Lifetime Triathlon - Olympic

Lifetime Triathlon Olympic age group,

Hey regular tridonkeys and some very elite tridonkeys (based on recent triathlon results):

Before I begin the trip report, I need to report that riding on two wheels has been challenging. The tough terrain of my concrete drive :-) was the place of the fall 9 days prior to the race. So I had a forced exaggerated taper. I did a couple rides since the fall, but no swimming and one running workout that really messed up my already bruised hip. Not to mention my still very sore ribs. But in being a true tridonkey, I raced and I thought it went well. My slow times are due to my rapid aging process (1 month shy of turning 52). Those who don't know me can check my first Triathlon trip report on this site (Loon Lake Triathlon). Being a newbe, it already started out a little traumatic prior to the race. I had to go back into the transition area to get my swim cap. Good thing the volunteers saw that I was some over-aged non-competitive non-threating person and let me in. I decided to not do a warm-up because I was not sure how my ribs and hip would hold up. Okay, more nerves. When they had us get in order for the 3 second spacing start I was 10 places up in line because I thought my number was 1247. The number was covered by my wet suit. I recalled I was really 1257 when the real 1247 took his place in line. For you elites, you did not get the pleasure at following ab even older than mine into the water. Let me tell you it would be easier to do lap swimming during senior citizens water aerobics than to dodge all of the people sidestroking, backstroking, treading water, etc. But the wetsuit worked well and I finished the swim in 23:33 (1:34per 100 meter) which was the second fastest in my age group. I was getting calf crampinig at the end of the swim. I thought transition 1 went somewhat well, but I did fumble a lot getting out of the wet suit and my wife questioned my masculinity by how slow I pushed my bike through the rest of the transition area. So I was 3:53 (not good). Biking went well being my least experienced sport (20.0 mph), but I gave up many minutes to the top bikers in my age group. I am thinking I need the River Falls hill work and some long rides to get the efficient peddling and building up the bike muscles to go hard for that long. Transition 2 was tough. My calves were cramping at the end of the bike and my hip was hurting as soon as I stepped off the bile. The change of shoes went better with my new elastic laces. But I could barely run into the transition. I was very slow running out. I did not have a watch started, so I did not know my running pace, but it felt like 8:15 or slower. Plus I was breathing at a very high rate. Once I got into the run, my hip felt a little better. Pace was 7:35, which is okay for how bad I felt. I only had water up to that point, so I must have been running out of carbs. I should have taken my goo pack during the run another one on the bike. But I did not. I had just water and a very small amount of gatoraide during the run.



I need to practice Bricks. So I can get through the transition and early part of the run. By the way, the sore hip was really bad after the race, but with nothing scheduled on the horizon, next week will only be a swim practice week.



To net it out, I am very happy with the swim pace, but need get better at looking around to keep my swimming straight. I knew I gave it enough effort. I was expecting 25-27 minutes. So 23:33 blew away my expectations I may need to adjust my swimming to save my legs, but it will be better next year with year round swimming. I just started back swimming in April. Biking needs year round work too. I need to know the bike well enough to hold more speed in the turns. My wife Marcy and I bought some Spinerval DVDs, so this will improve winter training - which she already does, but I have not. I am in awe of you guys with the great elite times. Keep it up, and you have a new convert to the sport. Next up, the Minneapolis Duathlon and whatever next year brings.

Great report,  I have to get mine in today as well and I know nate dogg is working on his.  nice swim,  that is moving, and yes you will drop a few minutes off of that T1 with some practics and after about 2 years of biking,  you will drop minutes off of that as well.  the bike legs take time I am learning.  18.6, 19.8, 22.1, 22.9, 23.4 have been my times over the years,  and this was the first year I felt like I was a biker....and I still got blown away by dudes riding 26mph on a bumpy, tight, difficult course....

the run off the bike is still the hardest part,  running in a triathlon never feels good like it does in some races,  you know where you just have it.....not in my experience.

