Just raced in the Pacific Grove triathlon, Olympic distance. This was my third triathlon and, unlike my first, I'm finally feeling strong and having fun with it. This year has been my "base building" year in which I learn how to swim and run... and I'm totally excited to start working on speed and hills for next season.
So... Pac Grove. The water was 59 degrees and full of kelp (they are serious when they call it the "kelp crawl!") but it turned out to be not nearly as bad than I'd anticipated (it was actually kind of fun.) I'm finally acclimated to the chill and the open water, and I'm astonishing myself at how much I'm now enjoying the swim. Finished in :38, which was about where I thought I'd be... would have been faster if there had been more open water (versus sliding myself over large kelp trees) but everyone else had to deal with the same stuff, and I ended up in the middle of the pack.
T1: 2:54... yay! Finally getting my transitions under 4 minutes. Secret tip on getting wetsuits off in lightning speed: Tri Slide. I got a tip that you can spray it right on your wetsuit (below the knees and elbows) before swimming, and it works like a charm.
Bike was a blast. I wasn't sure if I'd like doing 4 laps on the bike, but it was a spectator-friendly course along the magnificent Nor Cal coastline. My new aero bars really helped push through the headwinds, and I was flying with the tailwind coming back. Time: 1:25
T2: 2:30. I know I can get this lower, but still happy about it.
Run is still tough for me. This was a flat course, and while I'm feeling much stronger running off the bike after all the brick training over the past month, my feet were numb from the bike (my feet always go numb... it's not my shoes or my fit. Thinking it's my seat. Anyone else have this problem?) and my hams & glutes always hurt when I run. So I'm now just doing a lot of weight training and hoping that will strengthen things up. That said, I ran a 9 min mi which I was happy about.
Total time: 3:06, which was about 5 minutes faster than expected.
Next up: training for my first half marathon! The Healdsburg Half is on Halloween, so everyone dresses in costumes and runs through wine country. Can't wait. Hoping this will make me a stronger runner so that I can accomplish my goal of cutting 1:20 (that's one hour, 20 minutes, which tells you how slow I was) at Wildflower in May. That was my first tri this year and I wasn't trained for it, so I am very motivated to pull out all the stops and conquer this course next year!
Nice job with the race. 9:00/mile is not a slouchy run by any stretch.
Regarding transitions, just rehearsing pre-race will help. I actually walk through the entire T1 and T2 (from where I leave the water to the shortest route to my spot to visualizing putting on my helmet, glasses, shoes, etc) during the pre-race set up so when I have to do it, I already have the plan in my mind. That alone will shave some time.
Regarding a saddle, I'm no corporate shill, but I was having all sorts of trouble and switched to an ISM Adamo (not for everyone, so try it out a friend's if you can) and it cured all my ills.
Glad you're enjoying the sport. Keep having fun!
Posted by: Horowitzracing.wordpress.com | September 16, 2010 at 02:26 AM