2017 NewBriTri Race Recap

NewBriTri

New Brighton, MN

Saturday, June 5

0.5 miles/12.5 miles/3 miles

I'm wicked late on this race recap mostly because of work. I teach from eight to one Monday through Friday until July 17. The pay is good, but the hours are terrible. At least I'm teaching calculus two and three. Fun classes make the time go by faster.

I've also let data gathering and sorting suck up a lot of my time. I decided to gather all the race results from Minnesota triathlons and take a shot at a ranking system. The USAT has rankings, but you have to be a member and it is only for USAT races. We have many non-USAT local races, so I thought I'd give the collections and analysis a shot. Through three weeks, we have had 2147 people do at least one Minnesota triathlon, 157 have done two races, 21 people have done three races and one person has done four races (Mike Borneke, 63, Eagle Lake MN).  I'll post the June results soon.

I did the New Brighton Triathlon last year as well. The course was the same this year and things went pretty well. I have been fighting some medical issues recently, so I had contemplated skipping this race all together. After a bunch of moping, my wife got me to suit up and give it a try. I'm glad she did; it was (again) a fun race.

Swim: 1/2 mile
Before the swim started, I heard a couple racers complaining that the thought the buoys were set up for way more than a half mile swim. It did look a little long to me as well, but that ended up just being the winter break playing tricks with my eyes. My Garmin had it an 0.52 miles, and I never take a great path.

Nothing too exciting to report. The water was cool, but not uncomfortable with my long sleeve wet suit. I went off in the second wave and took it kind of easy. After a few hundred years my shoulder started giving me a little bit of trouble, but it was nothing to worry about. I took a treading water break, and I felt pretty good for the duration.

Swim Time: 15:28 minutes; 1:46 minutes/100 yds pace

Swim Rank

59 out of 157 racers

44 out of 106 males

11 out of 18 age groupers

My Time is indicated in the green bar.

T1

I walked into and through T1. I was pretty gassed. I have to get in some more open water swims in before (and if) I get to Ironman. I'm sure running could have saved me a few seconds, but I just didn't have the ambition. I think something went wrong with the timing for the race. I was pretty close on my watch for when I hit the timing buttons, but the official times have my transitions faster and my bike slower. Not a big deal, but a bit of an excuse for my slow bike time.

T1 Time: 1:25 

Position:

59 out of the water

53 out of T2

Bike: 12.5 Miles
I just could get on the road before this race, so these 12.5 miles were the first off the trainer for the year. In particular, timing and weather just didn't work out for biking. Also, I just don't much care for road biking. Generally, when people ask me about triathlons I say, "I love the swim and run, and we bike in the middle."  Anyhoo, I was a little wobbly on the bike for the first few minutes, but after a while it came back to me. I didn't get confident enough to do much aero bars, but the summer is long and I have plenty of miles for that later.

Tina and the boys went to her aunt Anne's to watch the bikers pass by Anne's house. They got a bunch of cow bells, set up some lawn chairs in the front yard, and cheered on the entire field. The said some folks were very appreciative. It looked like they were having a good time when I rode by, and I certainly appreciated it. No one is better than my wife. Training for Ironman is more selfish than any father has a right to be. Not only does Tina let me chase this stupid dream, she encourages it. No one has it better than I do.

I was slow. Not a surprise for the first time on the road, but also possibly not as slow as the timer had it. The first edition of the timing stats didn't list my bike or T2 times. After it was "cleaned up" both of those times showed up. My watch had my bike split a little over a minute faster than the timer.

Bike Time: 44:22 with a 16.9 mph average.

Bike Rank
85 out of 156 racers
67 out of 106 males
14 out of 18 age groupers

T2
I just had a bottle of Gatorade for fueling this race. I knew it was only going to be about and hour and a half to finish, so I wasn't too worried. The temperature at race time was about 75˚ and there was minimal wind. I had thought of bringing a Gu for the start of the run, but I forgot it in my bag before the race started and just went without. In T2, I finished out my Gatorade, got on my run shoes and hat, and I was on my way.
T2 time: 1:24


Position

74 off the bike

77 out of T2

Run: 3 miles

I was hoping to show some speed on the run. At least, I was hoping to show as much speed as I could muster on the run. (I'm slow.) I started out pretty quick, but had to walk it off a bit after a tiny hill in mile one. On mile two, I inhaled some fluff from a cotton wood tree. Both things killed a little time, but I kept a pretty good pace under 9:10. In the last mile I tried to time it so that I drained the tank on the course, and I came pretty close. I actually pulled off a negative split. That might the first time I ever pulled that off. I had the run course short by about 0.05 miles, and I'm usually over the listed distance. In any event, 8:25 over 0.96 miles has to be a sub nine minute third mile. That is lightning fast for me. I ended up passing people on the run, and that nearly never happens.

