REVERSE SPRINT TRIATHLON
I participated in a mini-sprint triathlon yesterday, the "Los Alamitos Race on the Base." It was a reverse-triathlon, meaning a 5k run - 12 mile bike - 200m pool swim, in that order. This was a last-minute entry decision by myself, and I did no special preparation, tapering, or peaking for this short race. I guess I just got the urge to race!
For all those folks wondering why the big deal about a "reverse" triathlon, the reversed order renders a mass simultaneous start possible, as people separate on their own on the run and the bike, so that by the time they hit the pool, there should be enough room for everyone. Regular triathlons put the swim up front (presumably so people don't drown at the end), which requires wave starts, and makes pool swims near-impossible. Fortunately, the 200m swim at the end of this race is extremely short, even by sprint triathlon standards, so it really was just a footnote to the end of the run and bike.
Scenery on the military base
THE COURSE
This course was as flat, and thus as fast as you could possibly get short of a downhill course. Temps were warmish, at least 70F, but not hot. A great day for a sprint tri. My goal in this tri was to really see how strong I could perform on the bike, as I have definitely improved a lot on the bike compared to a few months ago. Unfortunately, my running has definitely suffered a sharp decline from my peak abilities last year, and I was hoping that I wouldn't be too far behind on the run leg. I wasn't worried at all about the swim, although I fully expected to get smoked by most racers on the swim, which is by far my worst segment. Big triathlon competitor crowd today for a local race - 700+ participants!
The race organization was superb. 5k, 10k, rollerblade races, and then our triathlon race all took place separately without a hitch. Plenty of portapotties, and no confusion as to where or when things were going on. I suspect that the recruitment of military personnel to serve as race assistants and race chaperones made a big difference, as things happened on-time, and in a very orderly manner.
I got to the race a good 2 hours early, which is always a good move for triathlons, because the bike racks in the transition area get filled very quickly. It gave me ample time to relax, wait in line for the portapotties without stressing out, and check out the entire area. I was surprised at how many mountain bikes I saw in the racks today - a good third of the bikes were either slower hybrids or mountain bikes. As usual, the big bike guns belonged to the 50-55M division; although they're not necessarily the fastest, they generally have the most cash to burn.
Getting set to go
THE RUN
I didn't quite like having the run up front. The run should be my strongest segment, but this would mean that I'd spend the entire rest of the race being passed versus passing, and that can get demoralizing. I was hoping to thrown down a 19:45-20:00 5k in this race, which would have been roughly equivalent to my fastest 5k prior to marathon training, but still a good deal slower than my best of 18:40.
With a bang, we set off at 10AM. The course was on an airplane landing field, where we did a very big loop. Great visibility - this was one of the few races I have been in where I could see exactly where the leaders were at all times of the race. I started probably 6th row from the front, which was unfortunately too far back - I'm always surprised at the number of race rookies who clamber to the 1st & 2nd rows. As the gun went off, I was immediately hemmed in, but did some good weaving to get around, and got some space after about 200 yards.
I didn't wear my Garmin, but I tried as best to settle into a 10k pace effort. I'm fairly certain I got my pace correct, but it ended up being a lot slower than I thought. For the first time in nearly two years, I got passed by at least 10 people on the run, even in the final mile. That alone was demoralizing, since in my marathon running days, my superior endurance usually ensured an uncontested final mile in these shorter races.
I don't think I slowed much on the run, but I was definitely smack in the center of a bunch of 10 men all around my age group, all looking strong as I came through in about 21 minutes. As much as I'd like to say I could have gone a lot faster I seriously doubt it - if I extended this run to a 10k, I'd guesstimate a 43 minute finish, or a good 4 minutes off my PR. Yuk. X-training definitely takes its toll versus specialization. I couldn't even count the huge number of guys in front of me at the finish - as cocky as it may sound, it's been a long, long time since I've been smoked so badly in a 5k/10k/HM, and it's always humbling to be there again.
On the brighter side, I do have a lot to be happy for despite my subpar run. After nearly 5 months off running completely due to my previous stress fracture, I'm clearly back in decent form, and having no problems in training and racing. I did this race with almost no speedwork as well (I have been doing 4-6 mile lactate threshold runs), so hopefully I'll improve a fair amount in the shorter races as I get those 800m and 400m repeats back going again.
The run-bike transition was easy, and fast. Change shoes, attach helmet, and rock and roll. I didn't lose/gain any places through the transition; the same folks who came in with me, were coming out at the same time.
I was really looking forward to the bike this time around. In fact, I think I entered this race with the express goal of seeing how fast I could go on the bike with my new bike strength. My training for the past 2 months has consisted of regular hard and long weekend mountain road bike climbs, which have become progressively easier. For sure, I am noticing big gains on the climbing, and I suspect that I am still in the "rapid beginner improvement" curve, which is always a fun place to be (versus my "plateaued non-improving running curve.")
Unlike running, it's difficult to set a time goal on the bike, as course quality and lengths are usually very different amongst races. My goal was much simpler - try and not get passed on the bike. If I could do this, this would mean that my bike ability will be more or less caught up to my run ability, and progress from before.
