Race Report - Summer Festival Triathlon, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, July 31st

1999.

½ Mile swim, 15 Mile Bike, 3.1 mile run

Summary.

Although I had not originally planned any races prior to Great Floridian, it
began to dawn on me that  (August 4th 1999) marked the first
anniversary of my accident that has kept me out of Triathlon for so long.
Consequently a trip up to New Jersey was planned and an entry form sent in.

As I look back on the last year, it seems a very long and often painful
road. As I re-read some of my posts, and the messages of encouragement from
a great many of you, the more I wanted to do something, if only to prove to
myself that I could.

The results show no particular suprises. A reasonable swim, and a solid bike
where I passed most of the people I lost time to in the swim. Then a run
where pretty much everyone passed me back, to give a final position of about
6th from last and DFL in me AG.

Swim - 17:05
T1 - 2:26 (must've had a bit of a party here ;-))
Bike - 46.31 - 19.4 mph
T2 - 1:56
Run - 45:54

Final Time - 1:53:52

Am I upset about this ?

Not at all, if anything quite the reverse. In training and doing 3 mile runs
solo, the best I have managed has been an hour, so I was absolutely
delighted with the time. My running mechanics must have got people really
concerned from the number of people asking if I was OK, or telling me to
suck it up. Although my running looks really uncomfortable to others, I'm
happy, there isn't an awful lot I can do about it and although I only have
one pace, it is something I can really sustain. In terms of the heat, I
don't recall Hong Kong to be this hot and humid, the temperature was well
into the 90's and any time I tipped my head forward sweat would just rain
from the bill of my cap.

Longer version :-

I was up at 4:30, for some reason actually quite nervous about racing again
after so long. I ate my breakfast slowly, my normal gannet like eating
habits for seemingly subdued. By the time I had loaded up the bike and got
changed, daylight was just arriving. On the ½ hour drive to the race site,
the humidity was in full force with mist almost the whole drive.

The race site itself was not quite as low key as I imagined, with a lot of
activity around the transition area, and quite a few elite athletes present.
I was all set up by 7:30, with my area laid out under my bike as there was
little room along the rack, then wander off to look around.

The river looked cleaner than I had been led to believe by some of the
locals, and a row of five bouys was visible, for some reason they seemed a
lot further than I expected, upon later hearing at the start that another
one was not visible around the corner I promptly seeded myself behind
everyone else ;-)

The pre-race briefing was mercifully short, I wanted to get on with this.

Towards the end of the swim (click for larger picture)

After a few minutes splashing around in the water (you mean I was supposed
to be warming up ?), it was back onto the beach for the start. I was in the
first of three waves. At 8:30 the horn sounded and it was a case of waiting
for people to wade into the water in front of me before I could move. On
reflection I should probably have gone to one side, as I spent the first
twothirds of the course trying to swim around people. At first there was
nowhere to go, there seemed to be twenty people in front of me going slower
than me, finally my navigation, or lack thereof helped me out as I zigged
over the right, then back to the left when I looked and came around the
fourth bouy ahead of this gaggle of swimmers. Out to the turnaround I was
able to get some rhythm going. There were no waves so by  alternate
breathing I could ensure I was swimming vaguely straight. On the way back,
it got a little lonely, the really fast swimmers well ahead of me, and then
a group behind. One guy dropped back to my left, so I used him as guage
until 100 yards out then pushed in to finish. As I hit the beach, hit the
split - 17 minutes - cool, I was going to be happy with anything under 20 -
see what happens when you set your targets low enough :-)

Coming in to Swim-Bike transition

In to transition and attempt to put my bike shoes on standing up, ooops,
forgot I can't do this without something to hold on to when I stand on my
left leg. After very ungracefully sitting down, this task is accomplished.
On with the race belt, glasses and helmet and off we go.

I was looking forward to the bike portion as it was four laps of closed of
roads, with plenty of room for all. I'd decided to go at between 160 and
165, but the first lap saw me holding steady at 170, and only 18mph, hmmm
the swim must have been harder than it seemed…I was passing people all the
way around, with two people passing me back at the end of the lap.

 
Find someone who knows how to use your camera !

After I had drunk some water round this lap, the HR came back down and I
sped up, repassing both the riders who passed me. On this lap also some of
the elites from the next wave started arriving, along with some of the top
Age groupers. As the course consited of four laps around the lake, the
slightly twisting back side of the circuit with its narrower roads could get
a bit congested. I really didn't get blocked at all, other than one rider
who figured riding 4 feet inside the center line was where he should be.

