Rocketman
The Rocketman triathlon on the Arsenal was a really good benchmark for my expectations of this young season. The team drove up from Auburn the night before and took the collegiate scene by storm with solid finishes from everyone on the team.
The short swim probably helped, but never mind that.
After a slightly delayed start they let everyone into the water two at a time with 3-5 second intervals. The water felt really quite nice in the Tennessee River that morning though the rising sun did blind the eyes a bit when I tried to sight. Fortunately I stayed pretty well on course the first 350 meters before the first turning buoy. I really feel like this is one of the aspects I could improve the most in long swims like this. I'm either exactly right in line with the swim route, or I'm practically going perpendicular to my intended path. Today, though, my major snag wasn't deviating too far from the buoys, it was an issue with my timing chip. Before the race start, I swam around a little in the warm up area and noticed my velcro strap on my ankle felt loose. I tightened it up as much as I could (God forbid it fall off and my race doesn't get timed properly) and that should've been that.
A little over halfway through the swim, it happened. Though the strap didn't feel loose at all, the thing slipped right off my ankle. No one was swimming near me at the time, thankfully, and I immediately turned around, searching as much area as I could. I thought for sure it was sinking, so I dived down a bit, looked, looked...no where. Maybe it floats. That would be smart. And there it was, bobbing up and down right near my head. The chip was there but the velcro strap was with the fishes. I clutched it in my right hand and tried to swim, to little avail. It's hard to catch any good amount of water with a closed fist. Then I tried putting it in my mouth. That didn't work out well either so I finally stuffed it down the front of my suit and continued on. That thing would make it down my crotch and leg before it was going anywhere.
When I came to the bike rack in T1, I noticed most of the bikes around mine were still there, meaning I had gotten out of the water faster than most of those guys I was competing against. The split times in the results confirmed this.
The bike felt smooth and quick but about 15 miles into it my lower back and IT bands really needed a break. I don't think I've quite gotten down a good aero fit on my road bike yet. I think this race more than any I've done displayed my need for a solid tri bike. At this level, the amount of time saved on one of those with a good pair of wheels can make a substantial difference with overall placement. *sigh* If only I had a real, good paying job. Maybe one day.
I came screamin' through T2 wasting no time getting my pearl izumi's on and starting my 10k. The first mile through single track trail felt blazing fast, fun even, as I got to navigate my favorite type of terrain to run in. But, alas, this trail gave way to exposed, undulating dirt road before too long. The flat outsoles on my shoes had little traction here and several hot, exposed miles passed at a less than satisfactory pace. At least it was the same for everyone.
For about 4 miles of the run, I paced one of the guys from Clemson who had pulled ahead of me on the bike. I thought I might be able to edge out a lead, but on one of the last hills around mile 5, dude pulls away a second time. My run split did end up being better than his by a whole 13 seconds but it wasn't quite enough to take the 3rd overall spot among collegiates from him.
Despite my near panic attack 10 minutes into my two hour, 48 second race I am confident that I put on a better showing here than I have at any other Olympic distance.
Should be a fun season.
Oh, and here's a video I made.
https://vimeo.com/48266644
The short swim probably helped, but never mind that.
After a slightly delayed start they let everyone into the water two at a time with 3-5 second intervals. The water felt really quite nice in the Tennessee River that morning though the rising sun did blind the eyes a bit when I tried to sight. Fortunately I stayed pretty well on course the first 350 meters before the first turning buoy. I really feel like this is one of the aspects I could improve the most in long swims like this. I'm either exactly right in line with the swim route, or I'm practically going perpendicular to my intended path. Today, though, my major snag wasn't deviating too far from the buoys, it was an issue with my timing chip. Before the race start, I swam around a little in the warm up area and noticed my velcro strap on my ankle felt loose. I tightened it up as much as I could (God forbid it fall off and my race doesn't get timed properly) and that should've been that.
A little over halfway through the swim, it happened. Though the strap didn't feel loose at all, the thing slipped right off my ankle. No one was swimming near me at the time, thankfully, and I immediately turned around, searching as much area as I could. I thought for sure it was sinking, so I dived down a bit, looked, looked...no where. Maybe it floats. That would be smart. And there it was, bobbing up and down right near my head. The chip was there but the velcro strap was with the fishes. I clutched it in my right hand and tried to swim, to little avail. It's hard to catch any good amount of water with a closed fist. Then I tried putting it in my mouth. That didn't work out well either so I finally stuffed it down the front of my suit and continued on. That thing would make it down my crotch and leg before it was going anywhere.
When I came to the bike rack in T1, I noticed most of the bikes around mine were still there, meaning I had gotten out of the water faster than most of those guys I was competing against. The split times in the results confirmed this.
The bike felt smooth and quick but about 15 miles into it my lower back and IT bands really needed a break. I don't think I've quite gotten down a good aero fit on my road bike yet. I think this race more than any I've done displayed my need for a solid tri bike. At this level, the amount of time saved on one of those with a good pair of wheels can make a substantial difference with overall placement. *sigh* If only I had a real, good paying job. Maybe one day.
I came screamin' through T2 wasting no time getting my pearl izumi's on and starting my 10k. The first mile through single track trail felt blazing fast, fun even, as I got to navigate my favorite type of terrain to run in. But, alas, this trail gave way to exposed, undulating dirt road before too long. The flat outsoles on my shoes had little traction here and several hot, exposed miles passed at a less than satisfactory pace. At least it was the same for everyone.
For about 4 miles of the run, I paced one of the guys from Clemson who had pulled ahead of me on the bike. I thought I might be able to edge out a lead, but on one of the last hills around mile 5, dude pulls away a second time. My run split did end up being better than his by a whole 13 seconds but it wasn't quite enough to take the 3rd overall spot among collegiates from him.
Despite my near panic attack 10 minutes into my two hour, 48 second race I am confident that I put on a better showing here than I have at any other Olympic distance.
Should be a fun season.
Oh, and here's a video I made.
https://vimeo.com/48266644
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