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September 18, 2006
Lake Tahoe Triathlon Race Report
Well, here is my race report from last weekend's race. Overall, the race went really well - I finished in 3 hours, 42 minutes and 20 seconds, which is 22 minutes faster than my time from last year. I finished 40th out of a field of 57 men, and 51st out of the total field of 79 participants. I finished fourth in in my age category (40-49) out of a field of nine racers in my age category.
The full results are here here.
Pre-race routine:
We drove up on Friday afternoon from Chico, it started snowing as we went over Donner Summit, and it snowed on and off all the way into Kings Beach. We scoped out the bike route, and found a section of the roadway that had an active construction site - with K rail on one site, and 2-10 foot lanes (no shoulders at all). Did a quick mental rundown on whether I still wanted to do this race - it's snowing, on one of the busiest highways in the Tahoe Valley, and oh, by the way, you have about a 1/4 mile of the roadway where you are a sitting duck for every vehicle that comes by. After running through the pro's and con's of DNS vs. Triathlete killed during local race headline, I opted to continue, and just try somehow to not get tangled up with a vehicle in that section. We found a cheap hotel about 1000 yards from the race site, nothing fancy but it had two beds and was reasonably clean. Friday afternoon the wind was blowing about 20 miles per hour, and the white caps were crashing into the dock - and it was snowing!!! It made for a pretty ominous picture of what tomorrow might bring. I stuck my arm down in the water, and thankfully, it did not feel too cold - not as bad as last year anyway. We went to Garwoods (a beautiful restaurant on the water) and had a Fat Tire (the only one I allowed myself) and sat on the deck and enjoyed the view - Tahoe is without a doubt the most beautiful lake I have ever seen.
After a pasta dinner at a little Italian restaurant next to Safeway, we came back to the hotel and I fussed around for an hour or so, getting organized, putting my numbers on, and such.
Event warmup:
I woke up at 3:00 AM - freezing cold. Put on my sweats and socks, hoping that would help me get back to sleep - no such luck. Finally got up and had 1/2 a bagel with peanut butter, went back to bed, still no luck. Tossed and turned till 5:00, said the heck with it and got up. We went out to Safeway to get some coffee, and the sign at the bank said 24 degrees!!! My pickup was registering around 30 degrees, but it usually runs warm unless you are out on the highway. It was plenty cold.
We came back, I had another 1/2 bagel, and a banana. Loaded my stuff up, and moved the pickup next to the race area. Setting up the transition area went well, and we had enough time to go back to the pickup and warm up for about 30 minutes.
I waited until 30 minutes before race time to put on my wetsuit, as I did not want to have to stand out in the sub-freezing weather a moment longer than necessary.
I really didn't do much of a warm up - walked around quite a bit, and did a couple of short jogs. Then I put on my wetsuit, my swim socks (love those things), my latex gloves (they didn't work out so well) and my double swim cap (that worked well) and my brand new goggles and headed down to the start. The sand was literally freezing cold - and the people that were not prepared (with bare feet) were suffering badly. Many were sitting down, just so they could hold their feet in the air, to keep from putting them on the sand and getting colder. My swim socks did a great job of keeping my feet comfortable while waiting for my wave to begin.
Swim
Swim went really well for me. I believe that I sighted well, kept a very consistent pace, and did about the best I could have hoped to do. Gloves did not work, as they started to fill with water - I ended up ditching them at the first Kayak I passed. This was my best improvement over last year - I was able to trim about 13 minutes off my swim time from last year, with a total swim time of 38 minutes and 29 seconds.
The only thing I would do differently - No gloves. Everything else went according to plan. A couple of times on the last leg I went to sight and take a breath - and got a big mouthful of lake water instead. There was just enough waves to surprise you if you were not careful. Training wise, I really kind of fell of the wagon with respect to open water swims - my last one was in July. Getting a few more in my last training weeks would probably have helped me.
T-1 Comments:
T1 actually took a little longer than I expected - but there is a pretty good run (both into and out of) that adds some time. Everything went well, suit down, earplugs out, and goggles/caps off by the time I got to my bike. Pulled the suit off, put on my top and arm warmers, snapped on my fuel belt, slipped on my socks, shoes, sunglasses, windbreaker and helmet, and off I went. Total T1 time was 4 minutes and 36 seconds, which wasn't too bad, considering the length of the run in and out of the transistion area, and the amount of clothes we had to put on due to the cold weather.
