Report: IronBruin Triathlon 2009

My first triathlon was a blast!

Pre-Race

I left the house at 5am and got to UCLA in plenty of time. There wasn't anybody directing people to the right parking lot and the one we were supposed to use had a "Do Not Use" sign in front of it, so it was the blind leading the blind for a while. After I parked I took my backpack up to T2 but left my bike on the car since I didn't need my bike in T2, right? I get there and select a choice spot (3rd rack on the left, right on the aisle). With that out of the way and over two hours until I start the swim, things get a little boring. Something I'm noticing right away, though, is that I've lost enough weight that the shorts I have on over my tri suit are falling off all the time and I didn't bring a belt. I also notice that everyone is bringing their bikes into T2 so they have it handy when it's time to go to the pool. Sounds like a good idea so I get mine. There's still nothing to do until after 7 so I wait around.

About 7:10 I start getting serious about setting up T2 and packing for T1. I strip down to my tri suit and a t-shirt, no shoes, and walk my bike up the hill. On the way up a guy tells me about two people who have already crashed doing the left turn at the bottom of the big hill. Point taken.

The Swim

I get set up in T1. There aren't really any choice spots but I take one that is easy to find. It's a time trial swimming start in order of your number. I do a quick calculation and figure I have plenty of time so I head over to the warm up pool. I do my two 50s and one 100. Do I do another one? Nah, I'll down an energy gel then head over and wait for my turn. It turns out my turn is about 30 seconds after I get in line! Not such a great calculation.

The swim goes well. I get passed by a couple of guys (one of whom I catch later) but I'm the one that's doing most of the passing. Towards the end of the 400 meters the turns start getting crowded but that's okay (all that water polo in high school pays off here). At the end I walk up the steps and jog into transition.

T1

I was expecting to have really heavy legs or something like that when I got out of the pool and started jogging. What I experienced was sort of surreal: I'm swimming then I'm running now I'm going to get on a bike and why is everybody so slow? It was all odd. I'm one of the very few with a tri suit and one of the even fewer who already has his shoes on the bike so my T1 is really fast. Should it be that fast? I'm looking around at how casually people are transitioning. What's up with that? Practice a few times in a parking lot and boom, you're faster in T1. It's like finding free money. My goggles and cap are off, I get to the bike and toss them in my bag. I put my helmet on, put my transition towel in the bag and close it, then grab the bike and I'm off. That's it!

The Bike

I hop on the bike while jogging and get in the first shoe before I have to make a turn to go downhill. At the bottom of the hill I get into the other shoe, just as planned, and I'm good to go. My legs take a little bit to warm up but just before the big hill I'm all set. I get passed while going uphill, which is to be expected, but I'm surprised that I'm passing people going downhill (I peaked at 33.2 mph). Guess all those downhills that have been getting faster and faster have paid off, too. And last week's ride where I practiced getting out of the saddle worked out well, too. On the fourth lap I notice that there are a lot fewer people on the road and I wonder if anybody cuts their ride short and only does three laps. Just a thought.

T2

I forgot to get out of my shoes early but, thankfully, all that practice helped me get out of them in a hurry and I jogged barefoot into T2. I rack my bike and put the race belt on. Unfortunately, I should have pinned my race number on the race belt when it was stretched out on me instead of relaxed because when I put it on it pops when the belt is stretched. Lesson learned. I fiddle with it for a few seconds, take my helmet off, get my shoes on, and take a big breath because the run is the big question mark. I jog out of T2 and get some water from the helpful water girls (I'm surprisingly thirsty by this time).

The Run

I'm a slow runner right now. I'm big and this race is my fourth run of the year (fourth run in two years, actually) so I know I'm going to get passed. A lot. However my goal is not to run fast. My goal is to finish the 5K without walking because my calves seize up. All week they have been feeling worn out from last weekend's ride so I have been really nervous about the run. I practice good form, don't run too fast, suck it in for the photographers :-), and run my race. I am passed, to be sure, but it's not the torrent I was expecting. I reach the halfway point and all is well. I have one mile to go and I decide I can run a little bit faster. Gotta remember to keep my form up. 1K to go and I can run a little bit faster, which is about as fast as I can go at this point in my training. I finish not with a sprint (which I think is lame--if you can sprint at the end then you weren't running hard enough during the rest of the race) but I do finish strong, which I am happy about.

