Sunfish Triathlon Race Report

I have a confession. I have been talking the talk but not walking the walk when it comes to training. I preach about following a training plan – any training plan but I have lapsed. You see, if I do not have big goals then I let things slide. After I qualified for the Boston Marathon at the end of February I have been in the need of a new goal. I half assed it with the half ironman in New Orleans. I coasted on my existing fitness and finished in 5:08 – A PR but not my goal time. That is what happens when your longest ride of the year has been about 45 miles.

Just some of the Hattiesburg Crew!

Then I found a new goal and that was the pump and run challenge. I actually trained for this event. I was back in the weight room and back on the track doing speed work. Working the plan, as always, paid off – I won that challenge. Since then I have now raced two triathlons with less than stellar results. I have just gone through the paces and not actually followed a plan. And my results show this lack of attention. Now, my fitness is not in question. I am still exercising and eating a healthy diet. But exercise without purpose is not training. To do my best I need to train. Running haphazardly with friends, doing whatever in the pool and attacking at group rides will not pay the bills – so to speak.

So after the Sunfish Triathlon on Saturday I was upset with myself. This has been the first year that I have failed to have PR’s at all of my races. I have only myself to blame. The races have simply not been as important to me. In the Sunfish this year I was 1:12 longer on the bike and 23 seconds longer on the run. The swim was also a lot longer – 1:59 – but everyone’s swim was longer.

Enough whining. The weather was great for the Sunfish and I had a decent swim. I went a little wide out in the lake but with the time trial start I had no contact with any other swimmers. I swam an easy pace. I tried to keep Robin in sight and was right next to him for 2/3 of the race. Going wide on the last buoy I lost him. He ended up finishing the swim about a minute ahead of me.

I had a good transition and jumped on the bike. I pushed the pace from the start. There are some large hills on the bike coarse and they had me huffing and puffing. I attempted to attack each of the hills and keep the intensity high. I was only passed once on the bike, however, it was from someone in my age group. I was not going to let them go but once I crested the hill I never saw them again.

The bike was over before I even knew what hit me. I had remembered previous years where I thought the hills and 16 something miles would never end. It was like BAM – that’s all folks. I really thought I had put together a solid effort on the bike. I thought that I was faster than last year and I still had legs that I could run on.

Leaving T2 I saw Robin about 100 yards in front of me. I knew that I could not match his speed. I did not even try. I watched my GPS too damn much and kept my heart rate in check. This is a race – I should have let everything fly…

With about a quarter of a mile left I picked up the pace. I simply had too much in the tank. I ran fast and hard and finished much too strong. After the race my friend Ted said that I looked to comfortable. He was exactly right. For this race I only went through the motions.  I finished overall 1 postion better (24th out of 300 something) and one better in my age group (5th).

Still, we have a good turn out from Hattiesburg. Sam won the race. Chris won the masters. Robin placed second in age group. Brad placed second in age group. Raland placed 4th in Clydesdale (missed third by one second). We also took home the relay title by 25 minutes!

2010 Sunfish Results

Birthday Ride

This was just another day for me. I had an easy ride to work and then swam at lunch. No one at work got the 38 BFD t-shirt joke but the guys on the ride did. I rode from work to meet up with the Wednesday night ride (race?). I was running a little late but was pleased to see about 8 people at Jackson Station waiting for me – thanks Raland.

As soon as I got to the station we took off. We picked up a couple of extra people as we went out. There were some strong pulls from Matt and Butch to shake up the legs. We pulled off the trace into the country side. The ride was pretty sedate – fast but no attacking. The pace picked up and there were several surges. I attempted a couple of break aways only to be reeled back in a couple of minutes later. Like I have said before, I am never going to break away but I do like to force the pace at times. I just think of something I read a long time ago, “You don’t attach when you are fresh; you attack when they are tired.”

I got 28 miles for the Wednesday night ride plus another 10 miles in my commute. Not bad for middle of the week mileage.

I got home I had a wonderful grilled chicken salad and helped Jodie decorate some cupcakes. We then had a relaxing evening together. I had a pretty darn good birthday.

I didn't eat any cupcakes!

The Wednesday night ride might have been a little too aggressive considering that I have the Sunfish Triathlon this weekend. The Sunfish was my first triathlon four years ago. One of the reasons that I picked the race is because it fell on my birthday in 2007. I have not missed this race yet.

I was looking back on my last year’s race report. By the way, if you are not writing your race reports you need to start now – in a year’s time I have forgotten so much that happened. At last year’s race Robin beat me by 51 seconds. I had a great race. It will be tough to top the improvement that I experienced last year. I was in the closing six weeks of ironman training and I was feeling so strong. Looking at the volume of last year is just nuts – I did the Sunfish on a Saturday and then road 110 miles plus a short brick on the next day!