Run Time: 26:42 with an 8:52 minute/ mile pace

Run Rank
85 out of 156 Racers
67 out of 106 males
14 out of 18 age groupers

Total Time 1:29:19

Finishing Position
78 out f 156 Racers
63 out of 106 males
14 out of 18 age groupers

I beat the field average for swim, run and overall. But, I took a dive on the bike.

Next up is the Lifetime Minneapolis Triathlon in July, and then Toughman soon after. Hopefully my medical will clear up and I can get a little more enjoyment out of the summer. I hit seven and eight hours of training the last couple weeks so at least the time totals are ticking up.

New Bri Tri Recap 2016

Thank god, race season is finally here!

I did the New Bri Tri (0.5 miles/ 14 miles/ 3 miles) as a warm-up race for Liberty 70.3.  The two races are a week apart.  I had never actually tried doing a race where I cared more about staying healthy that posting a good time, but this went pretty well.

The weather was predicted to be thunderstorms for much of the week. If the swim had gotten canceled, I would have skipped the race.  I had no interest in doing a wet bike/run like in Minnetonka last year.  As it worked out, race morning was a little chilly, but there was no rain in the morning forecast.  The sun poked out while I was in the lake, and the bike and the run were quite pleasant for temperature.  There wind never kicked up throughout the race.

Swim 0.5 miles
Goal: Don't get hurt, and less than 1:50 per 100 yds average
Actual: Nailed it.

The lake was cold, but my wet suit kept my body plenty warm.  My head was a different story.  I had some issues adjusting to the cold on my face and head. I was in the water before the race started, but that didn't help the shock once I got to my wave start.  In the first two hundred yards, I almost went to my back because my freak-out was making me breath like a maniac. After a while, I decided I just had to slow down. After I paced myself a bit, things fell into place.  I got into a nice rhythm and started to breath easy.  By the half way point I passed some folks from the heat that went off before us. I set my watch for a ten minute reminder before the race, and when that went off I could see that I was on pace for a pretty reasonable time. It seemed like this swim was mapped out pretty well.  My watch had it at 0.52 miles, which is closer than most races.

Swim Time:  14:54, a 1:42 per 100 yards pace
Swim Rank:  52 out of 164 finishers
                       40 out of 105 males
                       5 out of 17 age groupers

My time is noted in green.

Swim Exit

T1
Goal:  Don't break my bike cleats
Actual:  Good enough
I'm still not really sure how I want to run transition with my new bike.  I'm not wild about the idea of running with my cleats on, but I'm also not confident in a start where I hop on my bike with my shoes already on the pedals. I'll have to get in a little practice before next week at Liberty.  As it was, I walked out of transition with my shoes on and started my bike time slowly. A lot of folks passed me in T1. There were 13 people who I beat out of the water that then passed me in T1, and I never got close to them again.

T1 Time:  2:33
Positions:  52 out of the water
                   66 out of T1 (164 finishers)


Bike (14 miles  about 12.5 miles)
Goal:  Don't get hurt, 18 or 19 mph
Actual:  Nailed it.

I screwed up my watch at the start of the swim. I wanted to use the setting that times the race as a multisport event, but I started it as just a swim. I figured this out once I got on the bike.  So, I coasted the first minute of the bike while I jacked around with my watch trying to get things right. After that, I was off like a shot.
It was a pretty flat course; I got a fair amount of practice on the aero bars. I slowed down quite a bit to cross the railroad tracks 3 or 4 times, but the volunteers and cops did a great job at the intersections to keep my speed up the rest of the way. There wasn't much wind, and only a couple drops of rain. I had a drafting pair/team pass me at about 10 miles which seemed pretty silly. If you don't care or know about the sport's rules, I guess that's your problem.
The race is billed as a 14 mile bike, but there is no way that is true.  Using the gps on my watch, I estimate the bike course at about 12.5 miles.  There's no chance that I cut a mile and a half on tight corners. The results sheet had the averages based on 14 miles, so the speeds are all inflated.  I only captured about 12.4 miles on my watch after all my troubles.  For those 12.4 miles I clocked in at 18.9 mph.  With the added length and the time from the race sheet I dropped about half a mph.  I also recalculated the speed numbers for everyone using a 12.5 mile bike. One lady was still at 32mph after the adjustment; the second fastest bike time was 25.5 mph.  I assume the 32 mph is a tech error or a cheat. Either way, I threw her out of my results.

