Wildflower - 3rd May 2009 - Olympic

Amateur triathlete rule of thumb; train in each discipline at least twice per week. Math skillz tell us that over 15 weeks that's 30 times for each sport. Here's what I did in 2009 before Wildflower:

• swim: 21
• bike: 7
• run: 8 (including brick workouts)

So swim aside (which only amounts to about 15% of the time spent racing Olympic distance) I was completely under-prepared...I also returned from a work trip to Australia on April 24th - jetlag prevented proper sleep for the week preceding the race.

This was my first attempt at the Wildflower Olympic course. It was also my first race in the Male 30-34 age group (USAT uses racers' end-of-year age...), and my latest start to date; 9:25am. The start time might not seem like a big deal but I cannot swim with solid food in my stomach (my swim training normally begins at about 6:30am). Staying energized until that "late" was a challenge.

My (conservative) goal was to beat 2:45 or roughly 23 minute swim + 82 minute bike + 50 minute run + 10 minute transitions and Wildflower "adventure time".


Swim: At the start I turned into that guy as I charged my way past or over swimmers ahead. Traffic from the 4 earlier waves was noticable but not egregious. I didn't notice until after the race but my TNT wetsuit is showing its age - it shed black rubber all over my neck and tri-suit...

T1: Sprinted out of the swim but ran past my spot again.

Bike: The mechanized portion did not begin well. I could not get my right shoe locked into the pedal and eventually had to dismount on Lynch Hill and jam it in. (After the race I discovered mud on my bike shoe cleat - oh the travails of Wildflower camping...). I also had to stop while climbing during the return leg to recover a dropped a caffeinated PowerBar Gel. In a turnabout from past performances I seemed to be stronger uphill versus flats and straights. This might be due to losing a few pounds (during a Costa Rica trip in December 2008) and not being trained properly...or maybe training while carrying extra (fluid) weight is paying dividends. I didn't stick to my nutrition plan - I paid later for failing to scarf all my Thermolytes.

T2: Forgot to re-apply sunscreen (one thick layer of factor 50 is not enough)...Luckily I was only mildly burned on both shoulders.

Run: My lack of nutrition discipline led to quad and hamstring cramps in both legs - sometimes all four muscles at once!


My bib number was 5783.

Results. My time was 2:39:46.

Photos: Event official.



This brings my tally to 13 triathlons:
2 Big Kahuna Half Ironman +
1 Sentinel (aka Santa Cruz Olympic) +
2 Treasure Island Olympic +
2 Wildflower Long Course +
1 Wildflower Olympic +
1 Escape From Alcatraz +
2 Escape from The Rock +
2 Folsom


Future thoughts:

• Gear: I need to invest in a new wetsuit.
• Gear: I've said it before but I still need to buy a new bike helmet.
• Gear: New bike shoe cleats.
• Race: Find my transition spot...
• Race: Stick to my nutrition plan.
• Race or Gear: Put sunscreen *in* my run shoes or wear a long sleeve shirt.