Athens Triathlon Race Recap

We'll start with some crazy news: The race started on time.

My Super 8 Motel alarm clock woke me up at 4:30am and the howling winds creeping through the cracks in my door made sure I didn't fall back asleep. The forecast had called for rain overnight so I was a little concerned about the road conditions. I threw on some clothes and went for a 20 minute jog to get a sense of the weather and wake my legs up. The air temp was high 40's, there was a decent wind with strong gusts, and puddles/gravel blanketed the roads: damn.

I showed up at the Cain Center at 6:45, took my bike in to get inspected, and got body marked. Go #44!

The transition area was a parking lot, and though the ground was damp, I was thankful it wasn't soaking. Had the transition area been in a grass field, it would've just been a huge mud pit. Point, race organizers!

As the racks filled with bikes I started talking with neighboring athletes. For the most part, those competing in this sprint event were somewhere on the "first time" to "completed a Half Ironman" end of the spectrum, but I did spy a couple M-dot calf tattoos.

At the pre-race meeting, the race directors were incredibly thorough going over key points for each leg of the event. The swim was a time trial start where we would go off in 10 second intervals and were seeded by our race number (my 5:00 estimate for 300 yds ranked me 44th out of 250). But they were quick to remind everyone "that meant there would be some people flying by you when it got to the bike leg, so please stay to the right. Also, the pool is 78 degrees. The outside air temperature is 48 degrees. A wet body on a bike in 25+ mph wind gusts would freeze. Check your ego and dress warm."

I didn't get in the pool to warm up, because I didn't want to stand around freezing for 7:20 before my start. Once I jumped in I fell into an easy groove and started snaking through the pool. I ended up catching the guy in front of my by the first 75 and passed a total of 5 guys before finishing the 300yd in 5:10. I didn't push hard at any part of this swim thinking I'd save my energy for my weakest leg - the bike.

Running out of the indoor pool area to transition was ok and it wasn't quite as cold outside as I expected. I made it past the uneven brick path without stubbing a toe and the parking lot was mostly rock/pebble-free. Remembering what the race director said about staying warm, I quickly toweled off my legs, put on my running jacket, grabbed the rest of my bike stuff and walked 20 yds to the bike mount. No way was I going to slip in my cleats on the wet parking lot. 3:35...whoops!

The hilly bike leg had its ups and downs. No pun intended. We started going south on 19 with the wind at our back, but for some reason I didn't think what that meant for the ride back. Turning onto Loop 7 the fun begins. Enter the 25+mph gusting crosswinds. Trying to stay aero on the shoulder of the road in gusty conditions made for tough handling, but I just focused on keeping the legs going. The "long" hill after the turnaround that I was worried about wasn't so bad because the wind at my back basically pushed me all the way up. Use it if you've got it. Enter the crosswinds again after a sweeping turn and then headwinds to finish. Ended up holding 17.4mph and was mildly happy considering the limited time I've spent on the bike.

T2 was nondescript. In, switch out the bike stuff for run stuff, out.

I couldn't really feel my feet for the first mile of the 5K. Later, I learned I wasn't alone. The winds took a lot out of a lot of people on the bike. My heart rate was up and I was tired, but I tried to keep pushing. A guy in my age group passed me at mile 2 and I tried to keep up, but he had a good kick at the end. I was hoping to keep my pace from the 10K last week, but I ended up running a 7:52 pace and finished in 24:33.

Because of the time trial start, I didn't know how my 1:21:54 time would hold up, so I enjoyed some pizza and Gatorade and talked to a couple other guys about their upcoming races. When the final results were posted, I finished 5th in my age group (would've finished 2nd in Clydes). Looking closer, I missed out on 4th by :04 and 3rd by 1:14. I think actually racing on the swim next time might help as would training time on the bike. The minute I gave up to the 3rd place guy in T1 sure didn't help either. Ahhh...things you learn.

How good are small town events?

In about 10 hours I'll be starting the 26th Annual Athens, TX triathlon. If you didn't know there was an Athens, TX you wouldn't be alone...and that's exactly why I picked this race.

