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Race Result
| Racer: |
Alex Rochette |
| Race: |
Reston Triathlon |
| Date: |
Sunday, September 12, 2004 |
| Location: |
Reston, VA |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - International Distance |
| Age Group: |
Male 30 - 34 |
| Time: |
2:24:35 |
| Overall Place: |
63 |
| Comment: |
A 10 minute personal best in the midst of Ironman training! |
Race Report:
Race Report – Reston Triathlon 2004 (Olympic) – Alex Rochette
Goals [Note: I wrote this part on Saturday.]
I liked the way David Glover and a few others posted their goals for upcoming races in the past. Here are my thoughts for tomorrow’s Reston triathlon.
I based those goals on my split times in the Reston Triathlon 2003, my current training program (I am training for an Ironman distance triathlon later this fall), and my rest level (I didn’t taper for Reston and kept my mileage high this week, including today).
In 2003, I trained through the Reston Triathlon (no taper) as I was getting ready for the Twin Cites Marathon (and then Marine Corps Marathon, California International Marathon, and Las Vegas Marathon). So, a lot of long distance running and speed workouts. Hardly any biking. Hardly any swimming.
This year, I am focusing on Ironman distance triathlon training: a lot of long aerobic stuff. As a consequence, I am expecting a certain lack of speed, especially during the run leg. I didn’t taper either this year. Although, I scheduled this week as a “recovery week”: 150 mile bike, 30 mile run, and 4,000 meter swim (it might seems like quite a bit for some people but really it’s not, trust me).
Swim: Traveling during the week, I haven’t been swimming as much as I should have – it’s much more burdensome to find and drive to a swimming pool than to just put your shoes on and go for a run. I have swum only a total of 10 hours over the past three months (that’s only one hour a week) and this is not enough. Last year, I swam the 1,600 yards in 37 minutes or so. This year, I am expecting it to take me between 35 and 40 minutes (but it could be as much as 45 minutes). I think I’ll improve over last year merely because my cardiovascular capacity has increased quite a bit.
Transition 1: I won’t change this year: I’ll wear my biking/running gear (except for the shoes and helmet!) during the swim. Last year it took me a dreadful 3+ minutes to get ready, I should be able to cut this to under 2 minutes.
Bike: That’s where I expect the most progress. For the last 8 weeks, I biked at least 100 miles per week with three peaks at 175, 200, and 225 miles. I did two 120+ mile rides. This said, this was mostly pure endurance rides... so I am not sure how fast I can go. Last year, I clocked 1:08:30, this year I expect to be as fast as 1:00:00 but 1:05:00 would not surprise me (and, again, I didn’t rest this week, so this might impede the little zip I have in my legs).
Transition 2: I’ll just traverse the transition area, hang my bike, and slip in my running shoes. I don’t expect it to take more than one minute (45 seconds, last year).
Run: That’s the big unknown. I still benefit from my training for Boston in April but I hardly did any speed workouts since then. Last year, I ran the course in under 45 minutes flat (which is not bad given that it’s fairly hilly course, to say the least, but I was not thrilled with it given all the running that I was doing at the time)... I can’t imagine being slower but who knows. I say between 40 (big day!) and 45 minutes.
So overall, the range should be between 2:16:00 and 2:33:00. Only, it doesn’t add up: if I ace the bike, I’ll pay for it on the run and if I take it easy on the bike, I’ll run much faster. So my guess is that I should finish between 2:22:00 (great day) and 2:32:00 (overall bad day... too tired, whatever). I’ll shoot for 2:28:00. Let’s see.
Summary:
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Result 2003 Goal 2004 Result 2004
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Swim: 0:37:09 [0:35:00–0:40:00] x:xx:xx
T1: 0:03:22 [0:01:00–0:02:00] x:xx:xx
Bike: 1:08:30 [1:00:00–1:05:00] x:xx:xx
T2: 0:00:45 [0:00:30–0:01:00] x:xx:xx
Run: 0:45:02 [0:40:00–0:45:00] x:xx:xx
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Total: 2:34:48 [2:16:00–2:33:00] x:xx:xx
Adjusted: [2:22:00–2:32:00]
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Race Day! [Note: I wrote this part this week.]
6:00am - Get out of bed (I’ll admit readily that this is a bit late... but I needed my sleep). Dress; prepare drinks (for bike leg); load car.
6:20am - I am ready to go.
6:40am – South Lakes High School. Pretty much everybody gathered to the swim start already except for one fellow triathlete scrambling for some spare part that I don’t have. Drop my T2 bag: shoes and bib number. Hop on my bike and ride to the swim start/T1 area.
6:55am – Lake Audubon. A volunteer takes care of “body marking” me. I rack my bike (at the end of the rack as there are no number assignments). Pause for a minute during the American national anthem. Slip in my wet suit.
7:03am – I going to the starting line. I am in wave 4 so with 3 minutes between each wave, I am scheduled to start at 7:09am. That’s 5-6 minutes to spare! I chat/shake hands with a few people I know/recognize (not so easy with goggles and a swim cap).
7:09am – The announcer calls our wave and encourages us to get in the water. Although I was wearing a watch, I won’t start the chronograph (I won’t wear my heart rate monitor either, strictly going by perceived exertion). No pressure.
