Kinetic Sprint Triathlon

Well, my 2008 tri season is officially under way. I participated in a "Sprint" (750m swim which turned out to be more like 900m followed by an 18 mile bike leg and then a 5k run). This is the shortest version of a triathlon you can do and it pretty much boils down to a high octane speed fest since it is so short. Sure, it's shorter than other tri's, but you have to really race it full throttle for the duration, so it's a good way to get in a great workout without suffering too long.

We had a beautiful day on Saturday only to be followed by torrential rain from Saturday evening through Sunday. I woke up only to peak outside and see the dreaded rain coming down. Igda had been planning on going to spectate, but with the rain, she quickly rolled back under the blanket and wished me luck. I don't really blame her.

I wasn't too concerned about the rain since the temps were in the low 60's. I hate racing in the cold and knew I could manage the rain.

I arrived at the race site about 8:30 a.m. (race start at 10 a.m.) and proceeded to get my race packet, hit the potty, go for a 15 minute run and then onto to transition to get my bike setup.

Did I say it was REALLY WET and the rain was unending. I was already dreading having to go home and clean up after this mess. It takes a good 2 hours to really clean the bike after riding in the rain.

Onto to the race. Long story short: A had a great race. The swim wasn't too bad and I was able to get out of the starting madness unscathed. I was in the 5th wave, so I had to swim through a lot of bodies in the water since I caught up to the waves that went off before me. I exited the water and headed to transition quickly. I whipped off the wetsuit, put on my helmet, grabbed my bike and sprinted to the exit.

This year I invested in a powermeter which displays the watts (power) you are generating while you ride. It's proven to be a godsend and has taken my cycling to another level, as well as my investment in getting a buddy of mine to help prescribe some killer workouts with it. So, needless to say, I was very much looking forward to crushing this course. And I did. I had the 6th fastest bike split overall and the fastest split in my AG. I managed to catch the second place guy in my AG at about mile 14 who swum about 3 minutes faster than me. He said there was one other guy in our age group in front of us, but didn't know how far up he was.

I cruised into transition in second with the now 3rd place guy right on my heels. I told myself on the run, just don't look back. There's a nice short hill as you exit transition and I knew it would be a good gauge of how well my legs would feel. Not a problem. Good sign. I had the best 5k run ever, but got caught at mile 2 by the 3rd place guy. He just had an extra gear I didn't and ended up beating me by about 35 seconds.

I finished 3rd (out of 63) in my AG and 16th overall (out of 364). Yep, I was a happy camper and still am. Crappy weather, but great race for me. The season is starting out well and I hope this is a sign of good things to come.

Official results (you can copy & paste in browser, Linking not working):
Overall: http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=892
Age Group: http://www.setupevents.com/files/KS_AGMen.html

Here's a link to my photos (they charge way too much to buy):
Birds Eye View Inc : Search Results Display : KSP_R3026

BYB Wakefield 10 mile Trail run

A fun run for sure. This one was close to home since Wakefield park is only about 10 minutes away from the homestead. I had a huge bike ride the day before with the fellas where we tried to rip each others legs off on the bike, so I wasn't sure what kind of shape I would be in to run this race. It took me awhile to get going and get the legs remotely normal, but it all worked out and I had a good time and got some good training in doing it. I finished 12th overall and 7th in my Age Group. I really think these races will pay big dividends as my tri season gets underway soon.
Here I am on the homestretch:

Lake Placid Countdown

Just a hair under 4 months to go before D-Day! Training is going well. I've got some great guys to train with and we are really pushing ourselves. I'm seeing improvement in all 3 sports, so I'm looking forward to the racing season.

March 30 BYB 5 mile trail race at Fountainhead

Race #2 is now in the books. I opted for the 5 mile course this go around and I'm glad I did. This course was really challenging. Along with all the ups and downs, the trails are very rocky with lots of roots exposed. Needless to say, I slightly sprained my ankle, but was able to soldier on. I don't know what's up with the weather, but it was fairly chilly. Fortunately, no rain this time.

I ended up 5th in the 30-39 Age Group and 11th overall for the 5 mile course. I cycled a Time Trial on Saturday, so my legs were already pretty tired, but I was pleased with the result. I even won a mug for 5th place. Not sure what I was thinking, but you may be able to pick me out in the starting herd. I think I went out a little too fast this time!

Next Trail race is April 13, so I'm looking forward to it. These are a lot of fun!