Overall and Lessons Learned

I was pleased with how well-prepared I was. I swam my own race, T1 was awesome, the bike went well, I thought, T2 was okay given my trepidation but will be even better next time, and I ran the whole 5K without stopping. The only way the race could have been better is if I placed in the top three (and well all knew that was not going to happen).

I always have to warm up on the swim. Always, always, always. It really helps.

Someday I'll get tri shoes for the bike but I'm doing great with what I have.

Remember that the end of the bike isn't just a relief, it means I have to get out of my shoes while still riding.

Put my race belt on, then pin my number to it, then take it off and set it up in T2.

Lose more weight to I can go faster up hills.

Lose more weight so I can go faster and train more on the run.

All in all, the event rocked and I can tell by the fatigue that is overtaking me while I write this that I gave it a good shot. I hope I can do it next year.

Photos and times will be available later this week so I will post about them in several days.

#336

They posted the seeding for Sunday's triathlon and I don't start until 58 minutes after the first competitor. Yes, I'll be starting after other people have finished. The bad news is that the bike course might be a bit crowded. The good news is that since, this is my first tri, I'll be able to learn by watching people doing the swim, transitions, and cycling before I have to go, with plenty of time to warm up for everything.

With the time change the night before the race, it's going to be a bit chilly in the morning. This is making me re-think my decision to not wear a swim cap. I don't need one for swimming but I think I want one for cycling. What? Well, do I really want to be cycling down that first hill at 30mph in possibly forty-something degree weather with wet hair. I'm thinking maybe not.

Still feeling my calves. We'll see.

I'm going to start packing my transition bag tonight, following a checklist I have. I read a suggestion that you do that at least two days before the race so if you notice you've forgotten something you still have a day to pick it up.

Tomorrow is a nice, easy day. Go to a concert downtown with my daughter, then drive to Santa Monica to pick up my packet, then back home. Dinner is an easy one to make so I can relax for that, too. Feet up, read the newly-arrive Triathlete magazine, and rest up.

Countdown to UCLA

On Sunday I tried a short run to test out running without socks and to run in my tri-suit (hidden behind my regular running clothes because I'm a wuss). Problem was I was still exhausted from my four-hour ride the day before so it was a very short run(/walk). After that I did a quick 10-mile easy ride and practiced transitions. I think I'll do okay.

I'm really worried about my calves because I'm feeling 'em. Maybe a four-hour ride the week before was a stupid idea. I'll know more in a few days.

Today's swim was short and sweet. Warm up, 400 (in 7 minutes, again, even though I'm still tired), 2x50, 100, 2x50 fast, then a cool down. Short but intense with plenty of rest time.

Signups for the Malibu Triathlon started this week. I was hoping to sign up after this weekend but the buzz was that the Classic (i.e. sprint) would sell out in a week and I didn't want to take any chances. They have three Clydesdale divisions! I signed up for the 225+ group. It's possible I could actually drop below that by September but I'm not betting on it.

I have decided that after this weekend I am going to focus more on doing longer rides to get my weight down. 3+ hour rides seem to really work so I'm thinking I can alternate a weekend with two two-hour rides with a weekend of one 3-4-hour ride. How to squeeze in a run every other week? Before the Sunday two-hour ride? Hmm.

Report: Santa Clarita Half Century 2009

The first Santa Clarita Half Century (they had a full century but with my first triathlon next weekend, doing that would be a bad idea) was a nice and challenging ride. I had looked at the course profile months ago but not recently and had forgotten it. Let me describe it for you: "A". The first 60% is up, the last 40% is down. What the profile doesn't tell you is that there are headwinds during the up. By the time I got to the SAG stop at 25 miles, I was so sick of headwinds and uphills.

Let's back up a bit. The century riders left at 7am but the half century started at 8am. I've never been to a cycling event so everything was going to be new for me. Guess I wasn't keeping track of time because as I was riding over to the restrooms the ride was starting. However, there were a bunch of people in the parking lot who seemed completely unconcerned with leaving at the start time so I was, too. I did my business, downed an energy gel, and headed out on the ride.