From my race report last year:

2008 SWIM 10:52 T1 1:17 BIKE 47:41 T2 1:02 RUN 22:26 TOTAL 1:23:18
2009 SWIM 08:40 T1 0:57 BIKE 45:20 T2 1:03 RUN 21:15 TOTAL 1:17:13

Last year I remember looking out over the water and thinking about how far it looked. I swam the course the night before and it really calmed some of my fears. The distance did not look so far this time – I am amazed at how different my perspectives are a year later. I swam the course again this year and was about 2 minutes faster than last year.
…
I stood up in the cranks and took the hill – I would do that for all of the hills. I was not going to hold anything back – I was redlining the entire bike. On the down hills I was flying – there were a couple of occasions where I was spinning out – no more gears to grab. Post race I noticed that I topped out at 42 MPH! I did not let up the entire bike – I flew into transition and my legs were shaking.
…
I ended up meeting or almost meeting all of my goals for the race:

Swim a good race – better, faster, stronger – DONE - better by 2:12

Bike a hard race – DON’T LET UP – DONE – better by 2:21

Run a better than 7:00 minute pace – ALMOST – my watch indicated a 6:53 but race results showed a 7:03 – STILL – better by 1:11

Finish faster than last year by 5 + minutes – DONE – better by 6:05
Last year I finished 36th overall - this year 24th.

Beat Robin - Not a good goal - I can only control myself - CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR – DEFEATED BY 0:51 seconds

This will be a tough race to top!

2009 SUNFISH RACE REPORT

2008 SWIM 10:52 T1 1:17 BIKE 47:41 T2 1:02 RUN 22:26 TOTAL 1:23:18
2009 SWIM 08:40 T1 0:57 BIKE 45:20 T2 1:03 RUN 21:15 TOTAL 1:17:13

Last year I remember looking out over the water and thinking about how far it looked. I swam the course the night before and it really calmed some of my fears. The distance did not look so far this time – I am amazed at how different my perspectives are a year later. I swam the course again this year and was about 2 minutes faster than last year.

I slept well the night before the race – I had almost no pre-race anxieties. I can get a little worked up prior to races but I did not feel any of the pressure for this race. I had clear cut goals – I just wanted to hammer the entire race – DON’T HOLD BACK! This is a time trial start. Robin, my closest rival, would start 40 seconds behind me – I did not want to see Robin at all!

SWIM: I jumped in the water 12 minutes after the start of the race. I picked the ‘left lane’ and just cruised through the swim. I was just using the people that I was passing to sight off of – I probably went a little too wide but the swim just clicked. I was swimming efficiently, fast and feeling good. I could have / should have pushed the swim a little faster but I was still more than 2 minutes faster than last year. I swam at my ‘one’ speed and was comfortable. When I swam the course the night before I was actually 5 seconds faster.

T1 was short and sweet with no incidences. Jumping on the bike there is a large hill immediately out of transition. I just stood up in the pedals and powered right up – no big deal. I passed a few people that were struggling. The first half of this bike course is VERY challenging. A big hill once you leave the park. Last year I dropped down to my lower crank and my highest gear and just spun up the hill – it was hard. Last year I got blown away by Mike L. and Chris – they just powered up the hill and left me in the dust. Not this time – I stood up in the cranks and took the hill – I would do that for all of the hills. I was not going to hold anything back – I was redlining the entire bike. On the down hills I was flying – there were a couple of occasions where I was spinning out – no more gears to grab. Post race I noticed that I topped out at 42 MPH! I did not let up the entire bike – I flew into transition and my legs were shaking. I was only passed twice during the bike leg – and one of them I passed back. Unfortunately one of them was in my age group.

I fumbled for a few seconds trying to get my running shoes on - I was having trouble balancing on one leg. I charged out of T2 with a goal of not letting my run pace lag. My heart rate was in zone 4 and I was not going to let it drop. I passed a couple of people early in the run and then two guys in my age group came by me – the first one had started about a minute fifteen in front of me – I had to keep him in site – the other was running much faster than me and had started after me – no hope there. The run really came down to me just trying to hang on at the intensity that I was running. I was getting hot and the run was getting hard – I am not sure why this flat 5k is so hard – it must be the hills on the bike. I ended up losing ground to both of the age group runners. Heading back up the levy with about a half mile to three quarters of a mile to go Robin comes by me. He taps me on the back and tells me to pick it up – I dig deep and try to stay on his heels. I remember that I have 40 seconds on him – with my bonky mind I think I just have to keep with in 40 seeconds of him – how wrong could I be? I NEEDED to beat him by 40 seconds. This is not going to happen. Robin finished 11 seconds ahead of me at the line for a total time of 51 seconds in front of me. However, I really appreciate Robin – he forced me to run better and harder at the end of the race – I love the competition.

