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Race Result
| Racer: |
Brad Payne |
| Race: |
3Sports Sprint Triathlon |
| Date: |
Sunday, July 27, 2003 |
| Location: |
Richmond, VA |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - Sprint |
| Age Group: |
Male 35 - 39 |
| Time: |
1:17:47 |
| Overall Place: |
129 / 267 |
| Age Group Place: |
18 / 28 |
Race Report:
Outside of Richmond, VA is an ideal race for beginners (such as myself) or experienced atheletes looking for a ~1 hour workout to warm up for an "A" race the following weekend.
300M Swim + T1: 5:14
12 Mile Bike: 43:35
5K Run: 28:58
It was second tri, and there was good news: I've come a long way since my firstrace...
And bad news: I'm going to be fish bait in Lake Audobon on Sept 7 if I keep dropping swim workouts in favor of running and biking when my schedule gets harried as it normally does!
Swim: What makes this a good introductory tri is the 300 meter pool swim. No intimidating open water mass starts, but a single file start with 15 seconds between swimmers. During my first tri last year (in open water) I swam too hard and had an awful time the rest of the race. Determined not to repeat history I
told myself to lally-gag the swim, but when I came out of the pool after the doing the serpentine course through all six lanes, my heart was hammering. "D@mn it! I've done it again!"
T1: I had a nice "picnic" in the in the transition area. The racks were also organized by race number/swim start, and I was the last person to leave my rack. I dried my feet, put on my shoes, jersey, helmet, had a quick drink, jogged my bike to the road, and fought with the pedals. I'd rationalize that I had to run ~200 meters from the pool to T1, but my swim was actually faster than the transition. Its amazing how foggy the brain is when its O2 deprived...
Bike: "12 miles isn't far" I rationalized as I finally got my pedals clicked in. By now I was getting heart rate readings confirming I was foolishly in the 170s. "How could I do that in 300m? Can't do anything about it now, still have a race to do." Fortunately, I had driven the course the day before and noticed
that the first few miles were downhill. That helped me recover somewhat, but my HR would stay above 169 for the remainder of the race (a WEE bit higher than normal). Due to the "time trial"-like swim start, I found myself alone on the bike course. After leaving the Shady Grove Y, the bulk of the ride is on 2-lane
rural highways. I went four miles before I saw anyone, and of course, it was someone passing me. Two minutes later someone else passed me, and they were the only people I saw the whole time!
**Cool thing that race organizers did** All asphalt defects along the bike route were spray painted bright pink. Even though the roads themselves weren't closed to traffic (nothing like a 15' wide monster pickup truck passing you on a 24' wide road), all intersectons were controlled by police. That took some
coordination since the short 12 mile course did manage to weave between Hanover and Henrico counties. Of course when a bike course starts downhill, odds are that you finish uphill. C'est la vie.
T2: I didn't have a picnic this time. Drop bike, change shoes, and go. But are these really the same legs I woke up with?
Run: 5K to go but no one to chase. The HR monitor, which I had to foresight to mute before the race, is now blinking in the 180s. The first mile is sluggish, and I finally hear some footsteps behind me. I keep them at bay as my legs finally loosen up. I'm not blazing, but I am steady. The run is an out and back with aid stations at the the midway point and at the turnaround. I'm carrying a little gatoraid with me so I keep ditching the footsteps at each aid station as I blow through, but a minute later they're back. For the first time since I was at the pool I actually see a female competitor. She's really moving now, and I watch her go. 400 yards from the finish I pass my cheering section of mother, wife, and ?. They've made a friend whose husband is doing his first race. I get a second wind, but its not enough as some 20-something kid flies by
me at 6:00 pace. Finish line is a welcome sight. The race pretty much needed to end then. Even though its 8:20 AM, its getting awfully hot, and the HRM is in uncharted territory at 187. A race does provide interesting data...145 feels much, much better!
A great race for newbies, but it is bizarre seeing so few people. On the last 2.5K of the run, I could see masses of folks doing their first leg of the run, but I probably only "raced" a half dozen people. Sorry for writing so long about such a short race, but I try to cater to the group's beginners!
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