Southern California - Los Angeles Triathlon Championship/Express Series (4/15, 5/12, 6/9)

http://trievents.com/site3.aspx

Location:

San Dimas @ Bonelli Regional Park

Anybody going? I did the one in september last year and it was pretty good. I'll be doing the sprint distance events this year (express series), the first one is this coming Sunday.

I think i'm ready. :lol: My cycling is fine (been working on that all winter), i can always walk during the run, and i'm pretty sure i won't drown with the wetsuit. :D

All i know is that the next 3 weekends are going to be crazy since i'm doing 3 events in a row... (and my bike needs a wash badly and probably a trip to the LBS)

My wife is doing the May event (her first triathlon). I'll be her crew/cheer/photog. Are you doing that one also?

Jim

I'm planning on doing all three. :) Should be fun!

I'm going to give this a bump. One down, 2 more to go. :D

I'm going to give this a bump. One down, 2 more to go. :D

report? pics? Come on... lets hear it! :D

My sister was there today, doing her first tri. If anyone saw a female having trouble getting her wetsuit off, that was her. That's what she gets for having never used a wetsuit before Saturday, when she tried it out in my parents' pool.

But anyway, she finished her first triathlon at the pacing she intended. And her professor evidently is gunning for the overall win in his age group for the series. He evidently used to be the Australian duathlon champion for a few years in a row. My sister, on the other hand, probably won't do any more of the series, and instead, will do other triathlons up and down the state in the next few months.

report? pics? Come on... lets hear it! :D
Bah, i'll get both up tomorrow hopefully... I'm tired and it's waaay past my bedtime. :p

My sister was there today, doing her first tri. If anyone saw a female having trouble getting her wetsuit off, that was her. That's what she gets for having never used a wetsuit before Saturday, when she tried it out in my parents' pool.

But anyway, she finished her first triathlon at the pacing she intended. And her professor evidently is gunning for the overall win in his age group for the series. He evidently used to be the Australian duathlon champion for a few years in a row. My sister, on the other hand, probably won't do any more of the series, and instead, will do other triathlons up and down the state in the next few months.

anything near me in NorCal? I know how to be a good cheerleader ;)

Monterrey sometime in the summer.

Monterrey sometime in the summer.

please let me know.... if I can come and watch I definately will!!! :D

My sister was there today, doing her first tri. If anyone saw a female having trouble getting her wetsuit off, that was her. That's what she gets for having never used a wetsuit before Saturday, when she tried it out in my parents' pool.

But anyway, she finished her first triathlon at the pacing she intended. And her professor evidently is gunning for the overall win in his age group for the series. He evidently used to be the Australian duathlon champion for a few years in a row. My sister, on the other hand, probably won't do any more of the series, and instead, will do other triathlons up and down the state in the next few months.


Tell her WTG for me, Jason! :D

If she is a strong swimmer, you might want to point her to the Redondo Beach sprint tri in June. It's well known as the "swimmer race" because of the 1/2 mile swim and short bike/run course.

As for the wetsuit, tell her to try using a little Bodyglide to her ankles and collar area. A lot of old schoolers used Pam cooking spray on their legs but the problem is getting it on any other part of your body by mistake, like your hands. It makes your skin slick, but it also blocks the sweat pores.

And practice the wetsuit removal! My swimsuit and skinsuit were still in the wash basket Saturday, so I went with the tri shorts under my wetsuit. That was okay until I did my quick-remove drills and almost took my shorts off with it. Gives new meaning to a "moonlit bay." :eek:

I had trouble getting my wetsuit off too... And not due to experience. My new wetsuit is just really freakin' tight around my ankles and heels (QR Ultrafull fullsleeve). With my other wetsuit (Orca Speedsuit) i can have that thing off in afew seconds without having to use bodyglide at all since the outer skin is pretty slick on the legs and only 3mm thick. With the QR suit, the rubber is extremely grippy on the legs and a whopping 5mm thick around the calves. Even with a liberal slathering of bodyglide on my feet, ankles, and on the wetsuit legs, i was still struggling to pull that thing off...

