Doonst attempts to attempt a tri- Cayuga Lake Olympic length
Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 10:38 pm
Ithaca Triathlon Club puts on the Cayuga Lake Triathlon in and around Taughannock Falls State Park, nearest to Trumansburg, NY. This year, on August 01, I did my first real* triathlon there.
Heather (aka Doonst SO, aka the instigator) found this one because it was halfway between where we live and New York City where my brother Barry lives. To get me to do a tri, she started a little challenge. I said from the start, if we were to do the sprint distance we could race it, or the Olympic distance where the challenge would be to complete it. She and 2 friends signed up for the sprint and bro and I for the Olympic, or as they call it in Ithaca, the intermediate distance.
So in the winter I asked a few questions here, got a wetsuit, set up the bike trainer in the living room, and did a few swims in the local pool. Then for whatever reason, on Feb 05, after I got my breathing sorted out enough that I knew I could finish 1500 M, I stopped. Didn't swim a stroke for over 5 months, until July on vacation. I got in 5 open water swims, with one being 2.1 K. I did better on the bike, logging outdoor rides in May and June totalling ~150 K each, and 330 in July. To complete, and have a fun and pleasant day, was my greatest hope. Barry took it a little more earnestly, with pooltime, a coach, and a new Cervelo included. He also did a sprint tri in preparation.
We made a camping long weekend of it, the 3 women doing the sprint, 2 friends, 2 kids, and 2 dogs. Barry swooped in for just Saturday night.
There sure are a lot of details to a triathlon. Goggles for swimming, glasses for running, wetsuit, socks, 2 pairs shoes, towel, gatorade, fuel, shirt for bike/run, bib for run, wrist band for transition access, ankle band for chip timing. All in the proper order. Oh and the bike too, and a Garmin, and a running hat, and a helmet. Lots to stress over for a newby, surely I will forget something and make myself a fool. Of course that's half the fun.
There were 231 people in the intermediate distance, split into 3 waves. Barry went off at 8 AM and I went at 8 :10. Sprint distance waves were from 9 to 9:40. About 80 in my wave.
My goal for the swim was to survive it, as stress free as possible. I've heard the stories of crowds and feet to the face. The course went straight out from the beach, yet parallel to the shore. See map for clarity. It actually went pretty well. I stayed back where I belonged, and just plugged away. Eventually I got to the turnaround and allowed myself to look back, but there didn't seem to be many behind me, maybe a few stragglers in the distance. Surely I couldn't be last? Coming back I saw 2 silver caps like mine right ahead, There was a woman swimming steady and calmly. Then there was a guy just thrashing around, zig-zagging from left to right. I wondered which I most resembled, and how I could be going at the same speed after 20 minutes as thrasher guy. Soon the leaders of the next wave were flying past us, so if anything the second half was more crowded than the first. Eventually I could see the last buoy in the distance. Feeling fine, strong even, I passed 2 people in the last couple minutes.
Running up the exit ramp, I saw my friends still waiting for the sprint start. I asked a stranger what time it was, and found out that ~43 minutes had passed. A little more than I had hoped for, but overall it went well. I finished and was ready for more. 42:36 chip time. 204/231.
Transition 1 was a bit of a joke. I knew I was slow in the swim but happy. I stripped my wetsuit off and went to the outhouse. I came back to my bike, and Heather and friends were there to chat. Pulling on my bike/run shirt, I ripped off all 4 pins of my bib. That took at least a minute or two to fix. Chatted for a while and then off, 6:06. 226/231.
The bike started off with a 3 k climb, over 100 M up. Luckily for my confidence I passed someone before I in turn was passed. A long hill but not too steep, over soon enough. Then it was long rolling hills for a while. Always up or down, but I trained on ground like that and worse. After peaking around 130 M above lake level, we do a loop that takes us back down to it. Coming back is so much long slight uphill. We are now mixed with sprint bikers who have turned around halfway. I felt strong enough on the bike, humbled at times early by some who just cruised by, but I got past more I thought. Of course it was so mixed up by now you had no idea who you were passing or when they started. Yes there was a big 3 k downhill to finish, bringing my average pace back up to 27.6 K. Final time for 24.3 mile course was 1:25:12, 153/231. Even here 66% of the finishers beat me, but I didn't know that at the time.
