Race Report: My first tri! I'm hooked
2255
Member
702 days
TriSooner posted 1 year ago.
So you are going from your first sprint to a 70.3 in what, two months +? That's a big jump in a short amount of time. Good luck (no sarcasm intended). I know you didn't ask, but looking at your times (and your background) and your compressed scheduled, I think the run can take a backseat to the biking. You'll get the biggest bang for the buck at the 70.3 if you dedicate 50%-60% of your training hours to cycling.
1091
Member
674 days
jsk85 posted 1 year ago.
TriSooner wrote:
I think the run can take a backseat to the biking. You'll get the biggest bang for the buck at the 70.3 if you dedicate 50%-60% of your training hours to cycling.
+1
68
Member
582 days
WillbIM1Day posted 1 year ago.
Is it really a big jump in a short amount of time? My training since November has been 70.3 focused, not sprint. I have already logged a lot of 50+ mi rides (including a century ride two weeks ago) and a lot of 3000 yd swims.
2255
Member
702 days
TriSooner posted 1 year ago.
WillbIM1Day wrote:
A 70.3 in Year 1? Possibly, but I say that based on your swim and bike time. Your run pace indicates a higher level of fitness compared to the swim and bike. Plus, you have age on your side. So don't look back now just because I said so. Keep training and go for it. Seriously, I'm not trying to bust anyone's bubble.
Is it really a big jump in a short amount of time?
For comparison, let's change the event to road-race marathon. Let’s take you 5k time (23:40) and put it in a race predictor. MarathonGuide.com would 'predict' a 3:50 marathon. So, would it be considered a quick jump for someone who just started running and has only done one 5k in 23:40 to then turn around and do a marathon in two months and change? You seem to have a running background. What would you say?
Another thing I did was plug your sprint pace into a 70.3 calculator. Even if you could hold your sprint pace at the 70.3 (which is highly unlikely), you will be pushing 6 hours which more than triples your Sprint race time.
- Swim: 43:38 (2:04 per 100y)
- Bike: 3:18 (16.9 mph avg)
- T1: 5:00
- Run: 1:39 (7:38 per mile)
- T1: 5:00
- Finish: 5:52
Does that mean that the 70.3 will be three times as hard as the sprint? No. The difficulty level in triathlon does not grow proportionally: An Olympic is not exactly twice as hard as a sprint. A full iron is not exactly twice as hard as a half. Marathon is the same way: You can't predict your full time based on a half. The difficulty at the four standard distances grows exponentially: the larger the quantity gets, the faster the difficulty grows.
But it is worth repeating: Keep training and have fun at the race. Just like the bumble bee doesn't know that it shouldn't be able to fly, if you don't know that a sprint to a 70.3 in two months was a big jump, it won't diminish what you will get out of it.
Sources:
http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalcs/predictcalc.cfm
http://www.chicagotriclub.com/info/tips/pacecalc.asp
68
Member
582 days
WillbIM1Day posted 1 year ago.
I see where you're coming from. The bike portion was really hilly, I mean unlike any hills I have ever seen on a bike...so I think that slowed me down a lot. I did my Century ride in 5:40 (17.6 mph) so I'm hoping for half that distance I can go faster. I'm not even going to mess with the swim. I just want to survive that leg and then feel good on the bike and run as much as possible. That said, if I come REMOTELY close to a 6 hour 70.3 time (which you suggested) IN MY LIFE, I will be doing backflips (or as close as I can come to them) after I cross the finish line. I would be psyched to break 7 hours at Timberman to be perfectly honest. I just want to finish the thing...I have a lifetime to worry about personal records :)
5318
Member
1999 days
kylie posted 1 year ago.
Congrats on your first race!
If you are looking to finish, learn, and have fun you'll be fine at a half. Well, fine once out of the water :)
I jumped into a half IM my first year because I kept hearing the hard part to build up to was the run, and coming from a running background a half marathon didn't seem like a big deal, so I figured I'd be fine. And I finished, and had a blast. I think it provided a great learning point since my fitness level meant injury from increasing distances too fast wasn't an issue (as it sounds like the case is for you). I look back now and laugh at many many mistakes I made, and I've improved my time by leaps and bounds with the experience in the years since, but I will never regret that race.
Like you realized at this race though, "I respect the sport, not the length of the race". Take pride in each race, and the challenges and meaning and journey leading up to each one.
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
2766
Member
1445 days
tri-ac posted 1 year ago.
It sounds like you did well! Congratulations! and good luck training for your Oly and HIM's!
1041
Member
839 days
TryScott posted 1 year ago.
Contrats on finishing your first triathlon. So many people are focused on beating a certain time for even their first triathlon. Your report made me believe you were focused on having fun and soaking up the experience.
