Yesterday was the Philly Triathlon (Olympic distance 1.5km Swim, 40km Bike, 10km run). Given my current fitness level, the distance wasn't going to be a problem (ok the swim is always a problem). I've been doing some speedwork on the bike and run, and after looking at the results from the 2 last years I figured I had a good chance to place in my age group.
I don't normally race this distance, so preparation was a bit off. My basic principle was to keep the weight down on the bike, since it was going to be hilly (8 climbs in 25 miles). That meant 1 bottle with a electrolyte / carbohydrate drink, 1 spare tube, 1 co2 cartridge and thats about it.
At the pre-race meeting they said the water temp was fairly warm and that wetsuits might not be allowed, but the morning of the race we found out that wetsuits were legal.
I parked at the top of the hill and road my bike to the transition area. I was surprised on how many people walked their bike down (about a mile). After a brief bike warmup (1.5 miles maybe), I went to the transition area and set up my gear, then got on the bus to the start on the other side of the river. I was in a later wave and had to wait 1.5 hours before I got to start - the only advantage to this was that I didn't have to wait long for the port-o-john. 5 minutes before the start, I had 2 hammer gels and finished my water.
The swim was an in-water start, so we got to tread water for 5 minutes before we actually started. I did a little warm up, and realized my goggles were leaking. I did what I could to get a good suction on my face, but they kept slipping (I should have bought new goggles). So the swim starts, and I swim about 50-100 meters, clear my goggles, swim another 50-100, clear my goggles, etc. Basically, my goggles would fill completely with water and I couldn't see a thing. I might have been better off with nothing. The good news was that I caught up with the wave in front of us, and a few people in the wave in front of them. The bad news was I couldn't see and kept stopping forward progress as I bumped into other swimmers.
I finally finished the swim in just over 28 minutes, which is what I though I would do, but was hoping for better.
This is where the race gets much better... I get through transition fairly quickly, slowed by a few end of pack racers from earlier waves. Sena and Erika came to cheer me on, and that gave me a big pick-me-up. Once on the bike and feet in shoes, I looked at the speedometer and realized I was going 27mph and felt great. I charged the first hill and was passing 10 people every 30 seconds. I got through the hill and flew through the downhill, navigating around hundreds of other bikes. On one of the flats I realized I had forgotten to turn on my Garmin - the record of what looked to be a brilliant ride.
I finished the first loop with Sena and Erika cheering me on. On the 5th hill, legs were a wee bit tired and I held back just a bit to let them recover. Then I charged the next 2 hills. As I was riding through a flat section away from the Art Museum at maybe km 35, I hit a pothole. A minute later I had a flat!!! Ok, I'm still in this, I kept telling myself as I started changing the tube. After quickly getting the new tub in, I put the CO2 cartridge disenser on my presta valve and released the CO2. Dammit! I didn't screw on the dispenser proplerly and my CO2 just released into the air. No spare! Race over!
I looked around for some help. Another racer experiencing a double flat offered the rest of his Co2, which ended up being empty. So we walked back together.
Oh well - need to figure out how to avoid flats.
I don't normally race this distance, so preparation was a bit off. My basic principle was to keep the weight down on the bike, since it was going to be hilly (8 climbs in 25 miles). That meant 1 bottle with a electrolyte / carbohydrate drink, 1 spare tube, 1 co2 cartridge and thats about it.
At the pre-race meeting they said the water temp was fairly warm and that wetsuits might not be allowed, but the morning of the race we found out that wetsuits were legal.
I parked at the top of the hill and road my bike to the transition area. I was surprised on how many people walked their bike down (about a mile). After a brief bike warmup (1.5 miles maybe), I went to the transition area and set up my gear, then got on the bus to the start on the other side of the river. I was in a later wave and had to wait 1.5 hours before I got to start - the only advantage to this was that I didn't have to wait long for the port-o-john. 5 minutes before the start, I had 2 hammer gels and finished my water.
The swim was an in-water start, so we got to tread water for 5 minutes before we actually started. I did a little warm up, and realized my goggles were leaking. I did what I could to get a good suction on my face, but they kept slipping (I should have bought new goggles). So the swim starts, and I swim about 50-100 meters, clear my goggles, swim another 50-100, clear my goggles, etc. Basically, my goggles would fill completely with water and I couldn't see a thing. I might have been better off with nothing. The good news was that I caught up with the wave in front of us, and a few people in the wave in front of them. The bad news was I couldn't see and kept stopping forward progress as I bumped into other swimmers.
I finally finished the swim in just over 28 minutes, which is what I though I would do, but was hoping for better.
This is where the race gets much better... I get through transition fairly quickly, slowed by a few end of pack racers from earlier waves. Sena and Erika came to cheer me on, and that gave me a big pick-me-up. Once on the bike and feet in shoes, I looked at the speedometer and realized I was going 27mph and felt great. I charged the first hill and was passing 10 people every 30 seconds. I got through the hill and flew through the downhill, navigating around hundreds of other bikes. On one of the flats I realized I had forgotten to turn on my Garmin - the record of what looked to be a brilliant ride.
I finished the first loop with Sena and Erika cheering me on. On the 5th hill, legs were a wee bit tired and I held back just a bit to let them recover. Then I charged the next 2 hills. As I was riding through a flat section away from the Art Museum at maybe km 35, I hit a pothole. A minute later I had a flat!!! Ok, I'm still in this, I kept telling myself as I started changing the tube. After quickly getting the new tub in, I put the CO2 cartridge disenser on my presta valve and released the CO2. Dammit! I didn't screw on the dispenser proplerly and my CO2 just released into the air. No spare! Race over!
I looked around for some help. Another racer experiencing a double flat offered the rest of his Co2, which ended up being empty. So we walked back together.
Oh well - need to figure out how to avoid flats.
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