On to the run. First about 1 K around the lakeside grounds, then 1.5 up a fine gravel and stone trail to the base of a waterfall. I started off sub 5 pace, then hit the incline. Slowed down but still I was passing 10 for every 1 that passed me. It did get rough, it was getting hot. The weather had been ideal up until now, pretty calm in the water and a slight breeze on the bike. The sun was out now. Coming back down helped a bit then it was loop 2. Slowed to 5:41 pace for the slowest split, now it felt like hour 3 of a hot trail race, in some ways that's what it was. It did get crowded and hard to pass, there were 2 bridges with steps to get up to them, and curving grass paths to finish. Very happy to be done and completed. Run time for 10 k was 52:33, slower than I had planned. At least I was in the top 42%, 98/231.
Final time 3:08:31. That's actually in the 3 hour-3:15 that I had guestimated, but of course what do I know. Placement was 163/231, which means I was behind 71% of the crowd. Humbling in some respects but as good as I had any right to expect. The main thing was that I pulled it off, without incident, embarrassment, or accident. I was quite pleased, mostly to be done. Barry did quite well, 36/1:13/54. for a total of 2:47. At least I sneaked by him in the run.
Lots of fun after, watching the sprint finish and hanging out in the sun. Heather and friends did fine and had fun too. The event seemed very well run for such a complicated endeavor. It is a great place too, I would recommend it highly. Not an easy course on the bike and run, but I sense that is common in triathlons. We continued to have a pleasant weekend, with wineries to visit, and dogs to play with. Fine restaurants in Ithaca and Trumansburg. Some rain but well timed. Coming home we hiked in Watkins Glen.
So i did it! Now I can get back to running, I definitely feel like a runner who dabbled. Ever do another, I'm going to wait until my "year of spreading myself thin" is over before I even consider the idea. There is lots of room for improvement I know.
Heather (aka Doonst SO, aka the instigator) found this one because it was halfway between where we live and New York City where my brother Barry lives. To get me to do a tri, she started a little challenge. I said from the start, if we were to do the sprint distance we could race it, or the Olympic distance where the challenge would be to complete it. She and 2 friends signed up for the sprint and bro and I for the Olympic, or as they call it in Ithaca, the intermediate distance.
So in the winter I asked a few questions here, got a wetsuit, set up the bike trainer in the living room, and did a few swims in the local pool. Then for whatever reason, on Feb 05, after I got my breathing sorted out enough that I knew I could finish 1500 M, I stopped. Didn't swim a stroke for over 5 months, until July on vacation. I got in 5 open water swims, with one being 2.1 K. I did better on the bike, logging outdoor rides in May and June totalling ~150 K each, and 330 in July. To complete, and have a fun and pleasant day, was my greatest hope. Barry took it a little more earnestly, with pooltime, a coach, and a new Cervelo included. He also did a sprint tri in preparation.
We made a camping long weekend of it, the 3 women doing the sprint, 2 friends, 2 kids, and 2 dogs. Barry swooped in for just Saturday night.
There sure are a lot of details to a triathlon. Goggles for swimming, glasses for running, wetsuit, socks, 2 pairs shoes, towel, gatorade, fuel, shirt for bike/run, bib for run, wrist band for transition access, ankle band for chip timing. All in the proper order. Oh and the bike too, and a Garmin, and a running hat, and a helmet. Lots to stress over for a newby, surely I will forget something and make myself a fool. Of course that's half the fun.
There were 231 people in the intermediate distance, split into 3 waves. Barry went off at 8 AM and I went at 8 :10. Sprint distance waves were from 9 to 9:40. About 80 in my wave.