I hope your next race is just as much fun. If going a longer distance is what motivates you and keeps it fun, then do whatever it takes to keep the drive. I'm in the same boat. In the last 10 months I've done my first sprint, olympic, 10 mile, half-marathon, marathon, and century. I've exactly one of each distance, and it's awsome.
531
Member
810 days
cjhoffmn posted 1 year ago.
Nice race Will. You smoked me on the bike! (and the run - but from my camp, that's to be expected) I bet you probably went by me on that hill - I just couldn't muster the power to keep up on that section. Great race - it was a good one for a first tri - I had a similar swim experience on my first one. I hope your next one is much better.
-C
264
Member
1355 days
fpugsley posted 1 year ago.
WillbIM1Day wrote:
I am also sure now that I am going to get a 12-25 or 12-27 cassette. 11-23 might be a tad too advanced for me at this point.
Dont think of the 11-23 as advanced... cassettes are course specific. I have a couple cassettes for each bike I own and I switch them out based on how hilly the course is. But remember, going from 11-23 to a 12-27 may require a longer chain.
Personally I swap between a 12-23 and 12-25 no problem
68
Member
582 days
WillbIM1Day posted 1 year ago.
fpugsley wrote:
But remember, going from 11-23 to a 12-27 may require a longer chain.Personally I swap between a 12-23 and 12-25 no problem
Is there a possibility I WON'T need a longer chain? If I don't get a longer chain and it's fine with the current chain, what will be the benefit of getting a longer chain anyway?
264
Member
1355 days
fpugsley posted 1 year ago.
Because the larger 27 tooth cog requires the derailleur to extend further, it needs more chain to do so. You will put strain on your drive train which might cause poor shifting, and premature wear. Your rear der is there to take up slack in higher gears, but it can only extend so far in lower gears.
You should be fine going to a 11-25, it is just a big step from 23 to 27. Basically, when you are in your small ring up front and your biggest cog in the back, your derailleur pulleys are supposed to be vertically aligned with each other (like one stacked up on the other one). a little one way or the other is no big deal. (its been a while since i installed a rear derailleur, but I am pretty sure that is the correct info)
5783
Member
2081 days
beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
Congrats!! I did the triathlon on Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park a couple of years ago. The bike course is rough, especially with a tri bike!!
If you are training for the 70.3 and you have the plan to finish I think you are going be fine.
Triathlon is based on a 'why the hell not' attitude.
If it wasn't most of us would never have done it. Have fun with it.
You can train and plan but once it gets longer it is mental toughness that will get you to the finish.
Are you doing the NYC tri as a prep too?
The West Point Tri is a great sprint distance race locally too.
Good luck and see you at the races. I live in NJ
Good luck!
'Nothing to it, but to do it!'
409
Member
550 days
zagfan posted 1 year ago.
WillbIM1Day, congratulations on your first tri and your new addication. I'm in the same boat you are. I've always been a pretty strong runner, but my longest run had been a 10K until last fall. I had been considering signing up for a sprint tri to try out the sport. I had only been biking for a few months and nothing over about 25 miles, usually with my wife. And I had absolutely no idea how to swim, had never taken a single stroke in a pool outside of the last time I took swim lessons around 5th Grade. Then Ironman went and created the Ironman 70.3 Boise, 30 minutes from where I grew up. I considered it a completely crazy idea to jump straight into a half without having experience in 2 of the 3 events. I bounced the idea off of my boss (I would consider him a top tier amatuer at the 70.3 and Ironman distance). A simple "sure why not?" was all it took for me to drop the $225 and start down the road of serious training. I never looked back once. The swim was the hardest for me to do also, not only physically but mentally. I'm used to kicking some tail in group runs, so getting in the pool was a humbling experience. But after months of training and lots of support from other triathletes at work, there I stood in my wetsuit at Lucky Peak in Boise. Now, I was slower than I expected in the swim, but I made it and that's all I had hoped for. I had the best bike ride of my life and then hit a wall on the run. But I enjoyed every second of that painful run because I came to the realization that I had reached my goal of just finishing my first triathlon. I finished in 6:17. I plan on cutting that time considerably as the summer goes on and then I plan to go after the big one, Ironman, hopefully in the next couple of years.
When it was all said and done, the IM 70.3 was actually easier than I thought it would be because I put all I had into my training, which it sounds like you are also doing. So congrats to you for jumping into the deep end so early in your tri career. I think triathlon is all about pushing our body and mind to new limits, that's what makes us a little crazy. The hard part isn't the race itself, its the months of training leading up to. So keep up the good/hard work and I look forward to hearing how your first 70.3 goes.
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." Lance Armstrong
68
Member
582 days
WillbIM1Day posted 1 year ago.
beads1985 wrote:
Are you doing the NYC tri as a prep too?
The West Point Tri is a great sprint distance race locally too.