I had to keep telling myself - stick to the plan!!! It was so cold, that I knew I would be tempted to add more clothes - which I would hate about a mile into the hill climb. I stuck to the plan, which worked really well - a little chilly on the fast downhills, but overall it worked well.
Last years T-1 was a disaster - over 8 minutes due to hypothermia and my inability to do anything quickly.
BikeTook off well from T1, put my gloves on while riding, dealt with a couple of goof-ball motorists on Hwy 28 (oblivious to the fact there was a race going on), then headed up Hwy 267. The northbound route up is not incredibly difficult - just a long stinking climb. Passed a few people, felt pretty good with my pace, then two guys blew past me like I was standing still - so much for my ego.
Made it up to the summit, slammed a gel and quick drink of water and headed down. The downhill leg probably averaged 10% grade, so even without pedaling you were doing 35 or 40 mph. Road surface was very rough, and it was a constant death grip on the bars, trying to keep your tires on the smoothest piece of road. I was about a mile into the downhill, when all of a sudden I slammed into two potholes that were hidden in the shade. I didn't even know what I had hit, as I never even saw them coming. Immediately afterwards, I heard this awful grinding sound - I thought for sure I had either broke something on my bike, or the chain had flew off and was grinding along the highway. Once I got back under control, I realized that the sound was my water bottle flying out of its cage, and then grinding along the highway behind me.
While I was glad it wasn't my bike, that little incident raised hell with my hydration/nutrition plan for the ride - as that was my only electrolyte drink.
The next challenge was the K-rail section - My plan was to try to listen very carefully, if I didn't hear any cars coming, gradually move over, and take a quarter of the lane - I figured that would work OK as long as we didn't have any opposing traffic. Made it though uneventfully, then just cranked up the speed - passed three people doing 33 mph on the downhill section.
Made it to the turn around, lost a little time stopping and getting a new water bottle - it wasn't electrolyte, but at least it was wet. I pulled my power bar out in the flat section, thinking this would be a good time to have some of it - I got it opened and tried chewing a piece off - it was nearly frozen solid. I kinda chewed the corners off of it, and was able to gradually warm it up enough so that I could eat some of it. I briefly thought about putting it inside my shorts to warm it up, but couldn't bring myself to do it - that just seemed wrong!!!
Climbing back up, I kept telling myself to keep a good easy pace - as the climb back up was really tough. Last year I had to walk on three separate occasions because my quads just gave up. My goal this race was to not have to stop. About 1/2 way up the demons started pestering me, saying "it's getting hard now, and it would feel real good to stop and walk a bit". Once I realized they were getting in my head, I quickly put them back out, and just told myself to focus on a good cadence, and to get out of the saddle once in a while to switch the muscle groups.
I saw one gal going thru the same struggle - and she would spin for a while, then get off and walk - then repeat. I tried to encourage her as I went by.
The K rail section on the uphill portion was a little scarier. I was going 5.7 mph, and the cars were probably doing 40 - and there was not enough room for both of us. One truck came by that had to be within a foot of my bike - that was a little too close for comfort.
Finally made it to the top, slammed another gel and a quick drink, then down the other side.
This downhill was every bit a rough as the other direction. As I rounded the last little curve, coming into Kings Beach, all of a sudden the shoulder disappeared, and all you were left to ride on was an incredibly alligatored roadway surface. All I could do was again put a death grip on the bars, and curse the caltrans maintenance guys for not spending a couple of hours with an asphalt patch truck before this race.
I made it down to the bottom, and was greeted by a line of about 30 cars lined up at the signal. I swung to the inside, and scooted past all the cars, and as I approached the intersection, the CHP stopped everyone, so that I could go through. How sweet is that!!!
Got to the dismount area, and headed to T2.
Still need more big hills in my training routine - and this winter, I need to start a weight program to build my leg strength.
T-2 Comments:
Everything here went really well - there were only 3 people that had faster times than my 58 seconds.
Run
Run went OK. Last year I walked the steep hills, to keep my heart rate in check - so I went with that strategy again this year. Worked well, I just had to be a little careful with the downhills, and I could feel those trying to hurt my quads. Ran with a gentleman from Reno, for a couple of miles, and we had a great conversation. It really helped the miles click by. They had Red Bull at the 1/2 way point, I had one to help push me to the end. The finish was along the beach, right near where we started. There were a few people cheering, but a pretty small crowd overall.
Post Race Warm down:
Walked around a bit, had a few bites of apple and orange, and some water. Picked up my transition area stuff, and then had a chocolate milk.
