim: 0.44 miles
Goal: Under a 2 minute per 100 yards pace
Actual: That wetsuit is fast.
The race started about ten minutes late; the MC just kept going on at the pre-race meeting. The weather was nice, so at least there wasn't any rush to beat the rain. There were three Olympic waves and then I was in the first sprint wave with the rest of the relay participants. The Olympic course looked long, but not as scary as last year at Lake Marion. I think I can make that length, and we'll see if I'm right next week in Bemidji! Anyhoo, on my wave start, I walked in and started at the back of the pack. I wasn't sure what to expect with the new wet suit and with no previous open water swims yet this year. Turns out, I should work toward the front of the pack next time. Wetsuit swimming is so much easier! It felt like cheating. My suit is buoyant enough for me float without effort. swimming is just paddling, I don't have to worry much about balance or keeping my body up at all.
During the swim, there was this person next to me who was going at about the same pace. However, every time they looked up to spot, they would take off on a line across my path. I got her feet a couple times, she got mine a couple times and there was at least a couple body checks. Weird. I suppose it could have been me that was wildly changing my lines, but I don't think so. In any event, my watch at the end of the swim said 13 minutes, but I hit the lap button before the run to transition.
Swim Time: 13:31 with a 1:45 per 100 yards pace
 |
| Times based on individual sprint racers. |
T1
Goal: Under 3 minutes.
Actual: Made it.
The mat for T1 must have been pretty close to the transition area. It was 30 seconds from when I got out of the lake to when I crossed the mat. It made my swim time look a little longer, but it also made my T1 time look a little quicker. I guess that's probably always true. Anyhoo, my wetsuit came off easy. My shoes went on easy, and then I was on my way.
T1 Time: 2:53
Bike: 14.34 miles
Goal: 19 mph average
Actual: So close.
I started the bike course like a shot out of a cannon. My average speed over the first 7 miles was 20.4 mph. The entire course is reasonably flat, my garmin only counted 208ft of uphill (same for downhill). But after the first seven miles we turned back into the wind. The wind was not strong; it was about 8 mph. But, by the second half of the course my legs were burning and the wind was hurting me. I kept up as well as I could, but the second half of the course I averaged 17.4 mph. It was a let down. I knew my spits going out, and I checked the first few coming in. I knew it was going to be ugly. At least the race photog got a pic of me on the bike. Again, I shouldn't be disappointed, my average mph was a personal best. I had some crazy numbers running through my head for the first half of that ride; it sucks coming back to the realization that you're slow.
Bike: 45:41 with and 18.8 mph average
 |
| Times based on individual spring racers. |
Goal: Get some food and rest.
Bull took the run portion of the relay. He did pretty well too. He cut a 9:30 pace with a 29:25 time. His goal was to break half an hour, so congrats to him. Well done. The post race food was lack luster. I like a banana or two after a workout, but I would also like something a little more filling. There was a burger truck for pay, but I cheaped out. A sandwich or something would have been nice.
Total Relay Time: 1:32:19
Time Comparisons
Below is a comparison of my times against the field (same as the distributions above) and male averages of the sprint race. It may not seem like a fair comparison, but it's not like I ever hold anything back on the swim or bike to save for the run. You can see that I was a little ahead of the field average on the bike and the swim. Compared to the male average, my fast swim just about evened out with my slower bike to put me pretty near the average total before the run. Who knows how the run would have gone, maybe I'l tri this one solo next year.
Post-Race and Up Next
Based on last year's times, I was just hoping we wouldn't finish dead last in the relay. Well, you can only race those who show up, and I guess the rabbits didn't show up. We took 1st place (out of 7 teams) in the all male relay category. Our time would have only been good enough for 3rd in the all female category and 11th in the coed relay teams, but a win is a win. We'll take it. We had a great time.
Up next is the Paul Bunyan Triathlon in Bemidji next weekend. This will be my first long race. It is a mile swim, 20 mile bike and a 5 mile run. I think fueling is going to be the hard part. I haven't tried a two and a half hour workout yet. We'll see if I can get it right on the first try.
 |
| Winners! |
 |
| Race Comparison |
No comments:
Post a Comment