Tridonkey1 (Paul), great advice.  Thanks for letting me know it takes multiple years on the bike so I don't set goals I can't achieve and then get discouraged.  Weather conditions for racing were very good on Saturday, so improvement on the bike and run may be relative to the weather.  You, Mike Roddy and Karl Adalbert are my source of inspiration. However, my goals are more realistic to getting down under 1:30 for an Olympic course.  I run with all of you and it blows me away how fast your triathlons are. . . keep up the consistant improvements. 

Nate dogg is a good resource as well for the tri stuff,  he is an elder statesman and a bad ass.  It is smart to make reasonable goals (especially for the bike).  on one of my first bike rides,  someone told me it takes 3 years for your bike legs,  and I thought he was crazy,  I thought I am in shape from soccer and can do anything,  but looking back from now to then,  I could do 10 miles fine,  but serious biking (good form, steady, smooth, power while seated, etc) takes years and lots of miles.  and then add on top of that swimming which builds upper body strength which slows you down on your bike and run...

fun times ahead.  the good news is you have a great engine,  and should start cleaning up on your age group once you get it all working together.  keep it up.



turtleman is a good one if you are looking for another.

2009 Lifetime Race report.

This is my 6th year doing the lifetime tri.  last year I placed 35th in the elite with bloody feet (got nervous when I noticed everyone else in the elite wave didn't have socks....so without having ever run without socks,  or run in my new shoes,  I thought it might be a good idea to go sans shoes...not smart.  the year before I won the Clydesdale division.  I was hoping to move up in the field of elites.  this race draws some studs from the area and from the US proper.  

Well what would a tridonkey race report be without a significant choke.  I woke up at 6:00 ate some cereal and a banana.  was planning on leaving around 6:30 for the 8:03 start time.  I decided to verify the start time online....about 6:19 I realize the start is 7:03 not 8:03.  I am out the door in 5 minutes and down to nokomis and running with my bike towards transition by 6:40,  body marked and down to the start by 6:50.  put on my wetsuit, ripped a hole in the knee and got about a 4 stroke warm up before the race started.  not ideal (notice no bathroom break,  which is a must before a triathlon).  the elite wave was 50 strong if not more. I was in the front line next to kurt wood and michael williams,  to studs I know from town.  I was like what am I doing here.  the gun blew (whistle blew, gun went off, either or) and the 5 minute mile speed was evident as I somehow ended up not in the front by the time I started to swim.  I won't bore you with the details of how far off course I swam on the first leg as I am always off course and the sun made it worse.  I will tell you that at one point I was stoked to be swimming by a bouey, when I noticed a paddle coming in next to the bouey...aka lifeguard yelling at me to get back on course.  I swam next to a guy for about 2/3rds of the race, then thought I should take a stroke off, and draft of this guy for the last leg.  22:30 on the swim, not to shabby.  I was pretty beat as I ran up to the bikes.  some good donkey screams from thea and karl and I got to my bike with about 1/2 the bikes gone....

in most local tri's I am one of the top 3rd of swimmers,  not here.  I struggled in transition and made it out just over 2 min.  not good.  I was breathing hard on the bike as I tried to stay in a low gear and get the legs moving.  it was a tough bike,  I passed a few women and was catching a gear west guy with "wiggins" on his but.  about mile 14 I caught him and passed him by trying to blow by him and give him no chance to hang on.  I looked back about a mile later and he was on my ass.  he thusly passed me and I rode about 100 feet behind him for the next 5 miles,  then two guys in a drafting chain passed us both,  and he jumped on to that train or he decided to pick it up on his own.  either way I was solo into the finish.  