I ended up meeting or almost meeting all of my goals for the race:

Swim a good race – better, faster, stronger – DONE - better by 2:12

Bike a hard race – DON’T LET UP – DONE – better by 2:21

Run a better than 7:00 minute pace – ALMOST – my watch indicated a 6:53 but race results showed a 7:03 – STILL – better by 1:11

Finish faster than last year by 5 + minutes – DONE – better by 6:05

Last year I finished 36th overall - this year 24th.

Beat Robin - Not a good goal - I can only control myself - CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR – DEFEATED BY 0:51 seconds

CHEESY VIDEO - (Jodie took the photos and the video clips)

5k (yards) swimming

The legs needed a little rest after Tuesday’s bike TT – so I slept in. I went to the gym at lunch for a swim. Again, I had no set plans, and that is ALMOST always a mistake. I decided to swim long again but this time with a purpose – that makes all of the difference. However, I did not have a set distance and kind of winged it. I started off at my normal pretty good pace and just kept it up. I took split times at each 1000 yards. I was holding my approximate 16:00 / 1000 yard pace and only dropping 5 to 10 seconds. This swim was more of a mental confidence builder than anything else. It was the longest straight set that I have ever swam. I ended up with 4000 yards in 1:04:45 @ 1:37 / 100 yard average. My pace was dropping but I was pretty happy with that swim. My splits are below:

4000 x 1
SPLITS
15:55
16:05
16:17
16:26

After work, the lake was much cooler than it has been. Jodie and I were going out to a play so there was not much lollygagging. I swam out the post line (about 500 yards) recovered and chewed the fat with JD then just swam straight back – my times were 8:34 OUT and 9:06 BACK. Jen gave me one of her thrown bowls for my birthday – perfect for oatmeal! The lake swimming is really paying off for everyone. Jen and Terry are improving on a weekly basis – they are looking strong.

A third of a mile is the distance of the swim for this Saturday’s Sunfish Triathlon. This swim last year was the best swim I had ever had – comfort wise. I did not struggled and just allowed myself to swim. My swim time was 10:52. This was one of my fastest bike splits last year at 47:41 @ 21.2 MPH. The 5k run suffered at 22:26 @ 7:26/mile. I finished this race 6th on my age group out of 35 with a total time of 1:23:16.

2008 Sunfish Race Report
Pre-race routine:

I arrived the day before the race and was able to swim the course. A good confidence booster. Hotel was noisy and did not sleep well. Arrived early and got a very good transition place.

Event warm-up:

I swam a couple of hundred yards.

Swim

This was my first good swim. I kept my breathing under control and at decent pace.

What would you do differently?

Keep practicing open water swimming. I am seeing improvement. I AM GETTING BETTER!

T1

Good spot and was able to run through T1 because of the good swim.

What would you do differently?

I must work on running mount on bike. STILL HAVE NOT DONE THIS!
Bike

Comments:

I had to drop into the lowest gears and spin up them. I died up each and every hill and then roared down the backside. Got passed by a couple of friends that were able to power up the hills

What would you do differently?

I need to strength train on hills for hills. I HAVE DONE THIS! – MIGHT STILL NEED TO SPIN UP THE HILLS THOUGH.
T2

Felt good off of the bike. I had a fast transition - no socks. A hill right out of T2 did not present a challenge.

What would you do differently?:

Learn to kick cycling shoes off and flying dismount. STILL HAVE NOT DONE THIS!
Run

Comments:

The run got hard and I was lulled into a slower pace. The first mile is always tough. I was able to pick the pace up a little in the second half but not by much.

What would you do differently?

Practice mental skills and running speed work. WE WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW THIS WORKS OUT!
Post race

Warm down:

I stopped on the spot. It got hot! I ate lots of cookies and water.

What limited your ability to perform faster?

Need to hit the run harder with a solid kick.

Event comments:

This is a great race!

Triathlon Anniversary -

Oh, the ups and downs of ironman training. I was going along great. I really had a good holiday weekend. Monday was to be a rest day – well a rest day for me is usually just a swim. I made it to the gym just fine but had no real workout in mind. This usually does not work well. I started swimming and wasn’t really counting laps – just swimming. Without a plan in place I soon got bored. I think that I am a little tired from the weekend. I called it a day after 20 minutes. I passed Jim going to the pool right after I had left. I still was not motivated enough to turn around.

July 7th marks the 2 year anniversary of my first triathlon. I had wanted to do a race for a while but was very intimidated by the swim. Anyway, I drew a line in the sand and signed up for the 2007 Sunfish in Meridian – it also happened to fall on my 35th birthday. I wish that I had a race report from back then – the swim was my limiter and my biggest fear. And it was warranted. I struggled with the swim and just wanted it to be over – I wish I had a race report from back then. Since that first Sunfish in 2007 the distance and venue have changed so it is hard to compare year to year but my first year results are below:

Overall - Age group 6/14 - 2:08:55
SWIM –
10/14 19:53
T1 - 2:50
BIKE – 7/14
1:07:24 18.7 MPH
T2 - 1:23
RUN - 5/14
37:26 7:30/MILE