TriRock Philly 2013 Race Report

Finally! I was able to string together a triathlon performance that I am proud of.

Swim Bike Run Final

00:27:33 01:12:27 00:41:23 02:26:30

173 out of 1333 overall finishers in the OLYMPIC distance.

22 out of 167 in Age Group M35-39.

Swim (0.9 miles) - Actual time = 27 minutes 33 seconds (goal = under 30 minutes)
I definitely benefited from the newly implemented time trial swim start. 10 at a time jumping off a dock off of St. Joe's boathouse. I had a lot of room to swim. I stuck with my strategy of taking it easy on the swim. I stayed slightly behind my training partner Steve Tarrant and even draft off of him and a few other swimmers. Water temp & condition were ideal for me. I was very happy to see a 26:xx on my watch as I exited the Schuylkill River.


Swim Data (GPS signal lost after 900 meters)



T1 swim/bike transition - Actual time = ? (goal = 2 minutes)
I ran into a wrong bike rack!!!! I made a point during transition set-up to learn where my bike was but in the post-swim rush, I lost my mind and lost about 20 seconds. Once I took my bike off the rack, I was fast running out of the transition area.

Bike (24.8 miles) - Actual time = 1 hour 12 minutes 27 seconds (goal = under 1 hour 15 minutes)
I was in Wave 9 out 15 so when I got on my bike, the road was full of slow riders from earlier waves. The bike course consisted of 2-loop, 12.4 mile per loop. There were mostly 3 or 4 riders constantly riding side-by-side. I found myself constantly passing other riders, and intermittently being passed at the same time.

I had pretty much an even split for each loop. I was in the small gear for every hill and went hard during flats. I stayed within my power zone (thanks to the coaches at @BreakawayBikes) so my heart rate never spiked too high.

Bike Data


T2 bike/run transition - Actual time = ? (Goal = 2 minutes)
No transition drama this time. I ran fast pushing my bike to my transition spot and quickly got out my running shoes.

Run (6.2 miles) -- Actual time = 41 minutes 23 seconds (Goal = under 42 minutes)
Wheeeeee! I knew I was on my way to a new personal best at the start of my run. My legs were strong. I started out fast and never slowed down. Only one fast runner past me during my run. The weather got hot during my run, which allowed me to pass even more pooped-out runners.

Run Data




Nutrition:
1 pack of Roctane GU before swim
1 pack of Roctane GU during first big hill on bike, first loop
2 salt pills while climbing Lemon Hill first time
1 pack of Roctane GU during first big hill during second loop
2 salt pills during last climbing Lemon Hill second time
Finished first bottle of Ironman Perform at start of second loop, and refilled it with 2nd bottle on bike frame between my legs
1 pack of Roctane GU at start of the run
Water or TYR electrolyte at almost every fluid stop during the run, even just to cool down my face.
2 cans of Michelob Ultra in the beer garden post-race :)

Post-race recovery meal: Pho 75 No. 1 special & iced coffee with condensed milk


The finisher's medal is also a beer bottle opener!

Philadelphia Triathlon 2012 Race Report

I occasionally participated in triathlon races for the past five years, but I had never prepared so much as I did for the Philly Tri Olympic distance this year. This race marked my new commitment to the sport. I was no longer happy to finish. I was striving for personal best and to be competitive in my age group.
I spent the last five years working on my swimming skills, and lately my focus had been on long distance freestyle. I upgraded my bike from and old steel frame bike to a custom-fit Felt triathlon bike. I learned how to use bike shoes with cleats and to sit in the aero bar position. I attended spinning classes. I had regular brick workouts (swim/bike; bike/run; run/swim).
I felt ready entering the race. I packed my transition bag the day before the race. All my race-day nutrition packs hydration bottles were filled and ready. I got up at 4 and biked to 3 miles to the transition area. Found my friend Linda, who was race volunteer, to body-mark me (with my race number and age). Set up my transition area and quickly got on the yellow school bus to the start of the swim. I left so quickly that I forgot to remember the isle number of my bike rack (mistake #1).

Swim – Water temperature was at 80.5F so the swim was not wetsuit legal. I was bummed that I didn’t get to wear my new fancy wetsuit, but swimming in my fabric onesie suit was fine with me. I was confident with my swim so I went in the water to line up near the front, while many guys in my age group stayed on the dock until the absolute last second. The Schuylkill River water was muddy but free of debris. There were quite a few body contacts at the start, but everyone seemed to find a spot after 5 minutes. A handful of fast swimmers passed me, while I stayed with the purple caps of my wave, and passed a bunch of yellow caps from the previous wave. I swam mostly freestyle, and some breasttroke while catching a breath and sighting. Since I wasn’t wearing a wetsuit, I decided that bilateral breathing could wait. My swim was relaxed but I think I paused too many times to sight (mistake #2)
T1 – Coming out of the water, I felt strong and started running immediately. I kept my purple cap on for my support crew to spot me. Since I didn’t know my bike rack number (see mistake #1), I was running back and forth until I saw my partner standing outside of the transition area directly behind my bike rack. Score for the support crew! Putting my bike shoes on was easy, but putting my bike gloves took nearly a minute (mistake #3). Once I was ready to run my bike out of the transition area, I was blocked by a few people who were leisurely walking their bikes while blocking my exit. At the bike mount area, I struggled a little bit to get going, as my bike shoes couldn’t click in right away (mistake #4).