Overall I was pretty happy with my time - I trimmed 22 minutes off my time from last year - probably about 13 minutes off the swim, 3 minutes off T-1, and the rest from my bike time. This still wasn't quite fast enough to put me on the podium - but there is always next year....
Last year, I felt that this course was incredibly difficult. At the finish line, it was all I could do to still walk. This year, I sailed through the finish, and it was no big deal - I remember thinking - I could easily run further... Maybe even push it to do 13.1, rather than 6.2.
Event comments:
Post Race was great - FREE tri-tip sandwiches, FREE beer, lots of salads, and a live band to entertain us while the last finishers came in - then a nice but quick awards ceremony.
Only complaint about the Post Race - at the finish line they did not have any type of recover drink or electrolyte. I had brought my own, but it was a 1000 yards away in my pickup, it would have been nice to have something as soon as we crossed the finish line.
Posted by Dennis at 03:51 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 15, 2006
Off to the Race
Well, this will be my last post before my race - it looks like the weatherman has calmed things down a bit, still going to be cold (30 degrees in the AM) but no snow in the forecast. Also looks like the winds may calm just a bit for our race, as they are predicted to shift from a westerly Friday night to an Easterly on Saturday - hopefully there will be a lull around 8:00 AM when we jump in!!!!!
My taper went pretty well, still do not have my resting heart rate down to where it should be (maybe I shouldn't have done those hill repeats last Sunday) but it is trending down. Usually I can get it down to the 50 or 52 BPM, but it is still at 58 this morning - should be a little lower tomorrow morning (before I get amped up for the race).
My race weight is 164 pounds - about 5 pounds lighter than last year (thanks to the Napa Marathon).
As near as I can tell we do not have lodging set up for tonight - I guess we will have to "wing-it" once we get there.
Posted by Dennis at 06:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 12, 2006
4 Days till Tahoe
That's just great - I just got back in from a quick vacation in Oregon, checked the weather for Tahoe for this weekend, and there is a 20% Chance of SNOW on Saturday morning. My biggest fear about this race is that the weather would turn nasty, it would be freezing cold, with high winds (and rough water to swim in). It looks like my fears may very well be realized.....
The National Weather Service calls this a "Developing Situation"..... Stay tuned....
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
225 AM PDT TUE SEP 12 2006
CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-130100-
SURPRISE VALLEY CALIFORNIA-LASSEN-EASTERN PLUMAS-
EASTERN SIERRA COUNTIES-GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-MONO-
MINERAL AND SOUTHERN LYON COUNTIES-GREATER RENO-CARSON CITY-
MINDEN AREA-WESTERN NEVADA BASIN AND RANGE INCLUDING PYRAMID LAKE-
NORTHERN WASHOE COUNTY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CEDARVILLE...EAGLEVILLE..
FORT BIDWELL...PORTOLA...SUSANVILLE...WESTWOOD...SIERRAVILLE..
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE...TAHOE CITY...TRUCKEE...MARKLEEVILLE..
BRIDGEPORT...COLEVILLE...LEE VINING...MAMMOTH LAKES...HAWTHORNE..
YERINGTON...SMITH VALLEY...MINA...SCHURZ...GLENBROOK..
INCLINE VILLAGE...SPARKS...VERDI...GARDNERVILLE...FERNLEY..
FALLON...LOVELOCK...SILVER SPRINGS...NIXON...IMLAY...EMPIRE..
GERLACH
225 AM PDT TUE SEP 12 2006
...STRONG WINDS AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE LATE THIS
WEEK..
A COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DROP INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND
NORTHERN ROCKIES ON THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PUSH A COLD
FRONT THROUGH NORTHWEST NEVADA ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE
FRONT TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL...BUT AS THE FRONT
PASSES TEMPERATURES MAY DROP AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES!!
THE RAPID DROP IN TEMPERATURES WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG
WINDS OVER WESTERN NEVADA...NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND THE EASTERN
SIERRA ON THURSDAY. WINDS COULD GUST IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...WITH
GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH IN WIND PRONE AREAS ALONG THE SIERRA FRONT.
GUSTY WINDS CAN CREATE DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS FOR HIGH
PROFILE VEHICLES...AND CAN GENERATE AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WITH
VISIBILITIES DROPPING BELOW 1 MILE AT TIMES. PATIO FURNITURE AND
UNSECURED ITEMS MAY BE BLOWN ABOUT BY THESE WINDS...AND SHOULD BE
SECURED OR BROUGHT INDOORS BY THURSDAY MORNING.
