Tri for Humanity sprint tri

Last Sunday I did my first triathlon in almost 3 years, the Tri for Humanity sprint distance race in McKinney.  I signed up for it when I got a Schwaggle coupon, reasoning that it would make a good tune-up race for the Playtri Festival sprint tri in June that I hope to peak for.

A triathlon, for the uninitiated, involves first a swim leg, usually in open water like a lake, then the transition from swim to bike (T1), a bike leg, a transition from bike to run (T2), and finally a run leg.  Going into this I had swam about 3 times in the last month (and almost none that I can recall in the 2 years prior), biked a handful of times, and of course run quite a bit over the past 8 months.  So this was a test to see to what extent running could overcome a lack of sport-specific training for the first 2 legs.  I expected to be slow to middle of the pack on the swim and bike but pretty fast on the run.  That prediction turned out to be pretty accurate.

The day before a race I always make sure to lay out my race clothes, attach the bib to the race belt, get my water and salt tabs ready, make sure my Garmin is charged, etc.  I've got the drill down to a science for running events but triathlon is a whole different ballgame with a lot more to think about.  Instead of running shorts and singlet I was laying out my tri shorts and top and packing goggles and a swim cap.  Then there was the bike.  I aired the tires, lubed the chain and cable housings, and prepped my water and nutrition.  (What I did not do: check the frame all over for cracks.  This becomes relevant post-race).

Sunday morning I got up at 4:30, dressed, grabbed my gear, and headed out for McKinney, a 45 minute drive despite absolutely no traffic.  Eventually I made it there, parked, and headed in.  First came body marking-my race number was marked on my left arm and hand and my age (as of year's end, per triathlon rules) on my right calf.  Then I set up my transition area-bike hanging on the rack, my gear laid out on a towel below.  Then I walked over to scope out the swim area.  Before long, it was time for the pre-race meeting to discuss rules, then we headed en masse toward the swim start area.

Swim

The race started in 3 waves: men under 40 in the first wave, the older men in the second, and all the women and the Clydesdale and Athena racers (aka, the "bigger-boned" male and female racers, respectively) in the third.  Looking around I realized 2/3 of the other racers were wearing wetsuits.  This told me two things: 1) they were going to be faster than me because of the buoyancy of the suits, and 2) they did enough tris to justify the investment in a wetsuit, and thus were going to be faster than me.  Plus, 400 meters sure looks farther in a lake than it does doing laps in a pool.

Finally, my wave got in the water, which while invigorating was not as cold as I expected.  Then the gun went off and so did we.  The first 100 meters or so of a triathlon are an interesting experience-lots of bodies all thrashing around in close proximity, and all of us unable to see in the water.  I got kicked and elbowed several times and no doubt did the same to those around me.  Eventually we got it all sorted and found some space, though at one point another girl swam into me and our arms locked.  (I think I was on course and she was at a weird angle, but what do I know?)  I wasn't fast on the swim (in fact, at 11 minutes, I was on the slow side) but I was able to hold my pace fairly well and didn't tire out.

What I would do differently next time: train more so I can swim a faster pace; eventually, invest in a wetsuit

T1

After I reached the exit I got out, ran into transition, and prepped for the bike.  I expected to be faster here but took 3 minutes-way too long.

What I'd do differently next time: not bother drying my feet or putting on socks, put my helmet, glasses and gloves on the bike rather than the towel, eat my gel and start the Garmin on the bike rather than in transition.  I may try to practice leaving the shoes clipped into the bike pedals and putting them on while on the go.

Bike

The bike course was 2 loops in roughly a square.  There was some wind and a few hills but overall a decent course.  I took 44 minutes and averaged about 18mph-not blazing fast, but a decent pace for me.  I made it a point to ride with my hands in the drop handlebars as much as possible but need to practice this to be able to comfortably hold the position longer.

What I would do differently next time: more training so I can hold a faster pace, spend as much time as possible in the drops

T2

After the bike leg I ran the bike into transition, changed into running shoes, put on my running hat and belt, grabbed my handheld, and headed out.  This took 1:40.  Not bad, but room for improvement.

What I would do differently next time: change shoes then grab the rest and do it on the run

Run

I expected this to be my strongest leg and was not disappointed.  I reasoned that the 5k run leg was roughly equivalent to the final 3.1 miles of a half marathon, so based on recent HM finishes I figured an 8:15ish pace was doable.  I didn't worry about holding back any on the swim or bike legs, reasoning that 5 half marathons in 5 months had given me ample endurance for the run leg.  I started strong and got a little faster mile by mile, even though my legs were tired from the bike.  I passed at least a dozen people and not one person passed me.

I finished this leg in 25:16, for a total overall time of 1:25:28.  For perspective, my first 5k time in December was 25:12. 

What I would do differently next time: nothing.  I rocked the run.

Overall takeaway from the day

The fast run time is great on the one hand, as it means I can throw down a really fast run leg despite tired legs.  On the other hand, it also means that improvement on my triathlon times will have to come from the other legs.  My standalone 5k PR is only 24:06, and that's without  having swam and biked for an hour beforehand.  Yet even if I were to do the run leg this fast (highly unlikely), that would only take a minute off my time.

So if improvement can't come from the run leg, where can it come?  The low-hanging fruit is the transitions.  Just practicing these a few times a week can probably translate to several minutes saved.  Transition doesn't involve being particularly strong or fast, just practiced and purposeful.  I can do that.

Then there's the swim leg.  I've swam so little that just getting more time in the pool between now and the next race, even with little or no speedwork, should make me a little faster.  But the biggest change can come on the bike.  The bike takes about half the race time so an improvement in pace will have the biggest payoff there.  The good news is, like with the swim, I've spent so little time biking lately that just getting saddle time will benefit me.

The bad news?  That bike time will be a little harder to come by for awhile.  When I took my bike in for the mandatory pre-race inspection, the bike shop guy recommended I take the bike in soon because the back wheel was a little loose.  He said it was still fine to ride for the tri, but that I needed to get it fixed soon after.  So with my bike rack and bike already on the back of the car I decided Sunday afternoon was an ideal time to take it in.

When I went to the local bike shop (not the one which had checked it pre-race) the technician looked for a minute then called me over to look.  The good news: there was nothing wrong with my wheel.  The bad news: the seat-stay was cracked.  I don't know if it was broken before the race, during, or after, but finding that out hours post-race was like biting into an apple and finding half a worm.  I was lucky to have discovered the problem in the shop rather than mid-ride.  The manufacturer warrantied the frame for 5 years so I'm now in conversation with them to get a new frame.  One catch: they don't make these bikes anymore, so they may not have a comparable women's road bike frame to give me.  No definite word as to what they'll give me if they can't replace the frame, but I see the purchase price of the bike as a reasonable starting point in negotiations.  We'll see...I just hope to have a bike to ride soon, one way or another.