Swim time: ~5 minutes for 200 meters :D
T1 time: ~7 minutes :( (ok, i did deliberately take my time since this was a "warmup" race for me, i was putting on knee warmers, and i almost ran off without my helmet, but the wetsuit struggle did take afew minutes)

I had trouble getting my wetsuit off too... And not due to experience. My new wetsuit is just really freakin' tight around my ankles and heels (QR Ultrafull fullsleeve). With my other wetsuit (Orca Speedsuit) i can have that thing off in afew seconds without having to use bodyglide at all since the outer skin is pretty slick on the legs and only 3mm thick. With the QR suit, the rubber is extremely grippy on the legs and a whopping 5mm thick around the calves. Even with a liberal slathering of bodyglide on my feet, ankles, and on the wetsuit legs, i was still struggling to pull that thing off...

Swim time: ~5 minutes for 200 meters :D
T1 time: ~7 minutes :( (ok, i did deliberately take my time since this was a "warmup" race for me, i was putting on knee warmers, and i almost ran off without my helmet, but the wetsuit struggle did take afew minutes)

Is that a new world record? T1 time > swim time?

Seriously good job, you are a better man than me for doing triathlons. More balanced training needed and a real strategy is part of the race. They are tough.

I had trouble getting my wetsuit off too... And not due to experience. My new wetsuit is just really freakin' tight around my ankles and heels (QR Ultrafull fullsleeve). With my other wetsuit (Orca Speedsuit) i can have that thing off in afew seconds without having to use bodyglide at all since the outer skin is pretty slick on the legs and only 3mm thick. With the QR suit, the rubber is extremely grippy on the legs and a whopping 5mm thick around the calves. Even with a liberal slathering of bodyglide on my feet, ankles, and on the wetsuit legs, i was still struggling to pull that thing off...

Swim time: ~5 minutes for 200 meters :D
T1 time: ~7 minutes :( (ok, i did deliberately take my time since this was a "warmup" race for me, i was putting on knee warmers, and i almost ran off without my helmet, but the wetsuit struggle did take afew minutes)

I actually had that problem with both QR and Orcas. I opted for the 3mm Blue Seventy for that reason... easier to get off the ankles.

I had trouble getting my wetsuit off too... And not due to experience. My new wetsuit is just really freakin' tight around my ankles and heels (QR Ultrafull fullsleeve). With my other wetsuit (Orca Speedsuit) i can have that thing off in afew seconds without having to use bodyglide at all since the outer skin is pretty slick on the legs and only 3mm thick. With the QR suit, the rubber is extremely grippy on the legs and a whopping 5mm thick around the calves. Even with a liberal slathering of bodyglide on my feet, ankles, and on the wetsuit legs, i was still struggling to pull that thing off...

Swim time: ~5 minutes for 200 meters :D
T1 time: ~7 minutes :( (ok, i did deliberately take my time since this was a "warmup" race for me, i was putting on knee warmers, and i almost ran off without my helmet, but the wetsuit struggle did take afew minutes)

OK, where's the rest of the report? :D

What was your impression of the lake? I've never been to Bonelli Park, so have no idea what my wife should expect.

Jim <--- my borrowed QR suit is extremely tight, but with bodyglide all over my ankles, I'm able to get out of it quickly.

I was there last September to do support and its a nice set-up. The lake was warm (if a little ripe) tho I'm not sure what the dry conditions this year have done to the water level. The bike leg is one or two loops, depending on the sprint or short course. There was a problem with the turn-in from the bike route into the transition area. Some of the sprint participants overshot the turn-in road. When they heard the yelling and realized their error, a few of them did u-turns right in the path of the short-course participants, who were doing the loop twice. I saw some near-misses involving some pretty expensive bikes and angry O/D racers! Bonelli can also get very hot so make sure your wife hydrates properly! :D

Ok, here's my race report.

Start time was 8:30 with the Championship distance participants heading out on the first wave. I figured i'd be there 2 hours early so i woke up at 5:30 to my girlfriend knocking at the door... She was kinda suprised i had just bearly gotten out of bed. :lol: Anyhoo, i changed into my race clothes (DeSoto Tri Shorts and an UnderArmor shirt) and put some warmer regular clothes over. Got everything loaded and was out the door at 6:15. Unfortunately there was a moderate rain that morning which kinda worried me... I'll race in wet gear (i did a duathlon in February which was in the rain) but it's not all that fun.

Bonelli park is only about 15 minutes away from me so i was able to nab a nice parking spot near the registration tent/finish line. Fortunately the rain had already gone past San Dimas and the skies were clearing up leaving the ground a bit wet. Picked up my race packet and timing chip, unloaded my stuff and laid claim to my transition area (off to the side next to a curb that i could sit on), and went wandering around to warm up a bit and check out the other more exotic bicycles. Saw only two softrides which i really really really want to get someday. I believe the count was 400 or 500 people with the majority doing the longer race (500m swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run) while 150 people did the shorter express distance (200m swim, 6 mile bike, 3 mile run). I'm signed up for all 3 express distance races this year.