Having moved to Dallas from Los Angeles last November, I haven't really explored much outside of Uptown, White Rock Lake, or Addison where I work. It took me a long time to branch out when I first moved to California, so I'm trying to do what I can to not repeat that.

Athens, TX is about 90 miles of rolling hills and farmland southeast of Dallas and has a population just shy of 12,000. From what I hear, there are about 250 total competitors in this sprint event (300yd pool swim, 13.8mi bike ride, and 5K run) with the majority being from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. For the time trial start with 10 second intervals, I'm seeded 44th. Seedings are based on an estimated swim time. I expect to swim about :30 faster than what I signed up for so I hope to be passing people as we snake through the 6 lane pool.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the event is run and how I do in a small(er) field. It's supposed to rain tonight and maybe continue into the morning. That should make things interesting.

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Post-Race Update

Tech shirts in the swag bag. Cervelo. Felt. Trek. Specialized. Quintana Roo. Cannondale. Pinnarello. Shimano. Gatorade. Nuun. Honey Stinger. Gu. Powerbar. Pearl Izumi. 2XU. DeSoto. Zoot. Brooks. K-Swiss. USAT officials. Timing chips. Volunteers. Police closing traffic. Medal ceremony. Veterans. First timers. Overly competitive athletes. People just out for a good workout.

They were all there. As was a place to swim, a course to bike, and a road to run. It was a triathlon. I sweat just as much in Athens as I have in Los Angeles or Dallas. I saw the results of my training. I joked with strangers. I learned some things to do next time. Big city, small town...it doesn't matter. A successful event is a successful event.

Truth be told, I think the race directors did a great job. Like the ratio of students to teachers, there is an optimal number of race volunteers to participants. Whatever it is, Ironhead Race Productions knows it and also ensured everyone's safety through bike/helmet inspections, clean roads, and excellent course markings.

As multisport events become more mainstream, small town races will continue to pop up across the country, and if you ever get tired of feeling like runner #429 out of 20,000, I suggest you check one out.

Hermosa Beach Day At The Beach sprint triathlon

I saw this race from a restaurant patio last year, so I was excited to be part of the Day At The Beach triathlon in Hermosa Beach today.

Having had a whopping 1 race under my belt, I didn't have rookie butterflies in my stomach. They, too, had experience. I'm not sure why, but I was surprised by the turnout for the race. The combined beach cities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach are a really active community, so I was just being ignorant.

Having lived there for a couple years, I knew that parking near the

transition area on Pier Avenue was going to be tough, so I got there early. Way early. I think I was the 3rd guy in the transition area and the 1st bike on my rack. Hey, at least I was first at something :) It filled up quickly and I was able to find some friends from work that were doing their first race. I tried to impart some "veteran" knowledge with the best being, "Relax, have fun, and you'll be fine." They did and they were.

I was in the Clydesdale 200-224 division and in the 7th wave for the swim start. The quarter mile was easy to track: out to the buoys, hang a right, go two buoys before turning right again, head into shore. At Strawberry Fields I was at the back of my wave and got kicked a lot, so I made sure I was at the front this time. It made a huge difference. I led everyone to the 1st buoy and came out of the water 3rd in my wave.

Excellent!

I still need to work on my T1. I was able to get my Xterra Wetsuits

Vortex 3 off quickly, but I still sit down to put on my bike shoes. I need to practice putting on my shoes while on the bike a couple more times

before I do it in a race. Unfortunately, I was ALL the way down the pier from the bike exit and clomped my way on the wet concrete for about 100 yards before getting on my bike.

After a quick mount, I was up the Pier Ave hill and passing a couple guys as I headed out on the 10 mile course. The 3 loops on Valley and Ardmore were ok, but the roads were narrow and groups of faster waves ahead of me passed in droves. I'm definitely going to be working on some bike speed drills. On the third lap there was a little excitement: a 1st timer was going slow in the left hand "lane" when a woman announced she was passing on his left. He went right. RIGHT. Needless to say he ran into her, she fell right in front of me -- her front wheel whipping around and catching my left leg. After a little shimmy, I was able to regain control and kept up. I got a pat on the back from one of those faster guys as he passed me so I must have done something right.