By the time I decided to do my first tri I think NYC tri was already sold out. Philly (in 2 weeks) will be my first Oly. I can't wait to swim with some current behind me! I would like to do the NYC tri someday, but to be perfectly honest I'm not super enthusiastic about swimming in the toxic Hudson River (not that the Schuykill in Philly is much better) :)
I will definitely look into the West Point Tri. Thanks for the reco Beads!
So I finally took the plunge! Yesterday I competed in the SBR Series 1 Sprint (1/2 mi swim, 16 mi bike, 5k run) triathlon on Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park in New York. What a day. Warning: this was my first race so below is mostly about how I felt and not about the course or my HR or cadence or anything technical like that.
My big event of the year is going to be Timberman 70.3 in NH in August. I signed up for this race and the Philadelphia Olympic as "training" races and just to get a feel for the open water swimming and transitions. After yesterday's performance, I can say a couple of things: (1) I have total respect for anybody that does triathlons. There is no such thing as an "easy" tri, regardless of distance. I respect the sport, not the length of the race. (2) This sport rocks. I'm here to stay and I can't wait for the next one. (3) I am scared silly of open water swimming!
I come to the world of tri from a running background (ran XC in high school, have run 2 marathons and 3 half marathons in the last 14 months). I also grew up on a fat tire bike in the midwest (but never did a race of any kind). My point is that since starting to train, the bike and the run have been wonderful, and swimming has been quite the undertaking. In early Feb I finally hit my stride in the pool and became totally comfortable with 3000 yd swims. Apparently open water is a different story :)
The Swim: Water temperature was perfect and the water was calm. I was surprisingly not nervous about my first open water swim while standing on the beach waiting for the horn...30 seconds after the horn went off, I was officially freaking out. My wetsuit was too tight, I couldn't get a full breath (in reality the wetsuit was fine, I was just freaking out). Within 60 seconds I was thinking about quitting...take a mulligan, try again next time after some more open water swims. What? I told myself "you can't quit, you just got here! Ok I'll try to swim for 60 more seconds and re-evaluate." After 60 seconds: I was swallowing too much lake water. I was nauseated. I was going to throw up. And how can I be expected to swim when I can't see the bottom? (in reality I was fine, I was still freaking out). I turned over on my back and stroked for 30 seconds, turned over, and decided to give it another try. Somehow I made it to the turn-around buoy. Oh my gosh, I was halfway through the swim! The last half was more of the same, but I gave up on being nauseated and unable to breathe. I just told myself, "what did you expect on your first open water swim...just get to the beach and kick butt on the bike." So I did. Lesson learned: being able to swim 3000 yds comfortably in a 50 yd pool means nothing in a deep dark lake with 300 other people in it.
T1: My breath was back, I was on solid ground, and I was finally taking off the straight-jacket wetsuit choker. It came off surprisingly easily, which I was also stoked about.
The bike: Ahh welcome to my comfort zone. Everything felt great. I wasn't hungry, I wasn't thirsty (thank you half gallon of lake water), and nothing hurt. The bike course was flat and downhill for most of the first half. Lots of sharp turns, but I was just in such a great mood being out of the water that I didn't mind losing any momentum on the downhill (and I really don't feel like I need to learn to take fast turns better, I honestly think they were just really sharp). Mile 8 comes, 180 degree turn-around on a small local highway and then nothing but uphill for the last 8 miles. This was the first time I was finally starting to feel like a badass...I actually starting passing people! I was thinking to myself, "I am now sure that I deserve to be here."
My legs felt good even through the end, and I wasn't worried about running out of gas. By the way, this was my first time drinking Gatorade + Carbopro. It's kinda like a fruity milkshake. No complaints here and it got the job done. I am also sure now that I am going to get a 12-25 or 12-27 cassette. 11-23 might be a tad too advanced for me at this point.
T2: No big deal. Drop off the bike, throw on the shoes. Man this thing is going to be done in less than 25 minutes!
The run: I gave it all I had. I wasn't out of breath when I got off the bike and I tried to remind myself that I never run 5k's anymore. The shortest road races I do these days are 4 milers. So let's go fishing. So I fished, and fished, and fished. In all honesty, I didn't like the run distance...I felt like it took a half mile to get my mechanics back in runner mode, so I could really only kill it for the last 2.5. I'm loooking forward to the Oly in 3 weeks when I can finally feel like I have a long enough run to "kill" it. I passed gobs of people though, so I was happy overall.
Final stats:
Swim: 18:04; 2:04x100 yds
T1: 2:24
Bike: 56:59; 16.9 mph
T2: 1:18
Run: 23:40; 7:38 min/mile
TOTAL: 1:42:28
76th out of 213 Overall
9th out of 22 in 25-29 AG
Lastly: I have to thank all of you guys. This site has been nothing but immensely helpful since I started coming here. You guys are all super friendly too. I hope to see you out there.
P.S. If you guys see a dude in the water who looks nauseated and like he is drinking too much lake water, just tell him to relax and remember how much he enjoyed his first race. That'll help.