When 8:20 rolled around i got my wetsuit on and went down to the water to wach the start. My wave wasn't supposed to start until 8:48-8:50am (long distance men, then women, then express distance men, then women). They claimed the water was about 65-68 degrees but when you're out swimming, it always feels alot colder even with the wetsuit. I like to start at the back of the pack for the swim so i don't have to worry about being in the middle of a bunch of flailing limbs, however i still found myself gliding past alot of people during the swim which is always nice. Unfortunately cold water + dark cloudy water does not always make for a comfortable swim... I always have a minor feeling of panic/urgency inside me when swimming in open water so i tend to swim faster than i do in the pool but having the wetsuit does help me relax and after a minute or two i end up enjoying it more than the pool. :)

I came out of the water feeling pretty good probably right in the middle of my wave.

[insert part about struggling with wetsuit here]

Since the air was still pretty cold though i opted to put on some knee warmers, my underarmor longsleeve coldgear shirt, and a windbreaker. Since it is my first race of the season i wasn't too worried about my time and just wanted to be comfortable. I grabbed my bike and ran off, then ran back and grabbed my helmet and race number before running off again. The exit of the transition area is a short steep hill which alot of people were running/walking up but i opted to hop on my bike (yes it was past the mounting line) and just power my way up passing 3 more people right at the start of the bike segment. :D

The bike ride is a short 7 mile loop around the park with only 1 major climb right in the middle of it. Otherwise it's mostly flat zipping along the dam at one side of the lake and circling around. I was probably going 15-20 mph on the flats and maybe 10 mph for the hill in the middle of the course. Fortunately i had my 29t cog on the rear which coupled with my 34t chainring let me spin up the hill easily at 90rpm. :) After cresting the hill and decending you can get going pretty fast since the road is smooth and only has afew gentle curves. I probably hit 30-35mph easily. Overall the bike portion was great. I was passing alot of people while getting passed by alot of the more "hardcore" racers. Alot of people had aerobars but for a course that's not flat and very straight, they probably would not have made much of a difference.

The run was mostly uneventful though it was finally warming up and sunny with the sky was clearing up. My calves almost cramped up right at the start (they did in my last two races) but i was able to find a nice fence to get a quick stretch in maybe 1/3 of a mile into the run. The run was very hilly going up and down constantly... :( I was adequately trained for the swim, overtrained for the bike (i've been biking all winter), but definitely undertrained for the run. I'd walk for a minute or two (usually on the inclines) and run for a bit. My stomach and sides were aching a tad too. And my bladder was full. :lol: :( I found a bathroom a mile into the run and did my thing which really did alot to relieve pressure (obviously physically, but mentally i felt better too). No joke, bladder management can be important during a triathlon. After about 2 miles of alternating between walking and running i was finally feeling better and got my second wind (if you want to call it that) and was able to keep on running for the whole final mile with a bit of a sprint at the end to cross the finish line. :D

Final time: 1:20:**

I figured i'd probably be last in my age group again (25-29 and i was last in both triathlons i did last year) espically since i was just "taking it easy" that day. However to my suprise i ended up getting 3rd place with the second place finisher having a time of 1:19:** (first place was like 0:48:** and had the fastest time for the entire express distance event). :) After finishing i wolfed down some of the PB&J sandwiches they had and hung out for the awards ceremony.

So that's my race report. Nothing too spectacular and definitely not my best literary work (i'm still tired as i type this) but if you have questions, just ask. :D

Pics in the next post...

Credit goes to my girlfriend for being my "official" triathlon photographer. :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/psydotek/2007-4-15%20Bonelli%20Triathlon/th_DSC00983.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/psydotek/2007-4-15%20Bonelli%20Triathlon/DSC00983.jpg)
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Bumpity! Next event coming up this Saturday.

I got this e-mail today:


The LA Tri Series #2 and Tri Express May 12 Events at Bonelli Park- Registration
closes soon! Visit www.TriEvents.com for information. Several new sponsors including
Hammer Nutrition and Fuel Belt so lots of swag in the bag and a fun raffle, too! Not to
mention a beautiful race venue and a fantastic weather forecast. So come on out and get
some Bonelli!

