Hempfield Tri For Life

Today was the Hempfield Tri for Life, which was held at the Hempfield Sports Complex. I felt that I was ready for this race, but you never know until you start.

I picked up my packet last evening, so I could sleep in a little longer this morning. Yeah, right. The tri was 10 minutes down the road and I was still there almost two hours before the race. It worked out well, however, because the transition area was first come, first served and I got a primo spot on the end. Met up with my buddy Doug A. from the gym and we went for a 15 minute warm-up run. Then I jumped in the pool for a few laps. Sufficiently warmed up, I was ready to go.

Swim

The swim was indoors. This is the first time that I ever swam indoors then went outdoors. In February, I did a race that was all indoors, so this was a good transition to the outdoor season. When registering, you had to give your 300m time. Everybody lined up according to their time and swimmers went every 10 seconds. I originally listed my time as 6:30, but changed it to 6:00. I was hoping I did the right thing, and felt a little nervous, but when I hit the water I was totally relaxed. I had my best swim ever, and even managed to pass two people in front of me. I came out of the water in 5:45, and was quite pleased. I attribute my results to the pointers I have been receiving from Scott G. at the fitness club. The biggest tweak I made the week prior was bringing my stroke more in line with my shoulders. I have also been trying to swim with paddles once a week for a few laps, and this has improved my strength.

Transitions

Both my transitions were under a minute. Part of the reason T1 was under a minute is because I didn't have to contend with getting the wetsuit off. I also dispensed with all manner of gels, snacks and other frills. In an hour race, there isn't much benefit to be derived from eating. T2 was quick, because I invested in speed laces, and didn't have to tie my shoes.

Bike

The bike course was fast and the hill training I have been doing with Chris R. paid off. I remembered to have my bike in the small crank and quickly got up to speed and shifted into my big ring and stayed there , which I planned to do. I say planned, because my one blunder came on a hill when I was dueling with another rider, the only rider to challenge me directly on the course. He passed me coming down a small hill, then I retook the lead on a series of two short but steep hills. He then caught back up on a gradual incline. I should have stayed in my big ring, but I saw him spinning in his small ring and pulling away. I made the mistake of shifting, and my chain popped. Not too big of a deal overall as it only cost me about 40 seconds, but it did cost me a place, and allowed my adversary to get too far ahead. I guess now that I think about it it was a big deal. Nonetheless, I was able to reign in the other on the run. Overall pace, 19.6 mph

Run

Not much to say here. I dismounted the bike and was off, and felt pretty good. Bike to run is never easy, but this course was fairly flat and I was able to get my legs under me quickly. I wasn't passed by anyone on the run, and managed to pass at least 10 runners who were in front of me. Overall pace, 7:06

Results and Other Observations

1:18:46; 23rd place overall; 5th in my age group, which was 40-49 (If there would have been a 45-49 age group, I would have been second)

In an indoor triathlon, be honest with your seeding time. I saw an individual seeded 11th who wasn't wearing goggles, and by the end of the first lap was swimming with his head out of the water. By the second lap, he was breast stroking.

Interesting sight: aero bars on a mountain bike.

I dispensed totally with the GPS and wore only my watch. I used a pace calculator by the Chicago Tri Club to come up with a goal time. This helped me stay on pace and was better than messing around with the GPS.