race report - 5430 sprint triathlon...

sunday marked my one-year triathlon anniversary. and with it, a repeat performance of the event that introduced me to what will certainly be many years of triathlon.

leading up to last year's 5430 sprint triathlon at the boulder reservior, i was a well-trained tri newbie - meaning, i had trained but really had no sense of what i was training for. i'd spent the previous 6 months preparing for the event - running and swimming and (occassionally) riding the bike - and was in the best shape i'd been in since my collegiate crew days. this year - not so much...

for no good reason, i've been slacking on the training since - well, since the steamboat tri last august. i'm struggling to get myself to do real, consistent training - and when i have, i've concentrated primarily on running. swimming has been a bust: besides a couple late-winter pool swims, my only time in the water leading up to sunday was at wildflower. and save for a ride last weekend with carrie and my dad, my only bike time since september was also at wildflower. i haven't had the committment to training, and i have only myself to blame. and after sunday, that is going to change...

the swim. 750 meters. no big deal, i thought. i made it through double that at wildflower and felt surprisingly great. and i remembered my wetsuit this time. i positioned myself about four rows back in my wave, hoping to stay clear of the mass of flailing limbs that call the swim the worst leg of the event. the start, though, was ugly. sun in my eyes and bodies in every single direction, i struggled to find any rhythm for the first 200 meters or so. and in struggling to find any rhythm, i spent so much energy that - by the turn - i was gasping for air and doing far too much breaststroke. thankfully, about the same time i began passing a few swim caps from the previous wave, giving me a little more motivation to get out of the water. the good news: as opposed to last year, i was able to run out of the water to transistion (about 100m). and, at 15:59,i carved about 30 seconds off last year's swim time - good for a top 1/3 time in the race.

the bike. i actually thought the bike felt okay, although okay for me is a very far cry from the majority of cyclists in this event. boulder is a cycling mecca, and for whatever reason i haven't learned the "it's all about the bike" lesson pontificated by bolder. i simply cannot fathom how quickly some of those people can move on two wheels. and then there's me. i think i passed, literally, 2 people on the entire 17 mile bike course - and couldn't even venture a guess to the mass of bike-humanity that passed me. in the end, though, the bike was awful. to the tune of 3 1/2 minutes slower than last year awful. a measely 17-point-something miles an hour. and 2 seconds under an hour altogether - good for the bottom 20% in the race. i know now that i can't continue to ignore the bike in training...

the run. the run was my chance to redeem myself after last year, when i had to walk several times. i have some trouble with the transition from bike to run in guaging my speed. what feels like a slow plodding pace is actually a pretty brisk one, and i end up killing myself at the beginning. and that's why i have a garmin - to know where i am and control my speed and save energy for the middle and end. of course, in two of the previous three tris, i've forgotten to transition to the run with garmin in-hand. not this time, though, and this saved me. my goal for the run was to do the run - without walking, except through the aid stations in order to encourage the actual drinking of the water. goal accomplished. and that led to a minute and a half improvement over last year - 24:58, 8:02/mile pace. good for top 1/4 in the race.

overall, the bike killed me. i came in 30 seconds off last year's time. and i'm not satisfied with that. i can hang my hat on some improvement in the swim and a good run. but i'm motivated now to get my butt out there and improve. no more slacking, no more excuses. i'll never be a podium finisher, but i can climb my own personal ladder.
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there was some good to the race, though. the people. carrie and the kids came to cheer us on, which i appreciate so much - it means a ton to have someone cheering you during the race and at the finish. and david came along with his boys to spectate and cheer as well. of course, the venerable bolder was there at the finish (after smokin' me on the course), and i had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with sascha and trishannon as well. i continue to be impressed with the quality of the people in the tri-blog community - this is a genuinely great group of personalities. and i appreciate the opportunities to tag along...