Big Rock Olympic Triathlon Race Report

For starters, I managed to finish this race, which is a huge mental win.  Because of last weeks gear problems, I had a few nightmares about races going bad.

Lake Perris is about 65 miles east of me, so it falls into that awkward "middle distance" classification where it can't be considered local, yet is still too close to justify a hotel.  So I went to bed early last night, set the alarm for 3:45 and was out the door by 4:15.

It was a quick trip so early in the morning.  In fact, I don't think I've ever been on the 91 Freeway without having to deal with heavy traffic.  I got to the lake at about 5:15, parked, grabbed my race numbers, set up transition and then enjoyed some very short lines at the porta-potties.  We all know how key this is.

Craig from Let's Do This Again was racing as well.  It was his first race in 15 years, and I was shocked to learn from him that  the last time he suited up, Body Glide didn't exist yet.  I now know how a teenager feels when their parents tell them that when they where kids there was no such thing as text messaging.

Craig and I

The Swim

We headed down to the beach for the 7:30 start.  I was in Wave 2 which went off at 7:33.  Since they where running running sprint and Olympic distance races at the same time, the swim course was a 750 meter box with the sprint racers doing 1 lap and the Olympic racers doing 2.

I want to thank everyone for their comments on yesterday's post about swimming.  As you suggested, I really focused on reach, glide, keeping my core tight and keeping my head down.  My swim time was 28:06.  That's the fastest I've ever swim this distance by 10 minutes.  Too fast, in fact - I wouldn't be surprised if the swim course was a little short.  Regardless, I could tell it was my strongest swim to date.  You guys rule.  Thanks again.

The first lap had more traffic than the second due to the sprint racers, but all in all it was a more mellow swim than some races this year.  My navigation and sighting where fine.  All things considered, I'm pleased with my performance.

Swim - 1500 meters - 28:06 - 1:43 minutes per 100 yards. 

The Bike

The run from the beach to transition was long - not quite a half mile, but more than a quarter mile across a wide beach and then a field.  I hit the run from the water to transition area pretty hard, so my transition time of 4:07 ended up being good against the rest of the field.  But the strong run to transition was at the expense of a elevated heart rate, and when the bike course started climbing almost immediately, I was not a happy camper.

Luckily, it was a short hill and when I crested I started hammering the downhill.  The bike course was two twelve mile loops.  Other than the hill at the start and another more significant hill at the end of the loop, it was mostly flat.  But the road surfaces where not great nor where the roads completely closed to vehicular traffic.  At one point in the first loop, I was riding with two other riders, but one of the guys pulled this lame blocking move in a short stretch of construction (yeah, there was some of that too), so the other guy and I dusted him and rode together most of the rest of the way while trading off on the pacing.  All in all it was a good ride, and I managed the 19th best time on the day.

Bike - 40 kilometers - 1:13:47 - 20.21 MPH

The bike that treated me well today

The Run

I got through T2 in 1:10 and set out on the run.  It was an out and back course, with the first and last mile and a half on a rolling multi-use path and the middle three miles on the top of a dam.

Lake Perris Dam

The first mile and a half was a little rough.  But it always is, so what could I do besides run?  By the time I got to the dam I felt better but I wouldn't say I was running happy without a care in the world.  I got a bit more of a boost at the turnaround point when I saw how many people where behind me coming across the dam.  But the boost didn't last too long - the last mile and a half back on the trail to the finish line was pure torture.  The little rolling hills, which I am sure would be pleasant on a weekend jog, destroyed my hamstrings on the way up and my quads on the way down.  It was pretty brutal.  But I kept running.  And then finally, the finish line.  It wasn't a bad run, but it was definitely a hard one.

Run - 10 kilometers - 48:59 - 7:53 minutes per mile

My time for the race was 2:36:11.  That got me 5th in my age group and 36th overall.  Based on the previous years results, I thought I could get 3rd in my AG but that wasn't in the cards today. 

Still, I'm pleased with the result.  I gave the race everything I had and I think my performance today was a pretty good indication as to where my abilities are at the moment.  So I'll take it, and end the 2010 triathlon season on a high note.

It wasn't a very big race, maybe 250 people.  But the thing I noticed was that it was a very friendly race.  The guy who I had paced with on the bike found me afterwards and introduced himself.  And everyone on the run, whether passing or getting passed, had words of encouragement.  It was a cool atmosphere for sure.  I'm actually pretty glad that last week happened and I did this one instead.