The rest of the ride was reasonably uneventful with the exception of a few
elites doing things they shouldn't, passing on the right etc.. And one pack
of riders literally riding a foot from one another two abreast. The bikes
gave them away as non-beginners, but hey, its their race - I do his for me,
and know that I race clean…

Bike to run is a little quicker, though it was twenty yards to my rack and
three paces told me I should not be running in the bike shoes after my leg
nearly went out from under me, so off with them and run with the shoes on
the ends of the aero bars. On with my running shoes and off - got to love
elastic laces ;-)

Exiting Bike to Run transition

Funnily enough my legs really don't feel like rubber, which was a major
shock. A quick hose down just past the run start and off into the sun we go.
I settle into a comfortable pace and just dig in for a finish. I'm not
uncomfortable despite all appearnces, and can breathe easily despite the
heat. I try to push it after the water stop at ¾ mile, but as usual as soon
as I speed up I have little control over my left knee. Frustrating, but it
will come back with time Andrew, no need to push it now - its only three
months since you took your first steps back in running shoes….

Damn, this tunaround is a long way, and is there anyone in this race who
hasn't passed me - "Your'e going to do it Pal", guess there was one more…

Out on the backside of the lake, there is no water, oh well, can't help it
now. Where is the ****** turnaround, round a bend and I can just see a
runner in the distance, hang on, what's this painted on the sidewalk, oh
here it is. SO what's that guy ahead doing, oh he doesn't have a number on.
Cool, halfway, 23 minutes and change, hang on, that's what it normally takes
me to run 1 mile, not 1.5, cool :-)

Head back, and there are loads of people coming towards me still, pass the
guy from the rack next to me, also from DC (and with a t-shirt reading "Be
all you used to be"). Keep going, one foot in front of the other, still feel
absolutely fine, wish I could push harder.

Suddenly "SLAAAPPPP !", - me "What the ?", "Keep going - you'll finish" says
the girl who had just slapped my butt - a truly ITG moment ;-)

On to the water stop, "Three please", two in mouth, on in cap. Each time I
had looked down, a river of sweat had run from the bill of my running cap.
Wonder where it's going when I have my head up ?

Hold on a minute, I had looked at one hour for 3 miles which was going to
give approx 9 hours at GFT and was almost certainly going to end in a DNF
(which really didn't worry me, any distance on the run after the last year
would have me happy). But 45 minutes for three miles, that's, errr, 7 hours,
plus a 7 hour bike, heeeyyy, I could finish that thing…

I'm disturbed from my maths by my rack mate passing me, only half a mile to
go, I try to turn over my tiny little strides a little faster, and in no
time I turn onto the end of the cinder track to the finish, my final time
shows 1:53:52 - Great, I had set 2 hours as my 'be pleased with' goal, so I
was happy.

Plus, the run back was 22 minutes and change, a negative split - only one
thing wrong with this, on the way out I ran the whole time, on the way back,
4 minutes run, one minute walk…and it was FASTER (*)

Go to stand under a hose pipe for a while and guzzle lots of water before
going to get some pasta. A glance at the results shows me 32/32 in my AG,
which brings a grin to my face, my old Hash friends would be proud…

All in all, a good morning, with only two minor gripes, both of which I
wrote in a letter of thanks to the race director. The TA needs to be a
little more secure as anyone could walk in and out, and particularly on a
day like this, to add more water stops.

And now to look forward, surgery on August 10th to remove two screws, which
in a month should mean 100 % strength to the bone. Then GFT in October, the
check is sent - am I mad ? - Quite probably, but so long as I finish the
swim and bike, then I will be happy - and I'm damn well going to do as much
of that run as I can before they throw me off the course, physically I am
(or will be) strong enough, mentally I'm pretty sure that I am more than
there.

I also cannot begin to express my appreciation for all the messages, the
support and occasional kicks in the butt that I have received from the list,
it made some of the darker days a little brighter. I will not hide that
there have been many times when it was tempting to not do anything and just
give up on Tri's as it was too hard, too painful or taking too long. I
really believe along with my surgeon that the training and continuing to
train, particularly on the bike and in the pool has contributed greatly to
the speed of my recovery, this would not have been possible without the
support that I have received here.

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