Salem Sprint Tri Race Report

[Coach McGuirk]

This was my first race of the season. This year I have had a full calendar with work, selling our home, finding a new home, and a new baby; training has been an almost non-existent activity. I expected to struggle today, and that I did. I don't know my times yet as they are not posted,

Swim-

This is the discipline that has suffered the most with the busy year. I started strong but by the 2nd buoy I was toast. From the second buoy to the just after the turn, I was back stroking. I finished strong, but was going to pay the price later.

T1-

I was struggling after the swim and walked the whole way from the water to the transition. I took my time trying to recover and spent way longer than I should have getting into my bike gear

Bike-

This went okay for the effort I put forth to not drown. There was one short VERY steep hill that kills you but overall this was uneventful leg and while I didn't have the best time, I felt good and finished strong.

T2-

This was going fine, right until I left without my race belt, So I got to run back 1/4 mile and grab my belt so I did not get DQ'd.

Run-

It all came to a head here. I struggled mightily on the run. Short of breath, sore and tired, I gave what I had left to finish in what was probably the slowest 5k in the history of mankind. Okay maybe not that slow but in the upper 30 minute range anyway.


Overall a good day. The race was well run and had no hiccups. I will do it again next year, with more training.

[Babs]

This was going fine, right until I left without my race belt, So I got to run back 1/4 mile and grab my belt so I did not get DQ'd.

ouch. I had something like that happen with mine once. I had had it pinned onto my running top before the race, so that I could just pop on the shirt during T1. But when I stretched the top over my head, the number tore and flew off.

I bought a running belt the next day.

[Coach McGuirk]

Results are in, and it is the worst I have done in the 5 I have done....by 20 minutes.

I am actually embarrassed but here goes,

1 Swim - 18:15.119
2 T1 - 04:45.594
3 Bike - 56:32.247
4 T2 - 03:23.480
5 Run - 40:00.083
Total - 2:02.56.5

Ouch. Hopefully posting this will provide motivation for the Provo Tri, because I can think of no other positive.

[Babs]

Results are in, and it is the worst I have done in the 5 I have done....by 20 minutes.

Ouch. Hopefully posting this will provide motivation for the Provo Tri, because I can think of no other positive.

yeah, after you described it I was going to suggest that you not even look up your time.

Did I ever tell you about the time I came in behind a twelve-year-old, an old lady, and a one-legged man?

[Coach McGuirk]

Did I ever tell you about the time I came in behind a twelve-year-old, an old lady, and a one-legged man?

Those are my low points. Not so much all the people that finish before me, but the ones I get to see pass me.

[Babs]

Those are my low points. Not so much all the people that finish before me, but the ones I get to see pass me.

you mean the octogenarian who breezes past with a, "hang in there, buddy! you can do it!"

yeah, no idea what you're talking about. :-)

[Coach McGuirk]

you mean the octogenarian who breezes past with a, "hang in there, buddy! you can do it!"

yeah, no idea what you're talking about. :-)

"Great Job! keep it up."

[BigPiney]

Even with all that you are still doing better than someone like me who has yet to even sign up for any races this year. There is an olympic distance race coming up in a month that might kill me if I actually try and do it.

[Eddie]

What distances were the bike and swim?

I'm signed up for a sprint tri the beginning of August. It'll be my first, so I am a little nervous. I'm setting realistic goals for now - like beating half of the women and not being the last man.

After I had signed up and paid for it, I saw the fine print that they were doing things in a different order. Not sure why - but they are going backwards.

Run - bike - swim. I'm hoping that the run and bike don't kill me to the point that I drown trying to swim.

[Coach McGuirk]

What distances were the bike and swim?

I'm signed up for a sprint tri the beginning of August. It'll be my first, so I am a little nervous. I'm setting realistic goals for now - like beating half of the women and not being the last man.

After I had signed up and paid for it, I saw the fine print that they were doing things in a different order. Not sure why - but they are going backwards.

Run - bike - swim. I'm hoping that the run and bike don't kill me to the point that I drown trying to swim.

They do this sometimes on indoor swims. That way the group is spread out and they don't all hit the pool at the same time. If it is an open water swim, that is ridiculously stupid and I would expect a lot of people to be rescued.

My distances were 1/2 mile swim, 12.1 mile bike, 5k run.

[Babs]

Not sure why - but they are going backwards.

Run - bike - swim.

ohmygosh. tell me you're kidding.

[Eddie]

They do this sometimes on indoor swims. That way the group is spread out and they don't all hit the pool at the same time. If it is an open water swim, that is ridiculously stupid and I would expect a lot of people to be rescued.

My distances were 1/2 mile swim, 12.1 mile bike, 5k run.

It is an indoor swim - so I assumed as you are saying that it was to stretch things out. I went to support some gals I know who did a womens only tri at the same place - they started with the swim and just staggered things. Of course, when there are 400 people and you're only letting 2 in the pool every 20 seconds, it really spreads out the field.

I just started working out at the beginning of the year - so this has been my goal/motivation to keep going. With the thought that next year I want to do a "real" sprint tri or perhaps even an olympic length.

We're only swimming a quarter mile, so that should be pretty easy, and I've read that the bike ride is 12 miles, but also that it is only 10.

I know the transitions are screwy being backwards - but any suggestions on moving from one step to the next in general?

[Eddie]

ohmygosh. tell me you're kidding.

I wish I was kidding. Initially I was disappointed that my first tri wasn't even going to be a "real" one with the way they changed the order of the stages. Now I've decided this just makes it easier to consider it a practice.

I'm actually feeling OK about the swim. We're only doing a quarter mile in the pool. So for the last month I've been finishing up after my run or bike with a swim. Usually I've swam closer to a half mile than a quarter - just to make sure I'm building endurance.

Now, I haven't put the three elements together just yet to see what it will really be like. But I'm feeling pretty secure that I won't drown - though I'm not expecting a quick swim time either.

[BigPiney]

ohmygosh. tell me you're kidding.

My thought exactly. But being in a pool, there may be less people drowning.

[Babs]

It is an indoor swim - so I assumed as you are saying that it was to stretch things out. I went to support some gals I know who did a womens only tri at the same place - they started with the swim and just staggered things.

this is how they always always always stagger racers. thirty second intervals. doing the events backwards is nuts.

you're correct that the reversed-order will slow your time down. It slows everybody down.

I was going to suggest that you run through everything so you'll have a sense of how you'll feel when you hit the water. sounds like you're already planning on that. My only other suggestion would be to plan on doing all three events in whatever you'll be swimming in. Your friends have probably already recommended that.