Bike Time:  41:22 with an 18.3 mph average
Bike Rank:  79 out of 164 finishers
                      64 out of 105 males
                      11 out of 17 age groupers

T2
Goal:  Don't fall of the bike or break my cleats.
Actual:  Nailed it.
The "it" that I nailed was a tent set up over the "bike in" mat at T2.  I guess it's made for short people because I nailed my head on the canopy.  Luckily, I was still wearing my helmet. Anyhoo, T2 was otherwise uneventful. I dismounted at the line, walked into T2, changed shoes and was on my way.  I only drank a little Gatorade on the bike, so I had one more hit before the run.  My total transition was about 30 seconds slower than the average total.  I'll take that.  I can try to speed it up a little next week, but I'll take a 30 second deficit all day.

T2 Time:  1:21
Positions:  71 off the bike
                   73 out of T2 (164 finishers)


Run (3 miles)
Goal:  Don't get hurt, under a 10:00 mile average.
Actual:  Nailed it.
I guess I started off a little over cooked on the run. About four minutes in I realized I was huffing like a water buffalo and my heart was racing. The last thing I wanted to do at this race was overcook it and hurt my knees. I pulled back on the reins and found an easy pace.  After that, it was easy going.  I suppose it was too easy.  I was passed by 12 people on the run, and I passed no one. However, I was going at a pretty good pace for me, so I just tried to breath easy and enjoyed the run. It was great to see my family at the finish line, and I very much enjoyed this race.

Run Time:  27:27 with a 9:09 per mile average.
Run Rank:  100 out of 164 finishers
                      72 out of 105 males
                      11 out of 17 age groupers

Total Time:  1:27:35

Overall Ranks:  85 out of 164 finishers

                            68 out of 105 males

                            11 out of 17 age groupers

Time Comparison

Looking at my times, I had the average male racer beat before the run.  Of course, that blew up on the run, but we're going to call it a win.  Even if I did try to over-cook the run, I don't think I could have dropped 30 seconds per mile. For a "B race" this was all pretty good.  I didn't get hurt, I had fun and I went at a pretty good clip. I always wish I could run faster, but right now I'm just happy I can run without too much knee pain.

Next Up

LIBERTY 70.3!  My long race of the year is this week and I think I'm ready. If not, I believe I couldn't be more ready.  My foot is completely better from the injury I had in March. Besides a small amount of knee pain and some shoulder trouble recently, I really couldn't feel better going into Liberty. It looks like it's going to be hot; it might get into the 90's.  I haven't done any training in heat yet this year, but that's only because we haven't had any heat. We'll see how it goes.

Hopkins Royal Traithlon Recap

Hopkins Royal Triathlon 

Shady Oak Beach, Hopkins MN

Saturday, September 5, 2015

0.5 mile/ 15 mile/ 5K

This was the last race of my triathlon season.  I'm on the fence as to if I should consider this summer a fail or a success. As usual, I suppose it's somewhere in the middle.

My wife, Tina, decided to try the mini-sprint at Hopkins (100 yards/ 4.5 miles/ 1.5 miles). Going into this race, we were both mailing it in.  Tina had to skip out on the gym for the last week due to back pain, and I only got in one bike and two swims between Lake Marion and Hopkins (3 weeks). My excuse?  School started and I was just a little burnt out.  If Marion had went better, I may have tried to gear up for this entire race, but as it was I just wanted to get in a good run time. My running has been borderline embarrassing this summer. I've had a 10+ minute per mile pace in each of the last two races.  I suppose there is something to be said about my foot still hurting from when I broke it in March, but I don't think that has help me back too much.  My main goal this time out was to hit a 9 minute per mile pace or better.

Swim (0.5 0.4 miles)
Goal:     Around 1:40 minutes per 100 yards pace
Actual:  Might have over cooked it
Friday night, the weather said no rain but hot, humid and windy.  Saturday morning, it was thunder and lightning right up to the start time at 8:10am.  Also, after the rain the hot, humid, windy weather was still on its way.  It was a stinker of a day for a bike and a run, but at least the swim didn't get canceled.  We were about thirty five minutes delayed off the start, and the swim was shortened from 0.5 to 0.4 miles.  Shortening the swim seemed pretty silly to me, but at least we got in the lake.