AFTER VERY WARM TEMPERATURES DURING THE MIDDLE PART OF THIS WEEK..
CONDITIONS WILL CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY AS HIGH TEMPERATURES ON
FRIDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE 10 DEGREES OR MORE BELOW NORMAL. NEVADA
VALLEY HIGHS MAY STRUGGLE TO REACH 70 DEGREES NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50.
HIGHS IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA MAY BE AS
COOL AS THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S.
SNOW LEVELS ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT MAY DROP BELOW 7000 FEET
NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. ..WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LIGHT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS ON NORTHERN SIERRA MOUNTAIN PEAKS.
EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR FORECASTS THIS WEEK
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RENO NEVADA FOR UPDATES ON
THIS DEVELOPING SITUATION.
Posted by Dennis at 05:07 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 02, 2006
14 Days Until The Lake Tahoe Triathlon...
Rough training week this week – the alarm clock going off at 4:00 AM, is starting to wear me down…. I worked out early Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – and by Friday night I was absolutely exhausted. Friday night I feel asleep on the couch at 8:30 PM. I “slept in� until 6:00 AM the next day - what a great feeling to be fully rested...
Even though I was pretty tired this week, I feel real good with the level of training for Tahoe. My swimming has really improved with my new wetsuit, and my biking strength and ability should be a lot better than last year. While I haven’t really been pushing my running, I’ve done enough 6 plus mile hill runs in Paradise to convince myself I’m ready….
Below is the description of the Triathlon Course from the Website:
The course is a beautiful Olympic distance triathlon through the north shore of Lake Tahoe.
Course description - Swim
Swimmers will begin in age group waves from the sandy shores of the Kings Beach State Recreation Area beginning at 8:00 AM. The 1.5K swim will be a clockwise triangular swim in the brilliant blue waters of Lake Tahoe. Follow the orange buoys during the entire swim course. Yellow buoys mark the two turns. Keep all buoys on your right by swimming to the left of each buoy. Athletes who cut any portion of the swim course will be disqualified. For safety purposes certified water safety personnel will be monitoring the course with kayaks and motorized rescue craft.
Course description - Bike
This is a biker's course so make sure your quads are ready! The 40K challenging road course leads through the streets of Kings Beach, over Brockway Summit, through Martis Valley and back. Racers begin from the beachside transition area at the Kings Beach State Recreation Area and make a right on State Route 267, ascend Brockway Summit (elevation 7179') and descend 267, ride past Northstar at Tahoe, through Martis Valley and take a right at mile 10.6 onto Soaring Way. Racers will take a right onto Joerger Drive and ride nearly 2 miles until the turn around. Keep your climbing legs fresh cause it's right back to Highway 267 and up and over Brockway Summit where the final pitch is the toughest but the view "a perfect postcard"! Competitors will be responsible for riding safely and monitoring their own speed. After a left hand turn back onto State Route 28 it's just a short distance back into the transition area at Kings Beach State Recreation Area.
description - Run
Just when your legs are ready to give up you're going uphill again and into the lush forests of the North Lake Tahoe Regional Park. The scenic 10K run course leads competitors along the streets and through the back paths and trails of Tahoe Vista and Kings Beach. Out of the transition area competitors turn left onto Highway 28, then right onto Brassie Avenue along the Old Brockway Golf Course, turning right onto Tiger Ave. to Hwy 267. The course then turns left onto Pinedrop Lane leading runners onto the winding paved bike trail into the North Lake Tahoe Regional Park. Once in the confines of the Park, runners will be directed onto a dirt trail that meanders through the beautiful pine and fir forests. Completing the route through the forests, runners will transition back to the paved road that will bring them down Highway 267 with a left turn back onto Highway 28 to the finish line. The finish line will be on the sandy beach of the Kings Beach State Recreation Area.
Now, I just need to do a sensible taper, and gradually reduce the amount of training over the course of the next 14 days. This should (hopefully) take me to the starting line fully rested, with all my muscles ready to race my most demanding triathlon of the year.
Speaking of the starting line, did I mention that it was cold last year?? Air temperature was 34 degrees last year, and the water temperature was in the very low 60’s.
I distinctly remember my feet being excruciatingly cold while we were waiting for the starting gun last year. So, this year I’m going to try a pair of “swim socks�. I’ve not used these before, but they sure look like they will help keep my feet warm (and hopefully avoid some cramping issues I had last year.
Posted by Dennis at 08:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack