My first Olympic distance triathlon

I joined EN in February and have my sights set on Augusta this year and IMLP in 2015.



To prepare for this triathlon, I used the Beginner EN Short Course Plan, weeks 8 through 20.

My goal was to go under 3 hours, but ultimately just to finish strong and that’s what I did, completing the race in 3:05.  I felt good the whole way and didn’t really fatigue until the last mile and a half.

Swim: 36:48  (2:27 per 100m)

There was a heavy fog on the lake and I couldn’t even see the first turn buoy.  They delayed the race start so some of the fog could clear.  After 20 minutes or so, we started.  This race featured a dock entry, with two people jumping into the water every 5 seconds.  I was probably 200th into the water, so there was a wait.  I had poured some bottled water into my wetsuit in so the wetsuit could start the warming process.  The bottom of my feet were numb from standing on cold concrete for so long.  Finally,  my turn came up and I jumped in, making sure to hold onto my goggles.  Due to all the problems getting to the race and not having enough time, I did no warmup at all, so basically, the first 200 meters of the swim ended being my warmup.  Since I am not a strong swimmer, my goal is to keep my heart rate in check by not going too hard and trying to focus on a nice long and methodical stroke.  After 10 minutes, I started to feel comfortable out there.  I had a few sighting problems due to the fog, so I probably zig-zagged my way from buoy to buoy a bit.  Finally, I see the boat ramp/swim exit and thankfully the swim is done.

So, the swim still needs lots of improvement.  

I did accomplish my main goal though, which was to exit the water without wiping myself out on the swim.  

I succeeded in keeping my heart rate in check…maybe too much.

T1: 2:55

I jogged to my bike while removing my wetsuit.  Put on my helmet, sunglasses, socks, bike shoes, Garmin watch and grabbed my bike.  This was a pretty slow transition for me – the wetsuit definitely slowed me down.  I need to practice transitions with the wetsuit.  Last year I did practice transitions and it helped my have quick, efficient transitions at every race.

Bike: 1:25:23  (16.5 mph avg)

My FTP is 199.  

Elevation Gain: 1,473 

Normalized Power: 168 

Intensity Factor: 0.851     <<< Am I riding hard enough?</span>

The bike course was more hilly than I expected.  The elevation gain for the bike course was over 1,400 feet.  When the #1 cyclist in my age group averages 20.0 mph, you know it’s a tough course.  Usually, the top guy in my age group will average 22 to 24 mph.  There was one interesting feature of this course in that it crossed railroad tracks and some people actually had to wait for a train!  I did not, but I did have a snafu of my own.  At every intersection, they had volunteers, tell you which way to turn or to watch for gravel or an extra tight turn.  They were all great, except for this one guy.  I was coming to the end of a road and I did not know whether to go right or left.  I was coming in hot and I could not see any riders in front of me.  Since the volunteer was looking at his phone and not paying attention, I was uncertain about which way, so I “guessed” to the right and then he wakes up and says “the other way!”  Crap!  I locked up my rear under heavy braking, made a slow u-turn, losing all my momentum and starting back up a hill.  So that sucked.  I did do a good job drinking on the bike.  I had two bottles of Powerbar Perform with me – one on my new X-Lab “torpedo” bottle between the aerobars and a refill bottle on the down tube.



This allowed me to skip the aid station they had setup half way through the bike.  Since I have been training with Perform, it worked well to keep me hydrated and fueled for the day.  With this X-Lab bottle, I did break one of the golden rules of triathlon – “don’t try something new on race day.”   I did do one training session with it, but that was indoors on the trainer.  It worked out fine, so I got lucky there.  I felt like I executed well.  I stayed seated and did not hammer it up the hills, which burns out your legs.  When I got to the top, I shifted and tried to keep the power over the top and down the next hill rather than just coasting.  I am still not very good at maintaining my goal power on the flats or downhill – I keep letting it drop.  This is something to work on for next time.

T2: 1:39

I felt good coming into T2 after the bike leg.  I held back enough so that my legs weren’t wiped out.  I racked my bike, swapped bike helmet for running hat, bike shoes for running shoes.  This is my second race with my Hoka Conquests and I love them!

The best feature of these shoes is how I feel AFTER I run – my recovery time is cut in half…or better!  These aren’t the cushiest shoes in the Hoka lineup – they are made for triathlon and are firmer than the super soft Bondi line.  I tried the Bondi before I bought these and I liked them, but these felt faster and came in my favorite color (and will also match my EN kit, if it ever gets here!)

Run: 58:23  (9:25 per mile pace)

I decided to use a modified Galloway run-walk method for this run.  The idea was to run for 4 minutes, then walk a minute, then run until I hit the mile marker (a little more than 4 minutes).  I repeated this up until the last 1.2 miles, when I ran it all the way in.  The result was that I completed this 10k within a minute of my solo 10k PR.  I think this worked out well.  It wasn’t until the last 1/2 mile when it really started to suck.  Also, I did not slow down much in the second part of the 10k.  I think that if I ran the whole way, I would start with 9 minute miles and end with 11 minute miles and be exhausted.  I plan to continue this strategy to save my body from the wear and tear of running.  As I get more fit, I will shorten the run breaks or lengthen the run part a little.

Post Race

This was a good race.  Great volunteers, lots of lifeguards on the lake for safety, “ok” food after the race.  They did give out finisher medals, a t-shirt and socks (that was a first).   My next race will be my first “A” race of the season.  This race I considered a “B” race.

I would have liked to go sub 3 hours, but that’s ok.  

I finished strong and checked off another milestone on my triathlon journey.  

Next up is the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon on June 29.

Comments and criticisms - let me know what you think!

Thanks!