Turtleman Triathlon

8/12/06

Swim 1.5K, Bike 34.4K, Run 10K

Pre Race
Things were a little less than ideal leading to the race. I had trained a little more and harder than would have been ideal for a peak performance. I was also having some trouble with my bike the day before which took a lot more time and energy that I would have liked to have used elsewhere.

The main thing that was going for me was that this was my first triathlon of the year and I was happy to be racing again. It is strange to think that many triathletes in my area are winding their years down at this race and it was my first triathlon of the year. My original schedule did not include such a late start, but a non-cancerous tumor in one of my salivary glands required some attention. That surgery was in late June and the recovery period from a 3 plus hour procedure is nothing to be ignored. So it was with a good deal of anticipation that I towed the line at the Turtleman Triathlon in Shoreview Minnesota on August 12.

One thing that sets this race apart from many others is that athletes get to choose their own waves. Last year I raced in the second wave and enjoyed it so this year I was going for that one again. The only catch to this system is that athletes have to arrive early enough to make sure they get in the wave they want as there are only so many slots per wave. I arrived in plenty of time, got the wave I wanted and set to the tasks necessary for the race. All activities race morning came and went according to plan.

Swim
I knew I wasn't particularly swim fit. After my surgery, my swim training was not what it could have been. Because of this fact I lined up at the back of my wave. Swim start was onshore and we had to run about 10 yards into the water before it was deep enough to get swimming. I get going and all was fine. I was having some trouble holding a good line during the swim for some reason and I am glad that they had a good number of buoys otherwise I might have gotten pretty lost. I keep plugging away and realized that while I'm not going anywhere fast, I am getting it done. I decide not too worry about my time, which was good because I had a slow swim, and I am out of the water and running toward transition.

Transition One
I am a firm believer of taking the wetsuit off as fast as possible. This would have been great if I could get the thing over one of my ankles but it kept getting stuck on my timing chip. It seemed like forever that I struggled with the thing in front of more than a few people watching the race. Oh well, I finally got it off and headed towards my bike. After the wetsuit debacle, all went fine. I was happy to be grabbing the bike and putting on my aero helmet, in the correct order of course. I really like wearing the aero helmet, especially with the eye shield, as it really helps me feel like a racer. I also love this race because they let you ride through transition. So, helmet on and I'm on the bike and off.

Bike
Once on the bike and riding, I felt decent but not great. I try to work hard but not too hard. I ended up riding without my power meter, which was kind of strange, as I have gotten really used to seeing power figures while riding. I went old school and simply used perceived exertion as my judge of pacing, luckily my internal pacing sense is now pretty good and I rode along at an appropriately hard pace. Since I swim slowly, I always have the chance to ride by lots of people and this race was no exception. I was not passed by anyone on the bike, which made me happy. Even as I was passing lots of people and moving along pretty well, I could tell that I wasn't my best. Last year on this same course I averaged almost 25 mph and this year I was holding the high 23s okay, but could not seem to keep myself rolling at 25 or more for much time at all. It was a tad bit windy, but certainly not to cause the extent of the slowdown I was experiencing. I knew that I was likely paying for the lost training time in June and July and told myself that all I could do was my best right now! I kept at it and before long, the ride was over. I felt appropriately tired.

Transition
I was so excited about riding into transition that I forgot where my transition area was located. I only missed by one row . . . All the cool points I got by doing a running dismount with the aero helmet on disappeared in a hurry as I looked around for my stuff! As Homer Simpson would say "Doh!" It didn't take too long to locate my spot and I dropped off the bike, grabbed the visor and sunglasses and was off and running.

Run
I had no idea what to expect from my run. I hadn't been running as much as would be ideal in the months leading up to this race. I also had gone for a run with a friend on Monday of race week that had been quite encouraging. I decided that I would open with a moderately hard pace that seemed sustainable. I am a firm believer in starting runs a little conservatively and I followed my own advice. That doesn't mean I went slow, but fast enough that I could get my running legs going and get over a bit of a stomach cramp. I hit the first mile marker at a pace I was happy with and soon I caught someone from my tri club. We chatted a bit and then we went back to work. The run went well and I kept up a fast and consistent pace the whole way. I looked over my shoulder with about half a mile to go and there was not anyone there. That was a relief as I really hate to get passed in the last half mile of a run and I knew that I could keep on keeping on and not have to go into a full fledged sprint, which was good because I'm not sure I had one. I crossed the line and was happy to see my wife and kids. The boys had come out to their first race of the year and I enjoyed seeing them. I promptly gave my medal to my older son, who loved it and my water bottle to the younger one and we were all happy.

Post Race Notes
I really like the Turtleman Triathlon. If you're in the Twin Cities in August, give it a try. I was happy with my overall performance, I executed well for the fitness I had. Since this race was a part of the USA Triathlon Grand Prix Series, the criteria necessary to qualify for nationals is eased. I officially qualified for the 2007 National Championship, yeah. I'll have to see if that race can fit into my schedule for next year, I've already registered for Ironman Coeur d'Alene in June of next year. Even if I can't go to Nationals, it was sure nice to make the qualifying standard. Until next time, see you out there!