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Race Result

Racer: Mike Tine
Race: Luray International Triathlon
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009
Location: Luray, VA
Race Type: Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group: Male 35 - 39
Time: 2:36:16
Overall Place: 83 / 553
Age Group Place: 16 / 68
Comment: Mind threw in the towel at mile 1 of the run. Need to train more!



Race Report:



Swim - 0:25:50 (39th male, great given my training level!)
T1 - 0:01:40 (79th male, need to work on this again)
Bike - 1:14:39 (50th male, 21.0mph, not bad)
T2 - 0:00:59 (58th male, wear socks so fairly happy with this)
Run - 0:53:09 (183rd male, 8:34/mile, disappointing mental strength)

I knew going into this race that I hadn't put enough miles in any of the three disciplines. Swimming, I can usually hold my own with minimal training due to my competitive swimming background, so I wasn't too worried. Biking, I had a new toy (Hed 3 front wheel) so was excited to race despite not putting in more than one ride a week. Running, however, was a huge fear for me. I hadn't been running much, what runs I did were slower and shorter than expected, and I just felt tired and worried. This combined with the heat probably played with my mind more than I should have let it. I felt I had gotten better pushing through the pain at the end of races. Not this time.

Staying in cabins with a bunch of good friends was a lot of fun and a relaxing way to spend the night before the race. I hope we can do this again next year! However, I couldn't sleep well for some reason. Racing tired isn't usually a problem for me, so no worries.

Note: Heed/CarboPro was a good mix for the bike bottles, but need to lessen the Heed in there.

Race morning was on the warm side, but gloriously clear. We found out that wetsuits weren't allowed (as expected...and hoped). With 2 hours to set up, I had a lot of time to chat and visit with people. That was fun, but potentially tiring.

Warmed up in the lake for a few hundred yards then spent the next 10 minutes trying to determine the exact course. Once explained, it was very easy and much preferred to the double loop. Positioned myself in the middle of the front row of our wave. Different from usual, but far left was too shallow and far right was too far right. I took off with a bit of a burst and quickly found clear water. There were a few "crooked swimmers" on either side of me, but I quickly got away from them. From there it was just long and strong the whole way around. Zero problem sighting, minimal problem with other swimmers. No draft as usual. One guy swam next to me for a majority of the middle 1/2 of the race. At the last turn, though, he suddenly disappeared and, as it turns out, finished 50 yards ahead of me! Not sure if he went faster or I slowed down, but I caught him on the bike fairly quickly so no worries.

Ran up to transition. As usual, my T1 is a bit slow. I put on shoes, and always have a tough time of it. Helmet and shades went on quickly, though, and off I went. Tough clipping in, but then took off. Bike was a bit tougher this year due to lack of training, especially on hills. But I had a lot of fun on the downhill sections! Max speed of 46.2mph, average of 21.0mph. Not bad, but room for improvement. Front wheel got a bit wobbly at above 40mph, something to note for future races.

New setup with new post was much more comfortable. Some minor adjustments should make it perfect.

Only real misstep was I misjudged when the last hill was going to appear. As such, I removed my right foot from my shoe before hitting the last brutal hill! I pedaled up with only 1-1/2 legs :-( My bad, and my fault for being too eager to get off the bike.

Safer than usual dismount (e.g. slower) because I think I knew what disappointment was coming. Quick sub-minute T2 and I was off. My GPS had minimal battery so I didn't turn it on until I left T2. As such, no GPS signal for a bit over a mile of the run. I mainly used it to see what my current speed was and average per-mile speed.

My legs felt super heavy, my breathing was heavier than usual for a relatively low (150) HR, and I just didn't feel right. I couldn't motivate myself to push through the pain. I don't know why, but it just wasn't my day. As such, I started walking at about mile 1, and alternated walk/run for the remainder of the race. I at least did it semi-intelligently and mostly walked the uphills and ran the flat and downhills. As such, I ended up with a surprising 8:34/mile pace. Not anywhere near my race pace, but good given the amazing amount of walking I did! Great to have the FeXY crew at the water station. They did a great job and helped push me forward.

Ran in the last 2/3 mile and finished reasonably strong. Very disappointed in my mental weakness, but it gives me motivation to train harder going forward.