Race #10- Sentinel Triathlon, September 23
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Our Last Triathlon for 2007 |
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The Sentinel Santa Cruz triathlon
has been around for years but until recently has always been just shy of a full
Olympic-distance race (23-mile bike instead of 24.8 miles or 40k). This leads
to optimistic times on an already fast course. We decided to pre-run the bike
(two times) and the run (once) on Labor Day, three weeks before the race. On
the bike, the usual headwinds out to Once again, Jeff Tigert would be
racing with us. He had recently bought a Cervélo P3 and was eager to feel its speed. On the subject of
bikes, we finally fixed our rear derailleur which had been mysteriously
acting as a 9-speed instead of a 10-speed all season. We would definitely
need our 53/11 gear for Sentinel! We’ve published a Shimano
7800 Tech Bulletin regarding this issue which is quite simple to fix. |
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Sherwick
2:14:25, 5th age-group, 43rd overall men |
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“The Sentinel swim has always been
one of my favorites although the cold ocean temps often transform your feet into
ice blocks which can be quite painful while running up the long hill into
transition! We were prepared this time with booties in addition to a neoprene
cap and checked with the race director to make sure they were legal. I
started the swim on the outside of my wave of males ages 35-44. Although I
avoided most of the melee, this starting position turned out to be a mistake
because the currents were traveling away from the pier which made the
distance longer. Once around the end of the pier, I headed to shore catching
glimpses of the spectators on top of the boardwalk viewing the race right
below their feet. Out of the water in 9th, I headed up the steep
hill passing a few more swimmers struggling with their wetsuits and shuffling
their cold feet along the hard concrete. The booties kept the sand out of my
toes and this time I put on my cycling shoes off the bike due to numb feet
and fingers. Once out on the very familiar bike
course, I got into a good rhythm throughout the seven or so rolling hills out
to We chose not to wear our heart rate
monitors this time and running by feel allowed me to push just that little
bit harder. I made up the four minutes and caught Jeff around mile 3 just
before the turn-around which was sooner than I had expected. Little did I
know that he had a little mishap at the end of his bike that cost him two of
those minutes. I also passed nine guys in my wave including five within my
age-group but my feet were starting to develop hot spots just as New
Zealander Joanna Lawn (five-time Ironman
New Zealand champion and top-five Hawaii Ironman World Championship
contender) passed me with a couple miles to go. I started my kick about a
quarter mile from the finish with 3rd place in hand. However, just
as I entered the finishing chute with less than 100m to go, two guys, both in
my age-group stormed by amidst in their own battle to demote me to 5th
place. The final results showed 3rd place finishing five seconds
ahead and 4th finishing only two seconds ahead! Nevertheless, I
was pleased with my run which clocked 3rd fastest in my age-group
(out of 81) at 39:13 for 10k. Unfortunately we later learned that the run was
long at 6.4 miles instead of 6.2 miles- just imagine where I would have
placed if the finish line was .2 miles closer!”, said Sherwick |
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Sherwick finished in 5th just five seconds
shy of 3rd and 4th! |
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Jami 2:30:10, 7th
age-group, 22nd overall women |
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“Like
Sherwick, I started on the outside of the pack so I too, had a longer swim.
The cold Santa Cruz water, which can hover in the sub-sixty degree range, was
surprisingly not a factor though, and the unmistakable sound of sea lions cheering for (or
perhaps jeering at) us as we swam past them lended to the character of this
race. The ocean seamed to swell more on my return trip so when I found myself
in the trough of a wave, I couldn’t see what was in front of me, let alone
where I was headed. Nevertheless, I made it to the beach right on target. My heart leaped
out of my chest from the steep climb up to transition. If I were measuring my
heart rate, I’m sure it would’ve been maxed out! When I got to my bike, I tore
off the rest of my wetsuit, put on my cycling gear including a shirt (I
expected it to be windy and chilly along the ocean) and headed out onto the
bike. I passed a woman in my age-group within the first two miles and then
two more and was not caught by any other women except for those on relays and
43-year-old Shari Kain,
Xterra World Champion and four-time national cycling champion. I finished
with the 8th fastest bike split in my age-group moving me up to 8th
place as a result! I had pushed
hard on the bike and felt the effects in my first steps of the run. My legs
felt worn so I focused on my cadence, but I couldn't quite feel my feet. I
hadn't noticed they were frozen on the bike, but the numbness - especially in
my right foot - was evident. At that point, my mission was to
"warm-up" fast so that my feet could thaw out. Running along the
ocean was a treat, but the pain building in my right foot was a reminder that
I wasn't there for a stroll. The numbness in my foot was building into a
blister under my arch. I wasn't about to let that get to me, though. I forced
myself to run faster so that I could finish sooner! Since we decided to “go
natural” and run without any heart rate monitors I was gauging my effort by
feeling the pain of "redline" when approaching an anaerobic state!
It was a short run in our world and I knew the pain would be temporary so I
pushed as hard as I could. Although I was running with a limp by the end, I
managed to pass one more age-grouper and ran a 6:51/mile pace which put me
down for 3rd fastest in my age-group of 64! Both my bike and
run paces were faster than Folsom International in August so although my
placing was not what I wanted, I was pleased with the increase in speed. My
parents, our biggest fans, came out to support us, but I hadn't seen them for
the entire race. But when I was running, I noticed a spectator with a stature
much like my father. I ran closer and sure enough it was him. "Dad, it’s
me Jami!”, I yelled as I passed him. He hadn’t recognized me amongst the
athletes because I had cut my hair very short since the last time I saw him.
Recognize me or not, we appreciated them driving over an hour to cheer us on!
Thanks, Mom and Dad!”, said Jami. |
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Jami improved on the bike for a 7th place! |
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Jeff 2:21:09, 15th
age-group, 81st overall men |
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Jeff started off with a strong
swim, coming out of the water in 17th. He then went on to put down
another lightning-fast transition and likewise churned out a fast bike.
Nevertheless, not having an opportunity to pre-run the course due to heavy rains the day before, he
unfortunately took a wrong turn in the last few miles of the bike and
consequently lost about two minutes. This cost him the spots he had gained
and he was back in 17th off the bike. With a T2 transition of only
53 seconds, he pressed on to have his best run in a triathlon to date (43:21
for 10k), taking two prisoners along the way which put him in 15th
(out of 72) in his age-group! Compared to Folsom, both his swim and run were
faster and the bike would have been too! |
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Jeff put together a complete race for 15th |
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Enjoy
the ride! –- Team
JaS
Special thanks to: |
