I knew that the Rio Salado Triathlon was being held on Saturday, May 4th, but wasn’t going to race in it for several different reasons. One of them was that I haven’t really been running at all and another was the overall layoff I took in exercising since the Marquee ½ IM relay on April 15th. Between the two events, I had 3 or 4 swimming sessions with no real training strategy involved, 56 easy miles of riding (not counting those two beach cruiser days in Florida), a 3 mile run on the beach, a 5k on the treadmill, and an elliptical session. It wasn’t until 3 days before the race, that I was asked if James and I were doing another relay. Since the event was giving out double points for its team competition, and since our club won it last year, ONE really wanted to repeat. I really wanted to help out, but it was a little late to coordinate a team. As a result, I made the decision to help the club and enter the sprint (750M swim, 20K bike, 5K run). So, on the very last day possible, I corralled the family and we made a trip down to Tempe so that I could register. On Friday, while at work, I started to look at last year’s results while formulating some time goals for myself. Here is what I ultimately came up with:
• SWIM – 10:30
• T1 – 2:00
• BIKE – 32:00
• T2 – 2:00
• RUN – 26:30
• TOTAL – 1:13:00
This is the same lake (Tempe Town) that I swam in for my 2010 Ironman and for last month’s Marquee relay, so I was fairly familiar with the water and the location of the buoys. Even though I had so much time off from the pool, I figured that it was “only” 750 meters (about 820 yards) and that I could knock it out fairly quickly. The bike course had roughly 17 turns with 3 of them being hairpin, so I was a bit more conservative with my time here. As for the run, well, we all know that my running skills have been (and continue to be) subpar, but I felt that an 8:30 pace would be do-able.
Race day! As I sit here typing this, I’m still reflecting on the day and what exactly went wrong and am conflicted between what is a “good” result or “bad” in my mind. Before I break it down, here are the results:
• SWIM – 12:40 (18/147 finishers ~ 4/28 in AG)
• T1 – 1:41
• BIKE – 33:46 (27/147 finishers ~ 3/28 in AG)
• T2 – 1:25
• RUN – 28:17 (26/28 in AG )
• TOTAL – 1:17:52 (49/147 finishers ~ 7/28 in AG)
OK, here is how it went down:
SWIM – There was about a 30 min delay while a traffic issue was being taken care of out on the bike course. The entire time, I tried to stay loose and warm by stretching my arms and shoulders. While the event was wetsuit legal (water temp was 76), I didn’t feel that I would benefit from one in such a short distance. Finally, it was time to get in and I was the first person down the steps to take the plunge. The water was extremely refreshing (temperature wise ~ not so much in quality!) and perfect for racing. I quickly made my way to the start buoys and took my spot at the front. I motioned to fellow ONE teammate, and extremely strong swimmer, Garey Bryant, to line up to the right of me so that we could feed off of each other’s intensity. We immediately became surrounded by other white caps trying to creep up to the front. I don’t remember if it was a horn, gun, or a simple, “Go!” but in a flash, we were off. Again, my typical MO at the swim start is to go out as fast as possible before settling into a rhythm. The problem this time around, however, was that this was my first sprint and I wasn’t sure where to settle in (or if I even needed to!). At any rate, I noticed that there was an unusual number of swimmers matching me stroke for stroke. I figured that they’d start peeling off one by one as the meters ticked away, but I was wrong. About ¾ of the way to the first turn buoy, I picked my head up to sight and noticed that I was heading more towards the shore (uh, I needed to be heading parallel to slightly AWAY!) I then noticed that Garey was now on my left!….least HE knew where he was going. I had to spend precious energy to get back on track and close the small gap that opened up between me and the leaders. I’m on my way back now and I start to realize that, while I’m breathing every two strokes, I’m not getting in oxygen. Well, not as much as I’d like anyway. My heart rate sky rocketed, my shoulders and arms became weak, and the lead group was pulling further away. The worst part was when a felt somebody touch my toes and then subsequently passed me. Brutal. For the first time I can remember, I just wanted the swim to be over. A measly 750 meter swim at that. I crawl my way around the last buoy and limp back to the stairs. Finally, I was heading towards T1.