7:10am – Let’s go. The swim is by far my weakest event and I didn’t expect to do much better than 35-40 minutes (hence my seeding in the fourth wave), but I go at it valiantly. The first quarter mile is going pretty well. I am angling left and going early for the line that split the lake (out on one side, back on the other), so I am pretty much alone. The second quarter mile I am meeting again with the rest of my wave... it’s fairly cramped and I actually feel like people in front of me are slowing me down (this is the first time it happens to me).
7:26am – Quick look at my watch at the turnaround buoy: 16 minutes. Not bad for me. I keep going. I am trailing my wave but – but! – only a few people from the following wave are catching up with me. Last year I was passed by many people from the following wave and even a few from two waves behind. So, even though this is still not good... I have somewhat improved. I took me just under 35 minutes: two minutes faster than last year. I owe those two minutes to Jenni and John Buechler who showed me a few tricks 4-5 weeks ago. When I am back working in the Washington, DC area, I plan on joining their master swim group. Again. :)
7:45am – I exit the water. I strip my wetsuit and run in the transition area to get my bike. I gear up (bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses) and stuff my wetsuit and goggles in the transition bag (volunteers will bring it the finish line later on). After nearly falling a few times (not easy to run on pavement with bike shoes!), I am finally on my way...
7:47am – In the excitement, I didn’t look at my watch but I estimated that it took me about two minutes to change (which turned out to be accurate). There are three loops of about 7.5 miles each. After about 10 minutes, I fall into a rhythm and start to pass a few people. While I am at it, I start to hydrate and get some calories in.
8:10am – First loop in about 23 minutes. I am passing quite a few people - including a few weekend warriors with disc wheels - and have a few close calls (people not staying on the right side of the road). I don’t have a computer on the bike but I feel like I am doing alright.
8:31am – Second loop in about 21 minutes. Good. I am starting to think that I might be able to hug a one hour bike split (I thought that the third loop, slightly different than the first two, was much shorter). This is the last loop, I am paying close attention to my nutrition and drink about 8-10 oz of sport drink about five minutes before the second transition and run leg.
8:51am – Third loop in about 20 minutes. It was a bit longer than I expected (I thought that we were to turn directly in South Lakes High School... while the access is actually from the back, maybe one mile further). Anyhow. This is a 1:04:00-1:05-00 bike split. Not as fast as I had expected it but still within my expectations.
8:52am – I managed to fall at the entrance of the transition area. I slightly messed up my knee (encounter with the chain ring) but the bike is intact (Pfui!). I rack my bike, drop the helmet, and slip in my running shoes. Good transition in spite of the fall (as it turned out: 44 secondes).
8:52am – Off to the run course. This is my best event so I expect to pass a lot of people. A few minutes into the run, I cross Michael Orton and a few yards behind him, who I thought was Steve Smith (I was not sure at the time), respectively the eventual runner-up and winner. Man. Those guys are fast.
I am going at a pretty fast clip right of the bat. I don’t know for sure (I didn’t see the two first mile markers) but I estimate my first mile to have been sub-6:00 (I always start too fast anyway).
I spotted Jean-Paul Martin and, a couple minutes later, Kyle Yost. High fives.
9:12am – I have reached the third mile mark. So far, I have averaged 6:45 or so per mile over the first three miles. Given that this is a very, very hilly course and that the first half is pretty much uphill, I am pretty happy to see this.
9:19am – Fourth mile marker. I realize that I have a leisurely 18-19 minutes to run the last 2.2 miles in order to finish under 2:30:00. Cool!
9:34am – I am reaching the track. I am giving it all. Now, I’d really like to get under 2:25:00. Last effort. Done. I look at my watch: it says 2:24:xx. I’ll have to wait until I see the official result but I think I made it! :)
Awesome. As it turned out, I ran the 16th fastest time of the day (and I thought I was lacking speed...).
Summary:
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Result 2003 Goal 2004 Result 2004 Diff.
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Swim: 0:37:09 [0:35:00–0:40:00] 0:34:51 -02:18
T1: 0:03:22 [0:01:00–0:02:00] 0:02:20 -01:02
Bike: 1:08:30 [1:00:00–1:05:00] 1:04:42 -03:48
T2: 0:00:45 [0:00:30–0:01:00] 0:00:44 -00:01
Run: 0:45:02 [0:40:00–0:45:00] 0:41:59 -03:03
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Total: 2:34:48 [2:16:00–2:33:00] 2:24:35 -10:13
Adjusted: [2:22:00–2:32:00]
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It looks kind of nice: I have bested all my splits from last year (albeit by a mere second for Transition 2). And this is an overall personal best by 10 minutes. I am especially happy because have hardly done any speed workouts
I was 176th after the swim, 120th after the bike (83rd bike split), and 63rd after the run (16th run split).
It was nice afterwards to meet with some of the people from TriRATs and TriCATs, and to finally meet Steve Smith. Congratulations again, Steve (3, 2, 1!).
Also, I got a chance to shake Alan Webb’s hand (the current top American miler) and chat a bit with him. Both he and Michael Orton attended South Lakes High School (this must be something they put in the water!) and he was there to cheer for his buddy. Very nice guy.
In the afternoon, I biked for about two hours, ran for 45 minutes, and swam for 30 minutes or so. (if I don’t put the mileage in for the Ironman during the weekends... when am I going to do it?) Also, I think it helped with recovery.
I was still a bit stiff until Wednesday, but I think that I am fully recovered now.
Last but not least, a big thank you to all the volunteers without whom the Reston Triathlon wouldn’t be. Kudos on organizing a great race!
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