What a lake!  That was the clearest lake water in which I have ever swam.  There were quite a few weeds in spots, but the water was as clear as the pool at the Y.  I had though the water was going to be too warm for a wet suit due to the hot weather we have had over the last month, but the rain and a cloudy breeze made it a perfect morning for a wet suit swim.  The wind kicked up a lot after the rain, but the lake was below it's surroundings.  There was no chop to fight this time around.

It was a time trial start, and I went off in about position 60 out of 270 finishers.  It was a short swim, so I tried to push it.  It seemed like I passed quite a few folks, and I even had to slow down to work out a pass a couple times.  Tina went off much later in the mini-sprint start, and she was watching from the shore. She said I went of around 60th and came in around 20th.  That feels about right.  I didn't leave much in the water.
Swim Time:    10:19 with a 1:28 per 100 yards pace.
Swim Rank:    41st out of 270 overall
                         31st out of 159 males
                         7th out of 26 age groupers

T1
Goal:     About 2.5 minutes
Actual:  Not too far off
I was pretty pumped out after the swim. I ran to the transition mat, but then walked the couple hundred feet to transition.  My shoes were wet from the rain, but not too bad.  The worst part was having wet sunglasses with nothing to clear off the lenses.  Anyhoo, it was an uneventful T1.
T1 Time: 2:55
Position:  41st out of the water,
                 67th out of T1 (270 finishers)


Bike (15 miles)
Goal: 18+ mph average, hopefully closer to 19 mph
Actual: Fail
After the race, my wife and I were sitting on a bench next to another lady who also did the sprint course.  The lady said, "These websites always say rolling hills; that WAS NOT rolling hills."  Agreed; that was a tough bike course.

The bike was three five mile loops.  About a mile into each loop, there was a bitch of a hill.  I believe it's the second worst climb I've done; I only had two gears left at the top of the climb.  On the first hill of the Chaska triathlon (River City Days 2014), I only had one gear left (on the small ring).  Also adding to the slowness was the wet, new asphalt on the bike course.  It dried up by the third lap, but I didn't hit the some of the down hill as much as I could have due to what I thought was slippery conditions.  The final complaint (maybe) was that the wind was blowing about 15mph.  All this (and mailing it in since Marion) lead to a season worst bike.

I don't know what to make of the bike at this race.  My last two races were 17.8 and 17.5 mph averages, but they were also olympic courses.  The first two races of the season were 18.8 and 18.3 mph averages on sprint courses.  I guess I have plenty of things I can blame for the slow time (13mph wind), but maybe I'm just slow on the bike.  I suppose I have to put in more hours on in the saddle.
I put 300 miles on the bike this year and an additional 15 hours on the trainer/stationary bike, but I suppose I can always due more. Maybe I'll be more inclined to due so when I get a new bike this winter (hopefully).   Anyhoo, I doubt I could have given it much more than I did. Not much more to say.  Crappy way to end the season.
Bike Time:   52:54 with a 17 mph average
Bike Rank:  106th out of 270 overall
                      81 out of 159 males
                      15th out of 26 age groupers

T2
Goal:  Under 1:00
Actual:  Just barely
Nothing interesting in T2.  I racked the bike and took off.  I grabbed a water from a volunteer, tried to drink from the cup, coughed most of it up, splashed the rest on my back and I was on my way.  Is there a way I can practice grabbing a cup of water and drinking on the run?
T2 Time:  59 seconds
Position:   90th off the bike
                  89th out of T2 (270 finishers)


Run (5K)
Goal: Close to or break a 9:00 per mile average
Actual: Slow loser
I like to think of myself as a runner, but my results this year seem to indicate that I'm a swimmer who tries to bike and run.  Again, this was a crappy way to end the season.  I really wanted a time that I could be proud of, but it just wasn't going to happen this year.  I suppose my broken foot and a lost six weeks in the spring cost me a little bit in my training, but that's not enough to take all the blame.  I think I also fundamentally monkeyed my summer training.  I did the majority of my workouts in the early morning, and avoided a lot of hot, humid afternoon runs.  Next year, I think I need to get out in the heat and try to beat it.  I shouldn't hide from it.  Also, I just gotta get in some longer runs.  Time is the problem there.  Getting in a tenner is rough enough. I then also have to get through the rest of the day without crashing and burning on my family.  If I can make it through winter without injuries, then maybe I can build a hefty base.  Hopefully, that will help when I try to hit it up again next year.

