Triathlon - Race Report: First Triathlon! (A bit long!) Video added!

Allrighty! As y'all know, I did my first Triathlon as part of a 2 person team this weekend.......only because I couldn't do the swim this time. First feedback: A Tri is TOUGH! I did the cycling and running part, and that was near enough to kill me.

Part I: Cycling.............

My Niece did the swim, so she made the 1K swim in 11 minutes and change, first transition was done in 1:45. Here is where I came in. :D I took off on the cycling course. 13.82 miles, and I was riding against a 10-15 MPH headwind on rolling terrain. The course ran from Warsaw, Indiana to Pierceton, Indiana and back. The course was very well marked. I hammered as hard as I could against the wind, and generally uphill against a headwind. When I got to the turnaround point, my wonderful luck strikes. The blasted wind switched, and it was starting to look like storms were moving in. The wind switch no meant I was riding back, you guessed it, against a headwind......again! So much for the good thoughts of a tailwind!



So, I'm slogging back against the headwind, pushing through the wind like a wall. I got passed by a kid on a full suspension mountain bike....a Huffy, no less, with knobbies. This wasn't going to fly, I can tell you. I pushed hard and managed to pass this kid back. he was holding an 18 MPH average speed, and was really a strong rider. :eek: I dropped down into the aerobars and just held on to the ride....and can guarantee you I went anaerobic on the return. 58 minutes on the cycling section, and a 4:45 transition to the run. I could have done better, I think, but still managed to hit a peak of 28 MPH coming back into Warsaw at the very end of the cycling leg. I got into the transition area and that last sprint had nearly done me in, and I still had the run segment to do.

I did the 5 K in 1:08, and I really am NOT a runner. I had to shuttle back and forth between a run and a walk. I did make the finish at a run, though. That's my Aunt running along beside me, encouraging me to keep pushing. That last quarter mile of the run was literally the worst hurting from exercise I've ever experienced. I made it across the line so bonked I couldn't even undo the ankle tag device and could barely stand. I was literally on the edge of falling, I was so spent. I was pretty cooked at the end, and I really have no idea where I got the push from for that final run, but where ever it came from, I love it! My finish was at the middle of the pack out of 50 teams, we placed at 25.

I still have the video to upload from my handlebar cam, so there's more imagery upcoming later. For now, though, here are a few of the images to tide you over in an Adobe Remix.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/First%20Triathlon/th_a97bad99.jpg (http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/First%20Triathlon/?action=view&current=a97bad99.pbr)

This was bar none, the toughest event I've ever done. I definitely have the triathlon bug......bad! Our time of 2:31.6 wasn't the fastest, by any means, but when you consider that 3 years ago, I was more or less in a wheelchair, you can get the scope of this in my mind. :D I'm in the Tri game for the long haul....it's a blast! If you really want to challenge yourself, this is where you can do it. :D

EDIT: Video link added http://www.badongo.com/vid/777019 (http://www.badongo.com/vid/777019)
Time compressed for a more interesting view.

Good job Tom! You might've been better off walking quickly to cover the 3.2 miles in an hour or less. But yup, running is hard compared to riding a bike so good luck training for your next tri!

First off congrats Tom! proud of ya brotha! I emailed Ron thursday as i was gonna join you but they didnt do sign ups that late.

Let me know when you want to try another one man and i'll swing on over.

As always! Inspirational..

Willdo! I'll try to give you some advance notice. :D

Tom, this is a tremendous achievement. Congratulations!

Congrats Tom (and your swimmer, too)! 25th? That's something to be proud of. :thumb:

If your travels bring you back up to the UP, consider joining us for the Copperman:

http://www.keweenawcopperman.org/

It's a really well run event in an awesome setting. You'll want to go back and do the bike ride again, in fact. :D

Congrats!!! That's quite the accomplishment! Stand tall, stick out your chest, and hold your head up high!!

Damn - huge congrats!!!

Excellent performance! Just finishing is an accomplishment, but mid pack is outstanding in your first try!

Excellent work, Mr. Stormcrowe. I tried running a few weeks ago and was amazed at how out of shape I am. Running and cycling are two different sets of muscles. I applaud your effort!

Congrats!!! That's quite the accomplishment! Stand tall, stick out your chest, and hold your head up high!!

