Sullivan Triathlon Race Report

Triathlon season kicked off yesterday with my first race of the year. Sullivan is a fairly low key sprint triathlon race featuring an indoor pool swim before heading outdoors for the bike and run. They had a sold out crowd of 300 triathletes with some obvious good competition. I started right in the middle of the 300 registered races as number 150. With the time trail start, 1 swimmer going in every 10 seconds, it gave me some time before I made the running start into the pool. The swim went fairly easy; I passed a couple of other guys early, and then had clear water all the way to the finish. I jumped out in about 8 minutes 40 seconds for the 400 meters. I bit slower than I hoped for, but swimming under the lane lines going from lane to lane is a bit awkward. All in all, the easiest swim I’ve ever had in a triathlon. For such a small town they had a first rate swimming facility.

The first transition to the bike went very smooth, and had one of the fastest splits there. The bike itself was open and windy as well advertised. It was also cool with temps in the low 50’s during the ride. Nothing to complain about, as it was just as they said it would be. Did see one guy in front of me miss a high speed turn and went tumbling into a ditch. He popped up okay, so I went on. Only real concern was my left contact folded up leaving me with blurry vision for most of the ride. It eventually just came out and stuck on my sun glasses for the last part of the ride. Kind of comical looking at your contact stuck on the glasses. It actually stayed there till the mid way of the run when a gust of wind sent it flying. Thankfully no troubles with my right eye during the rest of the event. I made the 13.4 miles in 36 minutes and change (22.1 mph average). Not my best ride, but reasonable.

Bike to run transition was a bit awkward as my legs were cold, and I got bumped hard as I got off the bike. One other guy finished next to me and gave me a good jolt has he got off his bike. Not a big deal, I still made it out okay, with the toughest part just getting my cold stiff legs to start running.

The run itself was okay, started feeling better after mile 1, but didn’t seem to have a lot of speed. Seemed fairly consistent from mile to mile, but that’s just a guess. The run course was scenic and mostly on trials which I really liked. The finish was nice and they had some decent post race refreshments. Run split was around 22 minutes 10 seconds for the 5k, a 7:10 pace per mile.

As the results were posted I ended up 20th out of 267 finishers. One ahead of me was a team so I guess I can say 19th. It was reasonable coming off the broken rib and missing several weeks of swimming and running. Won 1st in my age group, but only because I was racing in the 45-49. One guy in the 50-54 went faster. For sure, I need to run and swim faster if I want to have any chance at making the grade at age group nationals. Time to get busy!

Results at http://www.sullivanil.us/triathlon/08SULLIVAN%20TRI.HTM

New Uniforms - Forward Motion Athletics

New uniform to debut at the Sullivan Triathlon this weekend. We had a team meeting yesterday and got to pose for the team picture in the new LG tri suits. Made for a good laugh as everyone was peeling off what they had over the top. We did the picture at the back of a bank that was just closing, and as you can imagine, got some interesting looks.

Well no one was arrested, so I guess we are okay.
First race on Sunday is a sprint, 400 meter swim indoors, 13.4 mile bike and 5k run outdoors. No pressure, just looking to have some fun.

Will report on just how in-shape, or out of shape I am as the race goes down. Stay tuned.

Spring Group Ride

Tuesday evening ride with the local cycling group turned into a hammer fest soon after leaving Hawthorn Park. With the sudden change in weather for the better all the fast guys were ready to lay down the law. Of course that leaves me working near my max effort for most of the ride.

As a triathlete and not just a cyclist, this was my second workout of the day after a good swim during my lunch hour. Makes for a full day, but a good one. My excuse for laboring so hard during the ride.

The group here usually averages 21 or so on a good day. That used to be easier than it is now. Most of those guys are near my age, so I can't use that excuse. Hopefully it will get easier to hang on, but not counting on it ...

Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Wind

Now that I'm back on the home front and no longer in the sunny south, the training conditions call for a bit more grit. With the upcoming 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge on May 3rd, I'm trying to ride as much as I can. This weekend called for wind, rain and temps around 41. With that in mind I joined a group ride Saturday morning for a 45 mile ride up to Bridgeton and back. It rained about 50% of the time, but not to heavy. The grit part came on the ride back into the wind with several sections into sleet with a 20 mph wind propelling it into our faces. I had to put my hand in front of my face like a visor just to see in certain sections.

It may sound a bit absurd, but I kind of liked it. Somehow you feel like you are gaining an edge on the competition when you are able to endure such testing. My friend Tom Paterson was along for the ride along with Tom Newlin. Tom N is training for a cross country ride late this month that starts in California and ends 27 days later on the other side of the U.S. He actually rode off when we finished to another 45 miles. Maybe I need to sharpen my edge a bit more ...

The 100 mile 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge starts and finishes in Chattanooga. Last year it took me about 6 hours and 30 minutes including stops. This year I hope to ride a bit quicker and stop less for a faster time. Well, thats the plan anyway. For details see
http://www.chattbike.com/events/3_state/3stchlng.htm

Beach Front Training

Made the trip to Sun City Center Florida last week for Spring Break with the kids. Got in some decent swimming without too much trouble, and some nice running. Feels great to run when its warm after the long cold winter. We also enjoyed Bradenton Beach where I vacationed as a kid. The gulf water was warm enough to swim which surprised me. I don't like swimming in the ocean much, however the scenery was first rate. Got to run on hard packed beach sand which is a blast. No cycling last week, but got in a good ride after we returned home with the local road bike group. No more excuses, feeling good, and back in the swing.