Bike – Once I got comfortable on my bike, I tore up a pack of PowerBar gel, and managed to spill gooey stuff on my left aero bar armrest (mistake #5). It was sticky that I had to literally yank my left arm out when I needed to be out of the aero position. This situation also made me less likely to be in the aero position and probably slowed me down a bit. I biked well, and past a bunch of people, especially going up hill! I was amazed! Yay to my tri bike and bike shoes! I knew I would have a good race when I completed the first loop of the bike course and still felt strong. My legs were a little sore climbing hills on the second loop but I didn’t slow down much. I did have to slow down to reach for my hydration bottle (mistake #6) and to maintain control while descending (mistake #7).

T2 – The bike dismount area appeared so unexpectedly after a descent and sharp turn, I wasn’t prepared to dismount (mistake #8). I struggled a little bit to get off the bike. I needed an extra 30 seconds to find my transition area (see mistake #1). Once I put away my bike, I quickly switched shoes and off I went.

Run – I wasn’t cramping but I didn’t start out very fast. I didn’t have a watch on me so I couldn’t tell my pace (mistake #9). I felt stronger after the first turnaround, and started to increase my pace. My college dormmate Roper was still right behind me. I knew I was a stronger runner so I kept pushing through. I could feel blisters forming on my feet because I decided to skip socks on my Newton running shoes during the race without any prior practice (mistake #10).
I also saw a fast runner on my swim team. His wave started 30 minutes after mine, and 2 miles into the run, he was only about 15 minutes behind me. I thought he had already passed me on the bike, but since he was still 15 minutes behind me, I was in a good position for a personal best. I finally left Roper behind at the second turnaround, and determined not to let the young Fins pass me. With one mile left to go, I started to kick harder. My last mile probably was under 7 minutes.

Final: 2 hours 41 minutes 21 seconds
Overall: 458 / 1547
Gender Place: 369 / 1088
Division Place: 61 / 171
Swim: 00:30:00 (729th overall; 2:00 minutes per 100 meters)
T1: 00:02:46
Bike: 01:18:26 (662nd overall; 18.9 mph)
T2: 00:02:22
Run: 00:47:45 (294th overall; 7:42 minutes per mile)
It was a good race for me. It was a new beginning. I’ve got work to do so I won’t repeat my 10 mistakes in future races. This is the link to race photos taken by my partner http://dananders.smugmug.com/Sports/Philadelphia-Triathlon-June/23764147_nGXSmb#!i=1937060043&k=gpWjWNF

Philadephia Triathlon

Today was a dream come true as I completed my first triathlon. Although I didn't follow a formal training program, this was the cummulation of 15 months of training.

Swim: 1.5k
I looked stunning in my sleeveless wetsuit. I waited until a minute before the start to get in the Schuylkill River. I slowly but steadfastly breast stroked my way to the end. The wetsuit kept me warm and acted as a floatation device. Stroke by stroke, I reached land sooner than I had given myself.



Swim-to-Bike Transition (T1)
I looked around and saw that a lot of guys in my wave were in the transition area. I took less time than some of them even I had some problem getting my feet out of my wetsuit.

Bike: 40k
I though the swim portion would be most challenging for me. The bike portion was most difficult by far. I paced myself out, so I kept getting passed. Uphills, downhills, and turns slowed me down as I had little experience on the bike. By the second time going up the Strawberry Mansion hill, my thighs were tight. I moaned and shieked as I inched myself up Lemon Hill the second time around.

Bike-to-Run Transition (T2)
I almost forgot to take off my bike helmet until a volunteer reminded me!

Run: 10k
Wow, the first mile took about 15 minutes as my thighs cramped up. Luckily, a drink of Gatorade gave me a quick recovery. I started passing people after 5k and had a spectacular finish.



It was nice to see my parents, my cousin Ro, and Eric Cheung at the transition area. I was also happy to run into familiar faces: Craig (Philadelphia Falcons); the three David, Jan & Chelsea on the Philadelphia Fins Aquatics Club (lanes 2, 3, and 4); Troy and Michelle from work.

Philadelphia Triathlon - 4 weeks away!

Spring Training
Originally uploaded by reflexblue

Finally came a good day of triathlon training: 1-mile swimming, 20-mile bike, and 5-mile running. It was not pretty! I grunted audibly as I pedaled uphills. A shopping trip in the afternoon was my reward.

Giving Threesome a Tri

Sunday, June 24, 2007

7am Olympic Race

Already signed up! This will be a fun break from marathon races I'll run in 2007.