Race #8- Folsom International Triathlon, August 12
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Learning To Swim |
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This was our first International
distance triathlon (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) in four years so it would be
like learning to swim again. We chose Folsom because we had heard from our
friends that it was a great venue for a short-course triathlon and we liked
the |
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Sherwick
2:13:25, 10th age-group, 54th overall men |
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“I started the swim with an open
mind and kept it simple. I swam a pace that felt right and breathed when I
needed air. Typically I constrain myself to bilateral breathing. Not so this
time as I discovered a pattern mixing bilateral with breathing every stroke.
I came out of the water 9th in my class but again with a mild case
of neck chafing (still haven’t solved that problem yet)! Having pre-run the bike course the
day before helped, but our training hadn’t prepared us for the intensity
necessary for a faster bike. I finished with a 22.2mph average which was 15th
fastest in my class. I struggled with tight shoes in T2
(which will surely be getting some lace locks for the next race) but headed
out on the run full of steam. I clocked my first mile at 6:44 and was able to
descend down to 6:30’s over the next few miles with the penultimate mile at
6:34. Nevertheless, this was still about 15 seconds off my target and I
finished the run 11th in my class. My efforts awarded me with a 10th
place for which I am satisfied at this point. But I’ll use this as a baseline
for the next couple of short-course races on our calendar!” said Sherwick. |
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Sherwick on his way to a 10th place finish |
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Jami 2:28:14, 5th
age-group, 22nd overall women |
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“For a short-course race, I started
the swim rather slowly, in part because I was trying a long-course tactic.
The swim in a shorter triathlon usually begins with a frenetic sprint to the
first buoy and inevitably ends up in a state of oxygen debt, necessitating
the next few minutes to easing down to a maintainable speed. This time,
instead of sprinting the first 200m, I started slower thinking I could avoid
hyperventilating. Not a chance. With two layers on, plus a transmitter belt
and tight wetsuit, it was unavoidable. I relaxed to maintain a steady breath,
but a slow start combined with slowing too early to prepare for the bike
compromised my swim time. In a word, it was “slow”. Lesson learned: long-course tactics don’t
work so well for a short-course race! After a quick change in T1 (1st
in my class), I mounted my bike and headed out for a hard, but rather
uneventful bike: I didn’t see any women in my age-group until the end when I
finally caught one. Finally, my race was on! I headed out on the run together
with the other woman right in front of me. I was intent on not letting her
get away. The pace felt swift and my breathing was labored. A glance at my
watch at the first mile marker revealed that the pace was about 7 seconds
slower than my goal (6:45/mile). Even so, I had to back off from the pace to
have enough for the remaining 5.2 miles.
But doing so allowed her to slip away and after the turn-around (mile
3.1) she even picked up the pace! At that point, I remembered Sherwick’s
pre-race advice which echoed that “…there’s no reason to get dropped once you
find your match!” So, I increased my pace down to 6:44/mi to match hers. By
mile five I found myself on her heels again not wondering if I’d pass
her, but when. Doing so too soon would open the door to be passed
back. Doing so too late, I may “run out of road”. Timing was critical.
However, I decided to pass her right then because I could sense her fatigue.
The final pass was made and I made it stick ending up with the 3rd
fastest run in my class!” said Jami. |
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Jami finishing with a strong run |
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Enjoy
the ride! –- Team
JaS
Special thanks to: |