First in doesn't necessarily mean 1st out...not today anyway.
T1 was pretty uneventful, but after checking out seasoned tri veteran and fellow ONE teammate Eric Svans’ T1 area earlier and how neat/clean it was, I was a bit embarrassed. I had what seemingly was a ton of gear laid out and ready for me when I arrived. FWIW, Eric was the 2nd overall amateur. I put my tri top on, followed by my glasses, helmet, and then shoes. I was out on the bike course 1:41 seconds later.
I figured that I would have a chance to recover from my swim while on the bike. I’d keep the pace fast, yet comfortable. Wait, this was a sprint, right? No need to be comfortable as it’s all out all the time, right? That being said, I kept it just at a level where my HR wouldn’t spill over into the red. I quickly realized that I still hadn’t calmed down/recovered from the swim, so I had to be careful. It’s pretty tough to find a groove on this course because of the many turns. As soon as you got aero and settled in, it was time to grab the horns, sit up, and turn around. At this point, I wasn’t really thirsty, but I made two futile attempts to put down some EFS. Not wanting to get too much liquid in my stomach before the run, those two attempts were but small sips only.
Out on the bike:
T2 took me 1:25 to run to my rack, change shoes, exchange helmet for hat, put on my number belt, and head out. Is this fast? Is it slow? I don’t know, but I suppose I could shave a few seconds here and there by utilizing various different items and/or strategies.
Immediately after exiting T2, and starting the run, I realized that my legs were extremely heavy. I started to get those “twinges” in my quads that indicate a cramp may be coming on, but I kept going. About .6 miles in, my hammy started acting up (a sensation I’ve never felt before) and my quads started cramping. I had to bring my 7:30 pace down to a walk on 3 different occasions before I could go on. When I was able to continue, I couldn’t go over a 9:00 – 9:30 pace unless I wanted more cramps. Really? Survival mode on a sprint tri?!?! Walking on a 5K? How embarrassing. Ultimately, I labored across the finish line to no fanfare and only two accomplished goals (of about 5 I had in mind). 1) Finish my first sprint and gain valuable race knowledge and 2) Earn double points for ONE Multisport.
Just before the cramps set in:
OK, I’ve pretty much figured out what went wrong and I have to admit, it’s absolutely embarrassing:
1. The only pre-race nutrition I had consisted of the following
a.110 calories, 200mg sodium, 27g carbohydrates, 10g sugars, 50mg caffeine
(A tangerine PowerBar gel).
2. I consumed exactly NO liquid of any kind in the previous 12 hours before I raced.
3. The only thing I had during the race were those two small sips of EFS and a few
splashes of water from the various aid stations on the course.
So, there you have it. I COMPLETELY underestimated the sprint distance triathlon. No food, or liquids, for at least 12 hours prior to racing? I figured that it was “only” a sprint and that I’d be done in just over an hour (OK, maybe 1:12, but still!). Every leg was a “warm-up distance” when broken down and done separately, so how much fuel did I really need?
Me: Hey, Sprint Tri, I’m coming for you tomorrow, are you ready?
ST: Hell yes, I am! You think you have what it takes?
Me: No doubt about it! The short swim will see me out of the water 1st, the quick 12 mile bike will see me hold my own, and the short run won’t allow too many people to pass me. I’m on your podium for sure.
ST: Yeah, I’ve seen your type before, you think you can waltz in here and step up on
my podium because I’m “Just a sprint!” Just a quick workout and an easy medal,
right? Let me ask you, have you ever raced the sprint distance before?
Me: Nope.
ST: Hmm, OK. How about nutrition, you ready to go? Topped off?
Me: Seriously ST? You’re just over an hour long! My training swims have 750 meter warm-ups, I used to ride hour long crits with more miles and intensity than this distance, and
the 5K? Well, I’ll get through that just fine.
ST: OK, stud, we’ll see.
Me: ST, you there?
ST: Yeah, I’m here. Didn’t go as planned, did it.
Me: No, no it didn’t.
ST: Did you have fun?
Me: Yes
ST: Did you learn something today?
Me: Sure did.
ST: You planning on coming back?
Me: You better believe I am
ST: I’ll be waiting
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