My goal for the swim was to survive it, as stress free as possible. I've heard the stories of crowds and feet to the face. The course went straight out from the beach, yet parallel to the shore. See map for clarity. It actually went pretty well. I stayed back where I belonged, and just plugged away. Eventually I got to the turnaround and allowed myself to look back, but there didn't seem to be many behind me, maybe a few stragglers in the distance. Surely I couldn't be last? Coming back I saw 2 silver caps like mine right ahead, There was a woman swimming steady and calmly. Then there was a guy just thrashing around, zig-zagging from left to right. I wondered which I most resembled, and how I could be going at the same speed after 20 minutes as thrasher guy. Soon the leaders of the next wave were flying past us, so if anything the second half was more crowded than the first. Eventually I could see the last buoy in the distance. Feeling fine, strong even, I passed 2 people in the last couple minutes.
Running up the exit ramp, I saw my friends still waiting for the sprint start. I asked a stranger what time it was, and found out that ~43 minutes had passed. A little more than I had hoped for, but overall it went well. I finished and was ready for more. 42:36 chip time. 204/231.
Transition 1 was a bit of a joke. I knew I was slow in the swim but happy. I stripped my wetsuit off and went to the outhouse. I came back to my bike, and Heather and friends were there to chat. Pulling on my bike/run shirt, I ripped off all 4 pins of my bib. That took at least a minute or two to fix. Chatted for a while and then off, 6:06. 226/231.
The bike started off with a 3 k climb, over 100 M up. Luckily for my confidence I passed someone before I in turn was passed. A long hill but not too steep, over soon enough. Then it was long rolling hills for a while. Always up or down, but I trained on ground like that and worse. After peaking around 130 M above lake level, we do a loop that takes us back down to it. Coming back is so much long slight uphill. We are now mixed with sprint bikers who have turned around halfway. I felt strong enough on the bike, humbled at times early by some who just cruised by, but I got past more I thought. Of course it was so mixed up by now you had no idea who you were passing or when they started. Yes there was a big 3 k downhill to finish, bringing my average pace back up to 27.6 K. Final time for 24.3 mile course was 1:25:12, 153/231. Even here 66% of the finishers beat me, but I didn't know that at the time.
On to the run. First about 1 K around the lakeside grounds, then 1.5 up a fine gravel and stone trail to the base of a waterfall. I started off sub 5 pace, then hit the incline. Slowed down but still I was passing 10 for every 1 that passed me. It did get rough, it was getting hot. The weather had been ideal up until now, pretty calm in the water and a slight breeze on the bike. The sun was out now. Coming back down helped a bit then it was loop 2. Slowed to 5:41 pace for the slowest split, now it felt like hour 3 of a hot trail race, in some ways that's what it was. It did get crowded and hard to pass, there were 2 bridges with steps to get up to them, and curving grass paths to finish. Very happy to be done and completed. Run time for 10 k was 52:33, slower than I had planned. At least I was in the top 42%, 98/231.
Final time 3:08:31. That's actually in the 3 hour-3:15 that I had guestimated, but of course what do I know. Placement was 163/231, which means I was behind 71% of the crowd. Humbling in some respects but as good as I had any right to expect. The main thing was that I pulled it off, without incident, embarrassment, or accident. I was quite pleased, mostly to be done. Barry did quite well, 36/1:13/54. for a total of 2:47. At least I sneaked by him in the run.
Lots of fun after, watching the sprint finish and hanging out in the sun. Heather and friends did fine and had fun too. The event seemed very well run for such a complicated endeavor. It is a great place too, I would recommend it highly. Not an easy course on the bike and run, but I sense that is common in triathlons. We continued to have a pleasant weekend, with wineries to visit, and dogs to play with. Fine restaurants in Ithaca and Trumansburg. Some rain but well timed. Coming home we hiked in Watkins Glen.
So i did it! Now I can get back to running, I definitely feel like a runner who dabbled. Ever do another, I'm going to wait until my "year of spreading myself thin" is over before I even consider the idea. There is lots of room for improvement I know.