I have ridden in Santa Clarita before and I was glad to see that the first several miles would be on that great bike path that parallels Soledad Canyon Rd. Once we reached the end of the path (and by "we" I mean "we riders" because I was solo pretty much the whole ride) we turned onto Soledad Canyon Rd. itself and from here on out it would be all new to me. Here is where the "up" began in earnest. It turns out that this road is what the Amgen Tour of California riders were riding during Stage 7 so I got to see some of Lance's leftover chalk messages on the road. As I describe my riding, I am slower than some and faster than others so I passed and got passed. I did spend some time climbing out of the saddle, which wasn't nearly as tough as it used to be (and is a good rehearsal for UCLA next week). Heading into the first water stop at the 15 mile mark I was riding behind a group of three (that drafting stuff is really cool).

Fuel up, drink up, and I was off again. Some down but mostly up and the headwinds were picking up. I was pretty sick of riding by the time I got to the aforementioned SAG stop. However, they had lots of pretzels, bananas, and oranges, which hit the spot. I didn't think my tummy would like soda and chocolate cookies so I passed on those. I also realized that I should have been fueling up on my schedule rather than waiting for the scheduled stops. Lesson learned. Funny thing at this stop was that I took my shoes and helmet off but I was, literally, the only person who took off either. Maybe it's a point of cyclist pride or something but I thought getting my piggies and noggin cooler were more important. It was also at this time that I looked around and, sure enough, I had the oldest bike around. Funny.

Rest up, fuel up, drink up and it was time to finish this thing. There were a few, teasing downhills and short uphills before the big uphill. It had to have been 2, 2.5 miles of up. At this point I decided I would go into survival mode: granny gear, slow and steady. At the top I fueled up again and headed off. Flat for a bit, the rest of the ride would mainly be downhill. I actually hit 40mph at one point and kept above 30mph for the majority of the rest of the ride. I also got passed while going downhill, which was kinda fun. Sorry, but my bike's stability only goes so far. Plus it was still windy and every so often a big gust would hit and surprise the heck out of me, not to mention knock me around a bit. There was even a more technical portion which, since the course was not closed, I was kind of wimpy on since I didn't want to meet a car coming the other way while I was cutting a corner. All this downhill fun made the misery of the first half worth it.

I finally arrived at the finish, 3:51:21 on the bike and 53.16 miles after I left. I racked my bike, changed shoes, and grabbed some lunch at the deli setup they had and, oh, did it hit the spot. Cold cuts, potato salad, Italian salad, and a cannoli. Yum. After that I wandered the booths that were there then headed home.

All in all, a fun time. Not bad for someone who's only been riding for six months. I have a ways to go until I'm ready for a century but I can definitely see myself doing one.

Lessons learned:

Fuel up on my schedule, not the ride's.

If you even think it's going to be warm, go with a short-sleeved jersey and arm warmers instead of a long-sleeved jersey.

On a long ride, save your knees and go to a lower gear. Save grinding up hills for shorter training rides. Your knees will thank you for it during the last half of the ride. At least until you know your knees can handle it on longer rides.

Just because you are wearing a long-sleeved jersey does not mean you should skip the sunscreeen...on your face.

Ring Around UCLA

After my run this morning (and the less said about that the better) I headed over to UCLA to ride the triathlon course bike route. What fun it's going to be. Once you get out of T1 you have about 30 yards to clip/strap in before you turn into the second half of the route's steepest descent. A slight up, then a short, steep up which gets less steep quickly. Still, you want to redline this hill because once you crest it's downhill and flat for quite a ways. Just when you're getting cocky from all those downhills and fast turns you've been making, a steep uphill shows up. No problem, you can see where it flattens out, right? No, that's just a turn, the hill keeps going and going. Once that crests you go right into the beginning of that steep descent. I predict a lot of passing on the downhills because it's going to freak a bunch of people out, which should make some of those turns pretty interesting. Four laps of this course (I did three today). It's gonna be great.

One note about this morning's run. I am wondering if this cramping (actually exhaustion) of my tibialis is due to poor running technique. I'm slow and heavy right now so I'm not so much running as I am shuffling along. Maybe if I kicked my foot up a bit higher after pushing off I wouldn't need to use my tibialis to lift the front of my foot up so much. I have strong hamstrings so I don't have to worry about those wearing out. Initial results are promising but it looks like I'm going to have to do another run next weekend to know more. I was hoping to avoid a run next week so this may be just a short two-miler.