I passed kathy yndested with a mile to go and put 30 seconds on her by the finish of the bike.  to tell you how bad my transitions are, when I got out on the run (after fixing my shoe 2x)  I was 300 yards behind her. how did that happen?

the run sucked,  I got passed (normally don't get passed) and I just felt bad,  my hammys were tight,  but to be honest,  I did not cowboy up, man up, or just run hard.  I was a mental midget and couldn't get myself in the spot I needed to be to suffer and run 6:20's.  I have excuses,  I didn't run much lately,  no hyland, no consistant running,  but the truth is was a wuss, pansy, what ever you want to call it.  I gave up over a minute to the other elites in transition alone, and 3 more on my run.  4 minutes only moved me up 4 spots or so, so it wasn't that big of a deal for placment,  but for personal good feelings about the effort I put forth,  it was a big deal.  

in the end it was a PR and a solid race,  but I know I didn't leave it all out there.  played a soccer game last night, and had way to much left in the tank...

regardless,  tridonkeys don't whine,  the rebound and race harder the next time.  

karma reared its ugly head,  the running gods punished me by stealing my bike on sunday.  basically telling me. "you should be running"

22:30 swim

1:05 and change bike (23.4 mph)

6:48's run

38th out of 48 male elites, with 2 women beating me.

2009 LTF race report:

So my race started on Friday night with my wife and I scambling to find a babysitter for Saturday morning at the last minute.  Luckly a fiance of a co-worker was kind enough to help out, and my boy ended up hanging out in the VIP tent for the race, with three hot girls.  What a lucky little boy!

I enjoyed the race much better this year, since my wave was the third age group wave to go and I didn't have to swim through all the people that "dweisner" had to this year.  Again a wet suit is really helpful in the swim.  I set a mark for myself of 26:00 in the swim (which was 6 min faster than last year, with no wet suit) and ended up making it in 26:35.  Might have been faster if I didn't keep running into the swimmers who seem to swim like tridonkey, tacking back and forth like sail boats.  Transition 1 was smooth and getting on the bike was painless.   Can't say the rest of the ride was painless, though.  Once on the bike I felt like throwing up like usual but kept going.  I was getting excited at the half way point knowing that I would hit my mark on the bike of 1:10 (continuing my goal of finishing in 2:30).  However, the s turns on the way home, on Minnehaha Parkway decided not to help me out.  When I was coming down the big hill that we all know and love after Lyndale, I took a turn to fast and wide and ended up skidding on my side in the grass on the side of the road after my tires caught the lip between the asphalt and the concrete curb.  I must have looked like I was sliding into second base, because I was up on my feet before my bike came to a rest next to me on the side of the road.  I slipped my chain back on and was off for the last 2 miles of the ride, but the accident had cost me precious time (and as I found out last night, a main chainring, which was bent beyond repair). So I ended the bike at 1:12 (which was still a PR bike split for me at LTF).   Transition 2 was smooth as silk.  However, the run started out decent but slipped down to nothing.  It was probably because I realize 1 mile into the run that there was no way I would be able to have the best 5 miles of my life to hit the 2:30 mark.  At mile 5, as dweisner's age group was passing me, I felt like I was standing still.  All I know is when I saw the split in the course for the finish, I was ready to be done.  Ending the race at 2:39 was fine, and 20 min better than what I did two years ago, so I will take that.  Will have to work on my run since my swim, T1, bike and T2 splits ranked 24th or higher in my age group, but my run was 104.  Will have to hit the Hyland running days to speed up a little there.

 

Next up Chisago Tri.

Way to recover from the wipe out Red Beard.  I am always amazed when I hear somebody go down and then bounce back up and take off biking again.  You are a stud.

My Race was mostly uneventful but the night before was a doosey.  I knew I had a broken areo bar but I thought I could fix it and I waited until the last minute to start the fixing process.  In my defense I was up north for Thursday and Friday morning so I couldn't work on it.  I do my best to fix the darn things but to no avail so I head to the race expo thinking that Gear West would hook me up.  No such luck.  I need to go to the shop and they close in 45 minutes.  Bust ass to get there and Matt and I pick out areobars and install them, well I basically told Matt how I thought they should go and he did all the work.  I am sure he wanted me to wait outside.  Take my bike home, get the race wheels on, adjust the brakes, and pack my bag.  It is now 11:30.  I sleep for 6 hours wake up and get a call from Krummie that says basically the race starts at 7 not 8.  I get to the site, body marked, transition set up, wet suit on, walk to the start and wait 10 minutes and the race starts.  From bed to race finish was 3 hours and 15 minutes.  Not bad.  On to the massage table and cool beans from there. 

 

Nate