Countdown to Hansen Dam

Now that Le Tour is over, I can go back to writing in this thing. I've been training all along but no time to write here.

The Hansen Dam Triathlon is two weeks from today and I'll be as ready as I can be. My training has been building up to a peak this weekend and it looks like I hit it--I'm exhausted. Easy training next week followed by no training (save for an easy bike ride Wednesday morning and some transition practice on Thursday or Friday) and I'll be all set.

The Swim

500 yards in a man-made "lake" (more like a big pond). I did this in 12:02 last year. LAME! Definitely under ten minutes this year. Can I hold a 1:45 (8:45) pace this year? That would be nice but we'll see. I think I'm finally getting comfortable in these race swims and have even been pacing myself pretty well. No wetsuit in this race so I don't have to worry about overheating, too. My workouts have been more productive lately, thanks to the advice of an old friend who is a much better swimmer than me, so I should be quite a bit faster.

T1

I had the fastest T1 in my age group last year and 19th overall: 56.1 seconds. Let's see if I can better that this year.

The Bike

Better shape. Better bike. Last year I did this in 34:04. Can I come in under 30 minutes, which is around 20 mph (the course is really just over ten miles)? I don't know if it's realistic but it's what I'll be shooting for.

T2

Last year I did this in 1:12, which is so-so. I don't know if I can get it under a minute but I'll try. Rack bike, take off helmet and put on shoes, grab the race belt and visor, and go!

Run

Last year I did this in 31:55 which, if you believe the course is three miles, is a 10:38 pace. Problem is, the course isn't three miles. More like 2.5 (I've been running it with a Garmin the past few weeks). That comes out to be a 12:46 pace. Hmm. Maybe I'm cutting the course short somehow. Not by a half mile, though, so, for now, let's just go with that 10:38 pace. I want to do the run at about a 9:10 pace, which should knock at least four minutes off my time, and bring me in around 27:30 if the course is three miles, or 23:00 if the course is 2.5 miles. Hmm, that 23:00 figure looks pretty fast compared to all the results for last year so maybe I am cutting the course short. We'll find out soon enough.

My triathlon slogan for this year (and the next few years, no doubt) is: I'm not fast but I'm faster. So let's add up those times. 10:00 for the swim + 1:00 in T1 + 31:00 on the bike + 1:00 in T2 + 25:00 on the run = 1:08 overall, which would have put me in the top 25 in my age group last year. Possible? I'll just go and do my best.

Oh, I do have one other goal for the race. Towards the end of the run there is a short but steep hill. After that there is a not-so-steep uphill followed by a run alongside the lake and then onto the finish line. My other goal is that once I get to the stop of that steep uphill, nobody passes me. If I do get passed I stick with that person and try to re-pass by the finish line. I didn't like being passed on that last stretch last year so I don't want it to happen this year. I've been practicing on that stretch, too.