I haven't done any exercise for a week though since i've been sick. I feel fine today so i'll be back to bike commuting tomorrow and i'll get in at least one swim and run session before saturday. :)

Which distance are you going to do?

*whispers*

The short one...

:lol:

Maybe I'll do it too. What's the water like for the swim? Clear? Gross? Temp?

The water is a cloudy green. :lol: I'd guess about 3-4 feet of visibility. No funky tastes or smells though. :)

It was in the mid to high 60s last month, it's probably only afew degress warmer at the most.

There are 2 large-ish climbs on the bike (well large for a triathlon course) and half the run course is dirt.

Man, I so want to do this...but without the swimming...or running...Can I sign up for the Unathlon?

Good luck tomorrow Psy.

I was thinking about entering the Supersprint just to see if my back injury is recovered enough to race, but work got in the way. Anyway, have a great time.

P.S. If you ever want to do some open water swimming I occasionally go out to Alamitos Bay (Belmont Shore area). There is a section of the harbor that is roped off for swimmers only, so no worries about being hit by a boat or kayak.

Aww, i keep missing you at these events. Maybe you'll be able to make the one in June. :) There's also one more on September 30 as the final event.

I'll definitely have to get out to Alamitos Bay and swim. I don't need the open water swimming but i could definitely use it. However one of my friends definitely needs the open water swimming practice (he freaked out during a lake swim last year and has yet to do another triathlon with an open water swim). I'll have to take him out there for sure. I know the area though since my brother in law goes kiteboarding at Belmont Shores fairly regularly.

I dunno if i'm ready really. It's been almost 2 weeks since my last tri and i haven't done any training since then (got sick the week after, then went camping last weekend, and this week i've kinda just been lazy). :p Hopefully i haven't lost too much fitness since then. :lol:

But i'm working on getting psyched/pumped for tomorrow!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/psydotek/2007-4-29%20Loma%20Linda%20Triathlon/p1000699.jpg
(from two weeks ago at the Loma Linda triathlon)

Evidently, my sister Tracy came in first in age group at the April tri, which was her first tri. Yeah, her age group didn't exactly have a large showing, but nonetheless, I'm very proud of her. She's done a few more tri's and is competitive in age group, being a strong swimmer, a relatively good runner, but a slow cyclist.

But hey, guess which one leg of a tri her big brother can actually help with? :) And she's asked for help buying a nice roadie for her graduation present. :D She likes Vivian. Too bad the Cervelo Soloist doesn't come in an acceptable color combo. The Soloist Carbon does, but it's a bit pricey.

Evidently, my sister Tracy came in first in age group at the April tri, which was her first tri. Yeah, her age group didn't exactly have a large showing, but nonetheless, I'm very proud of her. She's done a few more tri's and is competitive in age group, being a strong swimmer, a relatively good runner, but a slow cyclist.

But hey, guess which one leg of a tri her big brother can actually help with? :) And she's asked for help buying a nice roadie for her graduation present. :D She likes Vivian. Too bad the Cervelo Soloist doesn't come in an acceptable color combo. The Soloist Carbon does, but it's a bit pricey.

What about the Kuota K-Factor?

Too bad the Cervelo Soloist doesn't come in an acceptable color combo. The Soloist Carbon does, but it's a bit pricey.


Within reason, I don't care what it costs.



Yeah.....I think she deserves the Soloist...:D

Evidently, my sister Tracy came in first in age group at the April tri, which was her first tri. Yeah, her age group didn't exactly have a large showing, but nonetheless, I'm very proud of her.
congrats, Jason :beer: Well...I mean to Tracy. :D

congrats, Jason :beer: Well...I mean to Tracy. :D
We're probably showing up for the GMR ride. You can congratulate her then. :)


Yeah.....I think she deserves the Soloist...:D
The Soloist Team is the wrong color scheme. Actually, even the Soloist Carbon isn't quite how she'd want it to look. (Never mind for a moment its mind boggling price tag.) I'm trying to find her a bike with an acceptable color scheme. It's hard work.

We're probably showing up for the GMR ride. You can congratulate her then. :)


The Soloist Team is the wrong color scheme. Actually, even the Soloist Carbon isn't quite how she'd want it to look. (Never mind for a moment its mind boggling price tag.) I'm trying to find her a bike with an acceptable color scheme. It's hard work.


Whats this probably stuff???:mad:

Whats this probably stuff???:mad:
Oooh...Jason, you in twouble! :p