Almost Nothing New on Race Day

My tri suit arrived this week and I am happy to report that it fits. I don't look horrible in it but I'm not going to be so pretty on the bike :-). I don't expect to be self-conscious about wearing it at the race and I'm planning on riding in it next weekend but I am so not running or swimming in it before the race. Sorry but that will have to be something new for race day. That and my transition bag and I am done with goodies before the race.

This week's swims were okay. I think I need to have an easy swim workout rather than easy swim weeks. I seem to lose fitness by doing a whole easy week. I was really out of gas at the end of Thursday's swim.

I volunteered at the Amgen Tour of California today. I did my 29-mile ride this morning then headed off to the Rose Bowl. It started off a bit frustrating with all the roads to the Rose Bowl closed. How was I supposed to get to the volunteer parking lot? I finally found a way in and got checked in. Free t-shirt and free lunch! After checking in I had a few hours before I had to go to my post so I walked around the Lifestyle Festival. Lots of bikes and components that I can't afford. $30 for an official ToC cowbell? The ToC jerseys were okay but nothing I had to have so I passed. Watched the race on a jumbotron for a bit before it was time to get ready to move out. I brought my bike so I changed shoes and rode off to my post. I was a Course Marshall and we're supposed to clear any debris and make sure nothing (people, cars, animals) get on the course once it's closed. I was out in the boonies so I didn't expect much to do (and Pasadena is so clean there was no debris to speak of). However, just as the CHP are coming down the road there's some bozo on a mountain bike. I wave him off and the CHP encourage him to get off, too. The breakaway comes in first but I can't take a picture of them because I'm telling two women to get off the road and onto the sidewalk. The peloton arrives a few minutes later but I didn't get any good pictures at that time. After a while the caravan completely passes and we volunteers race down to catch the circuit around the Rose Bowl, which was very cool. I got pretty close, too:

That's tour leader Levi Leipheimer with Lance Armstrong right behind. Sports photography on an iPhone is not a piece of cake. Anyway, it was a fun day. Next year I will either volunteer again or make a run on the course ahead of the pros. We'll see how fit I am in a year.

A Weekend in Transition

The weekend started with my 45-mile ride from Sylmar into Santa Clarita and back. I wasn't going to try and go faster than my last time on this route but based on my recent rides I figured I end up going a bit faster. I took a couple of fueling/stripping breaks but none due to "I can't make it up that hill" this time. I felt good and came in twenty minutes faster than last time. Next time on this route I will try and go faster since I'm a bit more used to the route. Hit 37mph on one of the downhills. 32mph used to be my freak-out limit so I'm making some kind of weird progress.

On Sunday I went for an easy 10-mile ride to get some of Saturday's ride out of my legs. Before I started my ride, though, I played around with hopping on my bike with the shoes already clipped in to the pedals. I have seen videos of people doing that where the shoes are not secured with rubber bands. I have decided that those people did not have size 13 shoes. I am definitely using rubber bands (which I need to get a good supply of). When I ran out of rubber bands I headed out on my ride without socks (nothing new on race day, right?). On a whim I detoured on top of Hansen Dam to get my first preview of this summer's triathlon route. Nice ride. After I came down off the dam I went into one of the park's parking lots and practiced the rest of my transitions.

The first time I practiced bike transitions I thought that they were really hard and wondered if I had enough time to get competent at them. After I figured out my system, though, I have to say I got pretty good at them. Pedal on the shoes, slip my feet into the shoes and strap in, then pop my feet out of the shoes. If it goes well at UCLA I might even make a video of doing it because the transition videos I've seen aren't very good or detailed enough.

Today I wanted to take advantage of the three-day weekend and get in a run but the weather was pretty miserable. That wouldn't deter me from a bike ride but I'm a bit skittish about my running right now so I waited to see if the weather would get better. It didn't. Then my family and I went out to the movies. When we came out of the theater the weather looked better so I decided to race sundown when we got home. It was just a three-mile run but the calves mostly held up. I did take a planned break halfway but things went well. The front of my calves started getting a bit tight towards the end but not nearly as bad as last weekend. We'll see.

Next weekend is a two-hour ride before I head out to be a Course Marshall at the Amgen Tour of California. On Sunday, after a run, I will head over to UCLA and preview the bike part of the triathlon course.