The course was 3 fast and flat loops around the airstrips, 12 miles total. I've never ridden for that long on a flat surface, so this was a new one for me. Spectators lined the first 1200m of the course, and we would be joined on the latter laps by the slower competitors making their way onto the course
In the past few weeks, I have been somewhat critical of the gearing on my time-trial bike. It is a pure race machine, with gearing made for fast, flat courses, and not the mountain roads which I have been training on. However, on race day, my TT bike was absolutely, 100% the bike to have. I went riproaring out of the transition area, dropping all 10 guys that I had entered the transition zone with, and I never saw them again. With an aerodynamic tuck as low as I could muster, I kicked my bike into the big gear in front, and began to hammer away.
This race was a lot different in the 1st lap than my 1st triathlon, where I was so slow out of the water that there were no strong cyclists to race by the time I was on the course. This time, I pulled into range of a few cyclists who were hammering along at the same speed I was. I'd guesstimate we were in the range of 22-24 miles per hour, based on my gearing and cadence. I only caught one rider in the first loop, and had one other one come from behind to slowly gap me. So far so good.
By the time we hit laps #2 and #3, it was pretty amazing to see how fast we were going relative to the slower racers who had just gotten onto the course. We were literally flying past these slower racers who we had lapped, sometimes having to navigate around and through fairly large packs. I do have to admit, that passing this many folks is always a lot of fun, and definitely an ego-booster. However, you always have to not lose realism, and when I realized that the guy ahead of me was pulling away through the crowd, I had to turn it up a notch to stay in range.
I finished off the bike successfully, as I had hoped. I passed probably 5-6, and got passed back by 3-4, all in the final few miles, by young guys with deep dish aero wheelsets. I suspect my bike splits would leave me more or less in same place as I had finished on the run.
Announcements were made on top of this vehicle
THE SWIM
The triathlon had gone smoothly for me at this point. TOO smoothly, considering that I haven't practiced any transitions at all. About this point, things fell apart. By maintaining a fast pace (for me, that is) on the run/bike, I was clearly racing with guys who really knew what they were doing. Everyone was in a triathlon suit, and everyone was on a hot bike. As we barreled into the last straightaway on the bike, I saw all 5 guys around me slowing to take their feet out of their shoes - on the bike. I started to do the same, but felt very unsteady, and decided that I'd just eat the extra time on transition rather than risk a crash.
We rolled into the dismount area, and the 3 guys ahead of me all did flying dismounts with one leg off the bike, running through the dismount line. I was the only one in our pack who actually stopped and unclipped at the line. The military guy at the transition had probably only seen these hardcore guys racing up this point, and I got the full shouting encouragement from him as he looked at me in disbelief as I lost time unclipping while the other guys flew by: "Come on man! You're supposed to RUN through this part! Catch those guys!" I chuckled as I imagined the oncoming hord of less-hardcore triathletes who also would not attempt a flying dismount!
I racked my bike, tossed my shoes, and stripped my shirt. By the time I was moving toward the exit, all 5 guys had already run across the road and jumped into the pool - a good 1-2 minutes ahead of me. Dang, I really need to practice these transitions for sprint triathlons! I followed suit, and hopped into the pool. I took 3 strokes, which were HARD due to my super-high heart rate, but also realized with a sinking feeling, "Oops, I forgot my goggles!"
Faced with the reality of attempting to finish the swim with my head on top of the water (unlikely given my fatigue), versus risking losing my contacts in the pool and not being able to do the 45 minute drive home, versus backtracking and getting my goggles, I decided that I'd have to go and get my goggles. To everyone's surprise, I climbed out the side of the pool, and went BACKWARDS, back into the transition area, getting passed by 5 more guys in the process. I was laughing the whole way - I knew that some comic relief was in store for me at some point, and it was actually sort of a relief to finally get it over with, after such a hard run and bike.
By the time I got back in the pool, I was dog-tired. My stroke was terrible, and I just focused on finishing the swim. I got passed by 3 more guys over the 4 measly laps in the pool, but I got stronger as the laps counted down, and before I knew it, I'd finished. Despite my goggles fiasco, I was pretty pleased with my swim, in that it was a fun experience, and I didn't have any panic attacks whatsoever. Progress!
SUMMARY
Overall a fun day. Not a great one in terms of racing for time, but considering I've been training almost purely for enjoyment and experience without any time goals, it was an good race for me, and one that I will almost definitely surpass once I start more serious training for a fall Olympic distance or half-ironman triathlon.
EDIT: Race results:
Willis Huang 6th/51 AG.
RUN: 21:24, 3rdAG
BIKE: 32:32 3rd AG
SWIM: 7:47 45/51AG - I lost nearly 2 minutes getting my goggles
These results definitely suggest that the 5k was long - the fastest guys out there were 18:30, and I'm sure they were faster than that. I'm very happy with my bike split, which is right in line with my running. Overall, this ended up being a better race than I'd expected; if I hadn't doubled back for my goggles, I would have snagged 3rd AG!
My upcoming 10 mile race and half marathon in March are definitely going to be ugly ones. With today's performance, 1:35 will be doable, barely - I think 1:37 is probably much more realistic unless I decide to kill myself on race day. I will likely have to focus almost exclusively on open water swimming on weekends after April, and if that goes well, I will be preparing for a longer race such as a half-ironman. Marathoning is still on hold for now, but I'm long-term viewing for a early spring marathon in 2010.
As flat and fast as you can possibly get
The rollerblade race before our triathlon
Military racers
