Post by MattCollister on Aug 9, 2011 11:09:01 GMT -5
Cayuga lake triathlon
Taughannock State Park, on Cayuga lake, NY.
I signed up let December, planning on this being an A race for 2011. The race sold out by mid winter--over 800 people participating in the sprint, olympic and relays. Jen and I turned it into a week vacation with Bridget and Steve Smith; we rented a house on Seneca Lake, about a half hour from the race. Steve would race with me.
I didn't come in with any grand expectations, but I've been biking well and swimming farily well, and thought if I could hold on for the run--or maybe find some untapped reserves of magical speed--get an age group award.
Got up before dawn on race day, Steve and I loaded up the car and headed to the park. We were one of the earliest in the transition area. The forecast was for temps in the mid 80s and showers. And we were getting a very light rain as we set up our bikes.
One of the nice things about getting there early, aside from not being rushed, is having time to meet other racers. I met a few folks from the area. Also chatted a bit with one of the referees; there were several on hand in the transition area to help identify potential equipment issues and other violations (bar end plugs, headphones, etc). I liked the fact that they were present and trying to help out like that.
The 1500 meter swim was in Cayuga lake, one of the finger lakes. The lake was 72 at race time, so wetsuit legal, although a number of guys went without. I wore mine.
Mine was the second wave; men over 35. After a bit of congestion for the first 300 meters, things spread out and I was able to swim fairly effectively. I had a sense that I was in the front half of the pack, and was able to draft off a couple of other swimmers. By chance or design, the direction of the swim kept us out of the sun glare, so sighting was pretty easy.
The lake was like glass and i had a good swim. I came out of the water in about 29 minutes, 7th/37 in my age group. Saw Jenny and Will on the runup to the transition area--that was nice. William flashed me the people's eyebrow. My T1 was smooth (I've been practicing a little) and I was off on the bike. Steve, a better swimmer, had beaten me out of the water, but i passed him in transition.
The 40k course was fairly hilly. First four miles of the bike are straight uphill, out of the valley. It felt like I was stuck at 13 mph, and I just grinded and grinded on the pedals. The good news was that, being in the second wave, and having had that good swim and transition, I had little traffic to contend with. And, eventually the downhills came, and I was able to make up for lost time, topping out over 40 mph on some of the steeper descents, spinning out on my 53/11. My bike time was 1:09, a 21.1 mph average, again, one of the fastest splits in my AG.
The run is all off-road, and mostly shaded. Part is on grass in the park and around the transition area; part on a dirt trail leading up to Taughannock falls scenic view. The falls are higher than Niagra, and a cool backdrop for the run. The 10k course was two out-and-backs.
By this time, the temperature was in the low 80s. And not only had the rain that had been forecast held off, but the sun was out and the humidity was rising.
After a decent swim and a good bike, I came out of T2 fairly high in the standings, so with an expected 8-9 mpm pace, the run is just about controlling the bleeding. Again, it was nice to hit the course fairly alone; I could see some of the elites heading back for their second laps. But then the passing began (I mean, passing of me). I didn't worry too much about it (what was I going to do? Panic and sprint and burn out?) I just kept an eye on my heart rate and ran a controllable pace. Heading out on my second lap I saw Jen and Will again; the route was really spectator friendly. William flashed the EYE of the TIGER to me, and that gave me some energy for lap 2.
My run time was 54:33. All in all, I felt pretty good on the run. I was able to conserve just enough to kick at the end, sending my HR monitor into the red zone. I finished in 2:36, good enough for 6th out of 37 in my age group. The run split killed any chance on placing in my age group.
I laid down at the finish in exhaustion. When I looked up, there were Jen and William. A sight for sore eyes.
The post race spread was pretty good. No beers, but they did have ice cream and chocolate sauce.
The RD was wandering the crowd of finishers, asking people how things went. I told her it was one of the best races I'd done in a long time; very well organized and challenging. And I told her that I'd recommend it to my friends back in Cleveland. So consider yourselves told. I do highly recommend it.
