So today was the day of the sprint tri I had registered for at the beginning of the year. My primary goal for this was absolutely not-at-all time based or anything - but simply to see what the transitions and logistics around them were like. I had originally figured that as time got closer, I'd be more and more concerned with my performance (in that I'd want to do everything possible to improve my times), but I was surprised over the past couple days how much I just did not care. For example, I never went to scope out the course (which I figured I'd do, since it was close by), I didn't pack things up and prepare the night before - all those little things that one does as sort of a nervous restless habit to get all ducks in a row, I didn't do. I actually thought 'hey, if I get DQ'd for any reason - no big deal. As long as I see what the transitions are like'.
There were about 500 participants in the event, numbered not by order of registration, but by order of estimated swim time. The swim portion was 400 yds, which meant 8 up-and-back laps of a 25 yd pool. So you'd enter on one side of the pool, go up and back, and then move over to the next lane. Rinse and repeat 7 more times, and you've got the 8 x 50 laps. By doing so, it was possible to start a participant every 15 seconds. However, with 500 people, that still took a while to go through. I submitted my estimated swim time of 8-9 minutes, based on the 400's I had done over the past couple weeks. I ended up with number 329 - so I had to wait about an hour and a half before I could get going. It actually turned out to be good - because during that time I could see what the earlier participants were doing in those transitions, and I could try to observe a couple tricks and tips.
I quickly realized why I hear people involved in triathlons always say they need work on their swimming portion. Although my estimated time put me at number 329, I really should have probably been in the low 200's or so - because I was seeing a lot of people in that range swimming and thinking to myself that they were swimming a similar, or slower, speed than I could do. I passed two people in the pool within the first 100 yds, passed three people total, and in the last 25 could have passed a fourth person. The only reason I didn't was because the swim portion was just about done, and it would have only gained me a few seconds.
So, it appears that although much of my swimming workouts have not been optimized for performance, and although the endless pool is quite a bit different than swimming laps in a pool - there is no doubt that it had a major effect on my swimming ability. Having free access to that endless pool is an advantage whose value cannot be denied.
After the swim was over, it was out of the pool and a run over to the transition area to get my biking socks, shoes, shirt, and helmet on. Once gathered together, you run your bike over to the bike start line and mount up. The bike course was a double 3.5 mile loop, with little in the way of hills. I kept it easy on the first loop, figuring I didn't want to gas myself right away, and that I could accelerate on the 2nd loop after I had seen the loop once already. Based on my cyclometer, I maintained a 15 mph pace - not too bad, but also not really any different then most rides I go on.
Once the second bike loop was done, you dismount the bike, run with the bike over the bike finish line, and bring the bike over to the transition area and put on running shoes, and jog over to the running start line.
The entire time, I thought that the run would be my sweet spot. I run more than cycle or swim, I'm training for a half marathon - the running phase should be my binky. I even knew about the transition to running, and how legs feel like lead after biking. I even purposely went through that experience the other week when I biked home from work, and then went out for a run.
This was different. I dont know whether it was the relative lack of rest (doing a brick workout before, I had some time in between - not much, but at least something like 10 minutes) - but it kinda kicked my ass this time. I didn't have my HR monitor on, so I couldn't see whether my body was exerting itself more than expected or not. I remember when I did a brick workout before that I felt like I was working hard and going slow, but my HR and pace were right on target. Basically, any internal tuning mechanism you develop to gauge yourself in intensity gets thrown out the window when you switch from biking to running. So I was kinda running blind. But there wasn't much that could be done about it, so I kept plodding along. Even after the 2.4 miles of the run, my legs never quite felt in running mode.
All in all, it was a fun experience. I wish I had remembered to start my stop watch at the various start and end times, but I didn't - so now I have to wait for the results to be posted online to see how I did.
EDIT: Turns out the run was more like 2.2 miles, not 2.4.
The results are in, and here is my line:
Bib: 329
Group: Males 30-34
Swimming category place: 11 (out of 14)
Swimming overall: 128
Swim time: 7:12
Bike category place: 10 (out of 14)
Bike overall: 168
Bike time: 27:07
Run category place: 12 (out of 14)
Run overall: 161
Run time: 19:11
Category overall place: 11 (out of 14)
Overall place: 145 (out of 412 people who finished)
Overall time: 53:31
As far as I always understood - the transition times are included in the overall timing. Totalling up the swim, bike and run times, though - it appears that is not the case. Had I known that, I would have rested for a couple minutes between each event!
No comments:
Post a Comment