Like this? :p

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/First%20Triathlon/Triathlon107.jpg

congrats on the tri! ...

maybe one day i can pull something like that off =)

Great Job! That sounds like a great experience. Sounds like you did really well for a first timer. So based on this experience any thoughts on ways to improve for your next one?

Wow.. excellent work, Tom! Sounds like you had fun despite the headwind :)

Congratulations to you and your swimmer, Tom!

Yep........


better prerace carb loading
Train harder for the run and run real time instead of on an elliptical
Faster transitions
train to handle anaerobic body conditions better
get some real running shoes instead of the "walking shoes" I used for the run section
manage the nutrition and hydration better.....I burned through the glycogen and blood glucose a lot faster than on an endurance ride......if you actually like how Hammer Raspberry gels and Heed tastes, you severely need them. :p
I've set my first time baseline here, and have a much better idea of what I need to do. ;)


Great Job! That sounds like a great experience. Sounds like you did really well for a first timer. So based on this experience any thoughts on ways to improve for your next one?

Wow! Cool Deal, way to go!:D

Great job! I had the bright idea a few weeks ago that I would try to do a Duathlon this fall. It is a 2 mile run, an 8 mile ride, and then a three mile run. I got out to run a mile to see what I could do it in. Let's just say, it was not pretty. I was telling my mom (63 years old) how bad it was, and she told me that was only two minutes faster than her daily walking pace. :( I have tried a few times since, and I am getting better, but I cannot imagine doing a 5k at this point in time especially right after a ride.

Awesome Tom, Congrats to you and your Niece

Good job, A tri is an imposing challenge.

P.S. Your aunt looks fast :D

She is, she finished up almost 20 minutes ahead of me on ET. :eek:

Great Job

Nice work! :)

Tell ya what, when i transitioned from cycling to running, I had a serious case of marshmallow wobbly jello/baby bird legs going. I'm glad I use Mountain shoes riding! I couldn't have even walked into the transition compound to change shoes.

Nice Job Tom. Always inspirational.

Here's a link to the video I just put together. It's abour 3 minuts too long for You Tube, so I have it hosted as a downloadable file

http://www.badongo.com/vid/777019

Yay Tom! Congrats! You rock!

What a achivement fromr where you started. You are a inspiration

I got yelled at for not posting this in Tri by someone, so I moved it from Clydes. ;)Here you go, cj! My report! :p

Stormcrowe...Awesome dude...you continue to inspire me to do more...excellent job man..and once you have the bug it is hard to shake...I love doin the multisport thing.....keep on keepin on bro...

Way to go, Tom!!!

Congrads Tom....a great accomplishment...

It is so great to see all the distance you have covered in the last few years alone!!!


Truly amazing!

Nice job Tom! I didn't know about your previous situation, looks like you've accomplished a lot!

Nutrition is perhaps the hardest, and most important battle to figure out. Few people ever really figure it out, but I bet you'll take this tri as a learning experience for the next one.

A quick transition tip: when approaching the second transition between bike and run, what you may want to do (if your shoes allow it) is to remove your feet from your shoes while still riding the bike. Pedal with your bare (or socked, if that's your choice) feet for a short while and then dismount the bike with your shoes still attached to the pedals. This saves a bit of time in the transition area, and makes it MUCH easier to navigate through the T area to your bike rack :)

You should try and do the sprint race in Muncie next weekend! It's short notice, but it's a fast, flat bike course. Plus you can cheer on all of the Endurathon participants!

I really wish I culd. Family obligations. :( My Mum is coming home from her visit to my brother in the Philippines. Next chance to race will be either late July or in August. (This will give me a chance to harden up a bit, as well. ;) )

As for the shoes trick? I wear mountain shoes and use Egg beaters, so it's easier to walk or run in shoes than in my socks.


Nice job Tom! I didn't know about your previous situation, looks like you've accomplished a lot!

Nutrition is perhaps the hardest, and most important battle to figure out. Few people ever really figure it out, but I bet you'll take this tri as a learning experience for the next one.

A quick transition tip: when approaching the second transition between bike and run, what you may want to do (if your shoes allow it) is to remove your feet from your shoes while still riding the bike. Pedal with your bare (or socked, if that's your choice) feet for a short while and then dismount the bike with your shoes still attached to the pedals. This saves a bit of time in the transition area, and makes it MUCH easier to navigate through the T area to your bike rack :)

You should try and do the sprint race in Muncie next weekend! It's short notice, but it's a fast, flat bike course. Plus you can cheer on all of the Endurathon participants!