Englewood Sprint Triathlon 7-17-2010

[MarkU]

Racing in Englewood, FL tomorrow morning. 400M swim in the Gulf (still oil-free here), 14 mile bike and 5K run.

This is a 'B' race for the me; I'm targeted my training toward the Siesta Key race in Oct as my 'A' race.

Had my Coumadin tested this morning - INR is deadcenter at 3.0, so I can't use that as an excuse if I don't do well.

Looking forward to having a fun race; I get inspired this time of year watching the Tour de France every evening.

Mark

 

[SumoRunner]

The coumadin does not effect performance at all. A beta blocker would but I can counteract that with caffeine. Before most races I stop to get a 16-20 oz coffee about an hour ahead so I'm juiced when the gun goes off.

Did I ever mention the time I did a tri with 1500m swim in a pool? It was a small event, too small to have waves, but too many for the lanes in the town pool, so they had us swim crosswise. The length was 50m but width only 25m and of course no lines to guide you. The guy on my right ended the swim on my left. and that many kicks off the wall gave me calf cramps to beat the band. The 10K run later that day was a deathmarch as a result.

 

[MarkU]

The coumadin does not effect performance at all. A beta blocker would but I can counteract that with caffeine. Before most races I stop to get a 16-20 oz coffee about an hour ahead so I'm juiced when the gun goes off.

Did I ever mention the time I did a tri with 1500m swim in a pool? It was a small event, too small to have waves, but too many for the lanes in the town pool, so they had us swim crosswise. The length was 50m but width only 25m and of course no lines to guide you. The guy on my right ended the swim on my left. and that many kicks off the wall gave me calf cramps to beat the band. The 10K run later that day was a deathmarch as a result.

Was just joking about the Coumadin...

Can't imagine doing a 1500M swim in a pool like you described. That would be a real ordeal. I've done a couple of "snake swims" in pools, but they were only 400M.

I know what you're saying about pushing off and gettin cramps. With most of my training swims I try to minimize my pushoff and just pull with my arms.

Mark

 

[SumoRunner]

Yeah, that's 60 kick turns. I'm fortunate I was able to stand up afterward. I got the cramp on the last lap trying to push the pace to the finish. Had to stop several yards short of the wall and float until I massaged the calf out. Luckily as a former lifeguard I knew what to do about a cramp.

That was the one and only tri I ever did. I think it was 1985 or 86. It was a fairly new sport at the time so the organizers didn't realize what 1500m in a pool would be like.

 

[kodi]

Good luck tomorrow Mark. Sounds like a nice fun event. I was/am training for a swim/trail run scheduled for the last Sat in August. Found out yesterday I have a more important commitment and won't be able to participate. I'm really disappointed but plan to keep training with my workout group. I don't do well in the open water and this has been a big help for me.

 

[MarkU]

Short race report:
Had a good swim, probably my best triathlon open water swim ever. The only problem was that the last course marker buoy broke loose from its anchor and was drifting away as I was swimming toward it, so I ended up swimming an extra 50-100 yards and lost a several minutes.

Bike was going okay until a had a flat rear tire. It wasn't a blowout, but a slow leak; the bike just started getting harder to pedal. By the time I realized what was going on it was completely flat. I carry a spare tube and CO2 inflator and got it changed fairly quickly, but cost me at least 10 minutes. Too much too make up.

Started out OK on the run, but the 95 degree heat got to me after the first mile and I ended up walking a lot the rest of the way. I also think that I gave in psychologically after my problem on the bike: I knew my race was ruined as far as having a good overall finishing time, and wasn't willing to push myself as hard as I probably could have on the run.
That's ok, stuff happens. Was just glad to be out there.
Mark

 

[Philip B]

Sprint Tri?

Sprint Tri?

Congrats on getting out there and finishing even though your performance wasn't what you would've liked. Sounds like you need some sealant in your tubes. I tagged a Jumping Choloa Cactus with the front tire of my mtn bike last week; the sealant in my tubeless tire probably saved me from a long, dark walk in the desert with the snakes and scorpions.

-Philip

 

[kodi]

Thanks for the report Mark. Good job even with the problems but you have the right attitude. You're out there. You can use the experience in getting ready for your "A" race. Maybe all the bad stuff happened now and you'll be set for the good stuff for the rest of the year.

 

[SumoRunner]

I have never met a triathlete yet who didn't have at least one such story. The one thing they had in common is none ever quit.

 

[Bean Counter]

Congratulations on working through the speedbumps.