Anyhoo, the run was almost totally flat.  Mostly, it was on a hard pack trail, and the only climb was near the end where you run from the under to the over pass of a bridge.  No walking this time, but that's hardly a moral victory.  It was still so very slowy slow slow.
Run Time:    31:08 with a 10:03 per mile pace
Run Rank:    143rd out of 270 overall
                       98th out of 159 males
                       19th out of 26 age groupers

Total Time:  1:38:14
Position:        105 out of 270 overall
                       82 out of 159 males
                       14 our of 26 age groupers

Time Comparison
Below is a comparison of my accumulated time against the field and male averages.  It seems like this was probably a race without a lot of triathlon regulars.  Either that, or the wind (13 mph) really threw everyone for a loop.  The average times were slow.  I was actually a minute fast on the bike and only a minute slow on the run when compared to the male average. I guess I'll take it; it makes me look good.

Post-Race and Next Up
I met up with Tina after the race and found out that she broke and hour.  Great Work Tina!  Of course, she wasn't happy with her time, but who ever is?  Anyhoo, they had a pretty nice spread comprised of the post-race regulars with hot dogs and root beer floats.  They also had a pretty good band playing. It would have been fun to stick around for a bit, but we had to get back and relieve the babysitter.

Not much is on the schedule for the rest of the year.  I have a charity 5K at work in a month and Surf the Murph in a couple months.  Timing on both of those really doesn't matter to me and training is similarly no longer race specific from here on out.  I've been reading up on heart rate training, and I may look into that this winter.  Outside of that, my only goal is not to get injured through the winter. When March/April outside running comes back around, I would like to be hitting 15-20 mile weeks pretty easy on the treadmill.

Tina and I after the Race

Graniteman Clearwater Recap

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.

Run: 5K
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

Lake Minnetonka Triathlon Recap

Lake Minnetonka Sprint Triathlon

Excelsior Commons June 20, 2015

0.5 mile/ 15 mile/ 3 mile

Well, this was my first race back from hurting my left knee in the fall and then breaking my left foot in the spring.  It would have been nice if everything had went to plan, but mother nature got in the way.

Leading up to the race, I was usually getting in 3 or 4 hours a week of training. My time breakdown and predicted reactions were as follows:
      Over  1:50       Failure
      1:45- 1:50        At least I did it.
      1:40- 1:45        Great Job
      1:35- 1:40        Above Expectations
      Under 1:35      Able to retire as champion of the world

Specifically, my top shelf goal was a 2 min/100yds swim, 18 mph bike, 9 mile/min run, and I wanted my total transition under 4 minutes.

Pre-Race
I did not have the time to drive the bike course or practice the run course.  My summer schedule is terrible throughout my first five week course.  I have class at 8:ooam and 6:oopm on MTH.  It makes for some long days.  Anyhoo, I had no idea what to expect as far as hills on the course were concerned. 

Race morning weather was rain and thunderstorms.  This was the first time I have seen the 10-forecast be exactly correct.  Everyday, the forecast said morning thunderstorms, and that's exactly want we got.  I was up around 4:50am and got to the race site (Excelsior Bay) at a little after 6:oo am.  Lots of rain, but the lightning had mostly stopped by that time.

When I got to the site, I didn't see any buoys in the water; I kinda figured I knew what was coming next.  I'd say it was around 6:30 when the announcement was made that the swim portion of the race was going to be canceled.  What a bummer.  I still haven't used my wetsuit.  It was probably a bad idea to try it out for the first time on a race day, but like I said, my schedule sucks right now. 

Anyhoo, the race was converted into a Run, Bike, Run (1 mile/ 15 mile/ 3 mile).  That meant all of my goal times were shot.  So, I decided to run as fast as I could on the mile.  When am I ever going to run just 1 mile again?  On the bike and the run I was going to stick with a 18mph / 9 min/mile goals.

The rain really started to come down in the few minutes before the race started, but once we got going I didn't really notice it.  By half way through the bike,  the rain had stopped.  By the time I got to the run, I had to take off my long sleeve shirt because it was getting hot.

Run 1: About 1 mile
Goal:       Fast
Actual:    Good Enough
We were sent off in the same waves that were planned for the swim.  We ran on a narrow sidewalk out of the park. You were kind stuck in order for a little bit, unless you wanted to try to use the soggy muddy grass for a pass.  Once we got to a road, I tried to increase my pace a bit.  It was a short run, and I was just going to try to go fast, so I didn't even look at Garmin for the pace until I heard the lap tone.  By my watch, I ran the first mile in 7:26 minutes.  Either I took a long route, or it was a bit more than a mile for the first run ( I had it at about 1.1 miles).  I'm guessing the latter, since the route  had to be worked up at the last minute. 
Run 1 Time:    8:15 minutes
Run 1 Ranks:  143rd our of 372 overall
                          116 out of 239 males
                          16 out of 36 age groupers

T1
Goal:     Absolutely None
Actual:  Not Interesting
T1 would have been interesting if I had to change out of my wet suit.  As it was, I just walked through transition and hopped on my bike.  The run did take a little out of me.
T1 Time:   1:52  minutes
Position:    143rd out of Run 1,
                   159th out of T1 (372 finishers)

Bike: 15 miles
Goal:     At least 17mph, Hopefully more than 18mph
Actual:  Over 18mph
On my training rides I had been averaging around 16.5mph, but I usually bike on a kind of hilly loop with a couple stop lights and a few stop signs.  I was hoping a little flatter route and not having to stop/slow so often would tick me up an mph or two.  Both of the runs were basically flat. The total elevation gain (equivalent to elevation lost) was about 430ft.



I'm just slow on the bike.  There were times when I was at my max cadence (couldn't even make the highest gear catch), and folks were passing me like I wasn't moving.  Maybe I'm too big and cause too much wind resistance, maybe my bike is crap or maybe I just don't practice enough.  In any event, my average was 18.3mph, and I guess I can't ask for much more.  That is the extent of my abilities.  The stats page says that 76 people passed me on the bike portion.  It felt like more.  I should be happy with a personal best for average speed, but it was a let down to see everyone speed past me.  On the bright side, I don't believe my tri-shorts are sheer.  A lot of folks should bend over and take a look in the mirror before they suit up for race day.  I saw the equivalent of bare ass far too many times on Saturday.

Bike Time:    49:17 minutes, 18.3 mph average

Bike Ranks:  200th out of 372 overall

                       164th out of 239 males

                       21st out of 36 age groupers

T2
Goal:     Absolutely None
Actual:  Not Interesting
In T2 I racked my bike and took off the long sleeve compression shirt that I had put on during the rain before the race started.  The clouds were breaking and I run hot.  Again I walked out of transition; a quick turnover just wasn't of interest to me this time around.
T2 Time:  0:58 minutes
Position:   189th of the bike
                  186th out of T2 (372 finishers)

Run: 3 miles
Goal:      9 min/mile average
Actual:   Killed it.
Again, the loops I run at home are on a bit of a hilly route.  The run for this race has basically no elevation change.  On training runs, I was averaging about a 8:50 mile.  On the race route, the official stats have me at an 8:30 per mile average.  I had the course running a little short on my Garmin, about 2.9 miles.  If that is the case, then I would have been at about an 8:40 per mile.  Either way, I was very happy with my time.  This was an out and back on the same trail.  There was a water station after about half a mile where I foolishly tried to drink from a cup on the run.  I think some water may have gotten in my mouth, but most of it was on my face and body.  Maybe I'll get a water belt for my longer races coming up.
Run Time:     25:29 minutes, 8:30 per mile
Run Ranks:   205th out of 372 overall
                       160th out of 239 males
                       27th out of 36 age groupers

Total Time:  1:25:49

Position:        194th out of 372 overall

                       162nd out of 239 males

                       25th out of 36 age groupers   

Time Comparisons
A graph of accumulated times are below.  I was just under the field average on everything except T2 (missed it by 2 seconds).  Compared to male finishers, I was right on average for run 1 but slower on the bike and run 2.

Post-Race & Up Next
The finisher medal for this race was quite nice; the same goes for the t-shirt.  The food at the end was plentiful.  Pizza, muffins and apples.  Although, I think the pizza or apples may have made me explode.  As it is, I had a big muffin and some water and felt fine after the race.  I had a banana and Gatorade in the car, and I felt well enough the rest of the day to go do some renovating on a rental property that I own.

Next up is a tri-relay with an old college buddy in a few weeks.  It's a shorty: .44 mile swim and a 14 mile bike.  He is going to do the run.  It will be a good work out, and (weather permitting) I'll get to have a swim with my wet suit before the long races on my calendar. 

After that, I'm going to skip the Annandale race on July 19.  It sucks because I already paid for the race. However, I have to be up north on July 20 and I just don't want to stack driving 3.5 hours and racing on the same day.  So, I'm going to pay through the nose and do the Paul Bunyan Triathlon
($95, 1 mile/20 mile/5 mile) in Bemidji on July 18.  It's going to be a hassle trying to get my bike up north with my family in the car, but we'll try to figure it out. 



Lake Marion Sprint Triathlon Recap

Lake Marion Triathlon

Antlers Park August 17, 2014

0.25 mile/ 17.3 mile/ 5K 

I had been looking forward to the Lake Marion Triathlon since February.  I signed up exactly six months before the August 17 race date.  I thought it would be fitting end to a year of exercise; my first run (in seven years) had been on August 19, 2013. 

Leading up to the race, I was averaging the following during training.

9:00 pace on runs that averaged about 3.4 miles

16.7mph on bike rides that averaged 13.4 miles

1100yd training swims split two or three ways 

My time breakdown and predicted reactions were as follows:

Over 2:00             Failure

1:55-2:00             At least I did it

1:50-1:55             Good enough

1:45-1:50             Happy

1:40-1:45             Awesome

Under 1:40          Able to retire as champion of the world 

It’s probably obvious by my listing of the training averages above that I purchased a new watch.  I got the Garmin Forerunner 10 and quickly became obsessed with time, pace, speed, distance, elevation and the splits thereof.  I teach in the math department at a local community college so it’s easy for me to get obsessive over the numbers.  For example, if my transition times don’t change and I swim, bike and run at the same rates as in the Chaska Triathlon, then I would end this race with a time of 1:47:20.   Similarly, if I maintain transition times and hit my training averages with a cut equivalent to three minutes off my embarrassing Chaska swim, then my total race time would be 1:42:40.  I was feeling good going into the race; I had no aches or pains holding me back. 

Pre-Race

I picked up my registration packed on Saturday afternoon (Sunday race).  The t-shirt for this race was awesome.  The other ones I’ve received throughout the year are a little too “Look at me!” for my taste.  This t-shirt is a darker green and is going to get worn a lot.  Also in the packet was a tri race belt for your bib number.  I was thinking about buying one of these, so that was a nice surprise.  I didn’t use the belt for the race; I went with the same two shirt combo as in the Chaska race. 

The race takes place only about 20 minutes from my house.  I ran the 5K loop for practice a couple days before the race, and I drove the bike course after I picked up my registration packet.  Flat, flat, flat!  This was so much different than the hills on the Chaska course.  The bike only has about three short climbs, and the run similarly only has three short uphill sections.  On my practice run, I even broke twenty seven minutes (just barely) on the 5K.   

After the swimming debacle in Chaska, I did get in one open water practice before the Lake Marion Tri. On the practice swim (in the same lake as race day) the first go was a mess, but the attempts after I warmed up went smooth. I decided that the key to race day was going to be getting in a little practice swim before the start of my wave.   

On race day I got up early and got to the park just after transition opened up.  When I was topping of my tire pressure, I heard a sudden hiss sound and my heart skipped a beat before I heard the accompanying cussing from the fellow whose tire had sprung a leak.  Poor guy, I’d say a flat tire is my biggest worry going into race day.  Maybe it was lucky that he had it happen to him in the parking lot and not on the ride?  Nope.  I unpacked my stuff and headed to transition.  After I was set up, I took off for a short warmup jog.  When I got back to transition the same guy was changing another flat tire.  That’s some rotten luck; it couldn’t possibly happen again. Could it?  Yup; I saw him walking his bike back when I got on the bike course later.  I felt bad for the guy.

Anyhoo, going down to lake for the pre-race meeting I saw the buoys for the Olympic swim.  Wow, that is a long swim.  I had actually sent an email in the spring with a request to be change my registration to the Olympic race.  Luckily, no one got back to my until race week, and by that time I was only training and ready for the short course.  I thought about dumbing it up and trying for the long course, but I was able to work myself out of that stupid decision.  After seeing the length of that swim, I was very happy with my decision.  The sprint swim, on the other hand, looked short and quick.   

It was humid, warm but not hot and there wasn’t much wind.  It was race time.

Swim: ¼ mile

Goal:     Don’t embarrass yourself.

Actual: Awesome.

After the pre-race meeting I got in the water and did a little swim.  The water was chilly, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable.  It was probably similar to the temp of the lap pool at the Y.  When the waves started to go off everyone got out of their way, but there was still a little area off to the side where you could get in the water.  I waded in and took a few strokes here and there right up until my wave was about to start. 

I lined up in the back of the pack for my wave, and walked into the water when we got the starting signal.  This swim went great!  This was everything the Chaska swim was not.  Once I dropped in and started to swim I had no problems.  I got kicked and accidently kicked others a couple times, but nothing that threw me off too much.  It was easy strokes and easy breathing.  It was a triangle course, and I stayed out wide most of the swim.  That probably added a little extra time, but that’s where I ended up being comfortable.  Rounding the last buoy, I picked up the pace a bit and even passed a couple guys from the heat that took off before us.  Getting to shore I looked at my watch and it said 8:15!  What a change from Chaska.  After the swim in Chaska I wanted to quit, and after this swim I felt like the king of the world.  My official swim time was a little slower due to when I started my watch and checking the time before crossing the mat to T1.

Swim Time: 8:33 with an average of 1:57 per 100 yards

Chaska Comparison:   an average of 2:31 per 100 yards

T1

Goal:     Less than three tries to put on my shirt.

Actual:  Three tries.

The run up to transition was a little further than I would have liked to jog without my shoes.  I suppose that’s probably always the case.  My idiot thing about T1 was that I messed up the timing on my watch.  First, I reset the timing, so I wasn’t going to get an accurate total time for the race.  Second, I noticed that I had the watch set to “auto pause”, so my stationary time in transition was not going to be recorded on my watch either.  Nuts.  Otherhows, T1 went off without too many problems.  It is tough getting my shirt on when wet.  I’ll have to figure out a better plan for T1 next year. 

T1 Time:              3:35

Chaska Time:     3:07

Bike: 17.3 miles

Goal:     Less than one hour on the bike.

Actual:  Less than one hour on the bike.

The bike went well.  The course starts off riding through Lakeville, then you head into the country and finally you loop back around to the lake.  The course is mostly flat and fast.  I’ve never had an average speed as fast as I did on this course.  The flats had to be the key.  By my watch, this bike course had about 300 ft of elevation change, and my typical 16 mile training loop has about 450 ft of elevation change.    

At least I thought I was fast.  I must have been passed by 20-30 people on the bike.  Every time a group passed me I would check my watch to confirm my speed, and it kept saying I was ahead of my goal.  It didn’t look like I had any reason to try to speed it up (it’s not like I was holding back anyway).  So, I figured bully for those fast folks, and I stuck to my pre-race goal of getting off the bike within an hour.   

I had a water bottle on my bike and I brought a gu packet of the type that I had been using on my longer training sessions.  I took the gu about 45 minutes into the bike.  I was sipping water throughout the bike, but I didn’t end up taking down much of my bottle.  Coming back to the lake, I saw my family waiting at the last corner before the turn into transition.  My oldest boy (Cooper, 3 yrs) was pretty jazzed to see me, as I was to see them.

Bike Time:  57:21 average speed 18.1mph

Chaska Time:        average speed 16.5mph

T2

Goal:     Quick

Actual:  Quick

T2 has been quick for both races.  I suppose my T1 is too slow and my T2 is fast, so it balances out.  I had pinned my bib to my run shirt again, so with the rack of my bike and a quick change I was off.

T2 Time:             0:44

Chaska Time:     0:42

Run: 5K

Goal:     A minute faster than Chaska

Actual: Missed it by that much.

As I left T2 I saw the family again and the cheered me on my way.  My wife is a trooper.  It’s not easy trying to corral two little boys in a big park with lots of people while dad runs around and has fun.  She did it both races this year without any complains, and it wouldn’t have been the same if they weren’t there.  She’s an amazing woman, and I love hear dearly.   

I had run the 5K course as practice a few days before the race.  I knew it hit the same hill twice on the out and back and that there was an incline on the turn around.  I decided that I was going to take the first half mile a little easier that balls out; I didn’t want to have to stop or walk.  My splits ended up being 8:50, 9:30 and 9:10.   

The run was mostly uneventful, and for the most part it felt like I was running alone. I know there were racers around me, but I just wasn’t noticing them.  I did see one fella ditch into the trees to relieve himself (vomit or potty, I don’t know).  And, there was another guy who I traded leads with about four times.  In the end, he pulled away toward the finish.   

In the last few hundred yards, the course winds through a wooded trail.  I’m sure I was alone in there.  It was darker, cool and quiet before you run back into the sun and the finish line.  It was a great end to the race where I had lots of fun. 

Run time:            28:39 with a 9:15 pace

Chaska Time:     29:36 with a 9:32 pace

Post-Race

The clock at the finish line read around 1:49:00.  I had reset my watch after the swim so, again, I wasn’t sure of my total time.  I went off in the 5^th wave so I figured that I was around 12 minutes behind the clock.  It looked like it was going to be a really good time, but I was going to have to wait until I could find a results board (never did) or some internet access.  Great race!  Good weather, good event times, great to see my family at the finish line.  Without a doubt, I’ll be a Marion again next year; maybe I’ll try the Olympic length.

Total Time:  1:38:51

Time Comparison



Packing up after the race.

Pic from the race's facebook page.