T2 was ok -- still had to run the 100 yds back on wet concrete back to my rack -- grabbed my run gear, and sped out of transition.

The 5k run was just an out and back on the Strand, a run I've done many times before. In the past I've always been a 9:00 pace, but after churning on the bike for over 20 minutes, I felt good going a little faster. I didn't realize until later that it was the fastest I've ran a 5K. PR! Woo hoo! In the last 500 yards I saw a guy pass me, checked out his age group on his calf hoping not to see a "CLY". It said 42 so I didn't worry about it and concentrated on finishing the run. Turns out that guy WAS in my Clydes division, finished 23 seconds ahead of me and took the 5th place spot on the podium. Bummer.

Overall, I had an awesome time. It was a really good swim, a comfortable bike, and a really great run for me. I was able to trade stories and times with friends and coworkers and glad to have done my local race. My goal was 1:10 and I thought that was pushing it. Got a 1:06:58 and celebrated with a Guinness. Not a bad Sunday at all.

If you choose not to race, volunteer!

I wanted to race the Nautica Malibu Triathlon a couple Saturdays ago (the Olympic distance naturally) but no dice...it sells out every year and this year was no exception. Still wanting to get my tri juices flowing, I decided to join the army of yellow shirt wearing volunteers and do what I can to make sure everyone else had a great race.

I signed up for the 4:30am - 12pm shift and was among the throngs of athletes already filling the parking lot heading towards the transition area before the sun came up. There's something eerily calm about an empty beach at night.

I was stationed in the transition area with the lucky or unlucky task of body marking, depending on how you look at it. With a big fat Sharpie comes great responsibility. Instead of meekly standing in the middle of the main thoroughfare looking bored and lonely, I hawked my craft: "Get yer body markings here! I may be a guy, but I can draw smiley faces and flowers like a cute blonde girl!"

If you're ever are tasked with writing on someone else with a fat magic marker, there are 2 things you learn quickly: 1) it's easier to have good control and write on flabby pasty arms and calves than tan defined ones, and 2) it doesn't matter how big and fat your marker is, if their body is covered in hair or suntan lotion even the ink doesn't want to go near it and your marker will play dead.

The second task of the day was monitoring the relay transition area which was about 30 yars from the Swim In/Bike In gates. I've never been on a relay team, so this part was new to me: apparently people like to cheat. My job was to make sure that people stayed clear of the entrance to the stalls so that all timing chip handoffs could occur in front of the bike rack and off the main walkway. Twice I saw guys sneak around the back so they could be right to hand off the timing chip the instant their teammate entered transition. Total time saved? About 10 seconds. Total insults hurled in their direction? 10^2.

The third task of the day was by far my favorite. Positioned at the finish line, I sat in the sand and cut timing chip anklets off of sweaty, bloody legs with a pair of kindergarten safety scissors. Rarely looking up, I'd see a pair of legs, congratulate them on doing a great job and getting

their master to the finish, then offer to take their timing chip. This was the classic Sprint race and I think about the 1 hr 45 min mark. Athletes of all shapes, sizes, and hydration levels found their way to me...and every

single one of them smiling.

I was most surprised about the feeling I got when people heartfully thanked me for volunteering. Relieved and exhausted, these athletes who've just swam half a mile, biked 11 miles, and then ran 3 miles, could have all kinds of thoughts at the end of a race (I know I have). But for them to look you in the eye, say thanks, and give you a high five -- they are really sweaty and gross after all -- speaks volumes. And honestly, it feels nice to be thanked for doing a generally thankless job.

So next time you cross that line and you see the army of kids wielding safety scissors and water bottles, flash them a smile and thank them for being there. Now that I think about it, the registration table volunteers, the water hander outers, the people who point you in the right direction at a fork in the road, and whoever hands you a medal deserves a thank you too. If anything, you'll make them feel better about being there instead of sleeping in that morning.