Taughannock State Park, on Cayuga lake, NY.
I signed up let December, planning on this being an A race for 2011. The race sold out by mid winter--over 800 people participating in the sprint, olympic and relays. Jen and I turned it into a week vacation with Bridget and Steve Smith; we rented a house on Seneca Lake, about a half hour from the race. Steve would race with me.
I didn't come in with any grand expectations, but I've been biking well and swimming farily well, and thought if I could hold on for the run--or maybe find some untapped reserves of magical speed--get an age group award.
Got up before dawn on race day, Steve and I loaded up the car and headed to the park. We were one of the earliest in the transition area. The forecast was for temps in the mid 80s and showers. And we were getting a very light rain as we set up our bikes.
One of the nice things about getting there early, aside from not being rushed, is having time to meet other racers. I met a few folks from the area. Also chatted a bit with one of the referees; there were several on hand in the transition area to help identify potential equipment issues and other violations (bar end plugs, headphones, etc). I liked the fact that they were present and trying to help out like that.
The 1500 meter swim was in Cayuga lake, one of the finger lakes. The lake was 72 at race time, so wetsuit legal, although a number of guys went without. I wore mine.
Mine was the second wave; men over 35. After a bit of congestion for the first 300 meters, things spread out and I was able to swim fairly effectively. I had a sense that I was in the front half of the pack, and was able to draft off a couple of other swimmers. By chance or design, the direction of the swim kept us out of the sun glare, so sighting was pretty easy.
The lake was like glass and i had a good swim. I came out of the water in about 29 minutes, 7th/37 in my age group. Saw Jenny and Will on the runup to the transition area--that was nice. William flashed me the people's eyebrow. My T1 was smooth (I've been practicing a little) and I was off on the bike. Steve, a better swimmer, had beaten me out of the water, but i passed him in transition.
The 40k course was fairly hilly. First four miles of the bike are straight uphill, out of the valley. It felt like I was stuck at 13 mph, and I just grinded and grinded on the pedals. The good news was that, being in the second wave, and having had that good swim and transition, I had little traffic to contend with. And, eventually the downhills came, and I was able to make up for lost time, topping out over 40 mph on some of the steeper descents, spinning out on my 53/11. My bike time was 1:09, a 21.1 mph average, again, one of the fastest splits in my AG.
The run is all off-road, and mostly shaded. Part is on grass in the park and around the transition area; part on a dirt trail leading up to Taughannock falls scenic view. The falls are higher than Niagra, and a cool backdrop for the run. The 10k course was two out-and-backs.
By this time, the temperature was in the low 80s. And not only had the rain that had been forecast held off, but the sun was out and the humidity was rising.
After a decent swim and a good bike, I came out of T2 fairly high in the standings, so with an expected 8-9 mpm pace, the run is just about controlling the bleeding. Again, it was nice to hit the course fairly alone; I could see some of the elites heading back for their second laps. But then the passing began (I mean, passing of me). I didn't worry too much about it (what was I going to do? Panic and sprint and burn out?) I just kept an eye on my heart rate and ran a controllable pace. Heading out on my second lap I saw Jen and Will again; the route was really spectator friendly. William flashed the EYE of the TIGER to me, and that gave me some energy for lap 2.
My run time was 54:33. All in all, I felt pretty good on the run. I was able to conserve just enough to kick at the end, sending my HR monitor into the red zone. I finished in 2:36, good enough for 6th out of 37 in my age group. The run split killed any chance on placing in my age group.
I laid down at the finish in exhaustion. When I looked up, there were Jen and William. A sight for sore eyes.
The post race spread was pretty good. No beers, but they did have ice cream and chocolate sauce.
The RD was wandering the crowd of finishers, asking people how things went. I told her it was one of the best races I'd done in a long time; very well organized and challenging. And I told her that I'd recommend it to my friends back in Cleveland. So consider yourselves told. I do highly recommend it.
