This year, in a departure from the schedule of the previous five years, the Folsom International Triathlon took place the first weekend in September. The date change meant a direct conflict with the Big Kahuna Triathlon in Santa Cruz. (Some have said that this was intentional, due to a fallout between race organizers. Folsom's J&A Productions recently re-branded to USA Productions and expanded their reach beyond California. Maybe Firstwave Events weren't interested?) Competitor numbers for Folsom 2008 were down more than a third from 2007. Big Kahuna entry rates were marginally higher...
At packet pick-up, I was informed Folsom tri was no longer USAT affiliated. An interesting decision for an ambitious, growing organization...This also means I won't be USAT ranked in 2008.
I stayed at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova. There's a Comfort Inn even closer to the race venue but at only $128.68 per night, the Marriott was tough to beat! I checked out soon after 4am - I wanted my choice of transition spot when the area opened at 5am. The early start was worth the effort - I claimed a rack right beside bike/run out and both my transition times were better than in 2007.
In spite of the new race date, conditions were similar to last year - glaring sunlight on the outward swim leg, light head/side-winds on the outward bike leg, heat during the run. Fortunately highs of about 102 °F (38.9 °C) arrived long after racing finished.
Swim: The Elite athletes decided (again) to start with our wave (male 20-29 at 7:06am). Race officials and announcers were apparently unaware of this and there was a little confusion...On reaching transition, I was shocked to see my unexpectedly speedy split time - that surprise may have been what caused me to stop my watch instead of simply splitting it! I realized my mistake several minutes later...
Bike: Having been in the saddle only 4-5 times since my Wildflower race three months ago, I was happy with my performance (even though it was my slowest leg, relatively speaking). About ten athletes overtook me, including some from the male 30-39 wave. I was also lucky enough to avoid a puncture at this attempt (maybe the flat I got while training in Tahoe the previous weekend helped my tire karma!). However I found it a little difficult to get my head "in gear" and this was worsened when I speculated that my fast swim was due to missing some buoys at the turnaround (even though I was with a group of competitors)...[Post-race I was assured by a race official/volunteer who claimed he was aboard the main boat - no-one he saw skipped any part of the swim course, even though sub 12 minute split times for some athletes are unbelievable].
Run: Leaving the transition area, a runner just ahead of me was told he was around 15th. About 1.5 miles in, a spectator informed me I was was 22nd. Several more runners passed me before the finish. My shins bothered me a little - I ran on the dirt at the side of the paved path where I could.
My finish time of 2:13:34 is by far my fastest Olympic distance triathlon to date. Next on my calendar is Sentinel in Santa Cruz.
Results. Official Photos. T2; run in, racking bike. My bib number was 245.
Future thoughts: More biking (and bricks). New bike helmet.
Showing posts with label Folsom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Folsom. Show all posts
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Folsom Triathlon - August 12th 2007
The Folsom International Triathlon was my first time racing on consecutive weekends. I spent the intermediate week recovering from a head cold after my jaunt in The Bay. (Bay swimming is like a box of chocolates...). I also replaced my running shoes and had some physical repair and maintenance work done; a massage by Jennifer Lightstone at Psoas Bodywork and a haircut - Folsom was forecast to be HOT - highs of 92 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). My wave start was scheduled for 7:06AM so the plan was to be done long before conditions became too uncomfortable! Folsom was a first in another respect too; I didn't train on any part of the course before the race - friends assured me that it was "flat and fast"...
Swim & T1: Clear, blue skies and little or no wind (on the lake) made for a much more enjoyable experience than my recent Challenge swim. However sighting on the way out was a little difficult as we were staring straight into the rising sun. I struggled at transition to get my wetsuit off (over my timing chip on my right ankle).
Bike & T2: The advice proved accurate - the bike leg was relatively flat. The section with the most significant climbs was at the turnaround. There were also plenty of aero-bar opportunities and a breeze from the south-east provided further encouragement to stay streamlined.
I was about two thirds done, holding my own in terms of passing and being passed, and feeling full of myself when a disc-wheeler blew by me...and my rear tire blew with him. I pleaded with my bike for a few hundred yards but it was pretty insistent so I found myself on the edge of the road, putting my words into practice. The tube change cost me about seven minutes or more. Luckily, I found the metal shard responsible, which looked not unlike a decapitated thumbtack, and avoided a re-occurrence.
Run: The run course was pretty; an out (east) and back trip along the south shore of Lake Natoma. Trees provided welcome cover from the strengthening sun.
I need to do (more) brick workouts. I should not have been as uncomfortable as I was, or as surprised as I was at how bad my legs and stomach felt, after the bike. However my pace was faster than it seemed at the time in spite of terrible form due (in part) to shin pain. It's time to see Dr. Taylor Rabbetz again...I should have replaced my running shoes earlier...
Results: My splits were very close to those for the Treasure Island triathlon in 2006.
Racers at Folsom said that the course at San Jose is even flatter and faster - based on the 2007 results, the field seems a lot less competitive too! Maybe I'll try it in 2008. :-) In the meantime, preparing for the Big Kahuna Half Ironman on September 9th, is going to be a challenge...
Photos.
Pop triva: Nick Diaz raced and kicked ass...it's what he does.
Tri trivia: Ben Collins, one of America's top triathletes, also raced and blogged his experience.
This race featured Head Music from:
Swim & T1: Clear, blue skies and little or no wind (on the lake) made for a much more enjoyable experience than my recent Challenge swim. However sighting on the way out was a little difficult as we were staring straight into the rising sun. I struggled at transition to get my wetsuit off (over my timing chip on my right ankle).
Bike & T2: The advice proved accurate - the bike leg was relatively flat. The section with the most significant climbs was at the turnaround. There were also plenty of aero-bar opportunities and a breeze from the south-east provided further encouragement to stay streamlined.
I was about two thirds done, holding my own in terms of passing and being passed, and feeling full of myself when a disc-wheeler blew by me...and my rear tire blew with him. I pleaded with my bike for a few hundred yards but it was pretty insistent so I found myself on the edge of the road, putting my words into practice. The tube change cost me about seven minutes or more. Luckily, I found the metal shard responsible, which looked not unlike a decapitated thumbtack, and avoided a re-occurrence.
Run: The run course was pretty; an out (east) and back trip along the south shore of Lake Natoma. Trees provided welcome cover from the strengthening sun.
I need to do (more) brick workouts. I should not have been as uncomfortable as I was, or as surprised as I was at how bad my legs and stomach felt, after the bike. However my pace was faster than it seemed at the time in spite of terrible form due (in part) to shin pain. It's time to see Dr. Taylor Rabbetz again...I should have replaced my running shoes earlier...
Results: My splits were very close to those for the Treasure Island triathlon in 2006.
Racers at Folsom said that the course at San Jose is even flatter and faster - based on the 2007 results, the field seems a lot less competitive too! Maybe I'll try it in 2008. :-) In the meantime, preparing for the Big Kahuna Half Ironman on September 9th, is going to be a challenge...
Photos.
Pop triva: Nick Diaz raced and kicked ass...it's what he does.
Tri trivia: Ben Collins, one of America's top triathletes, also raced and blogged his experience.
This race featured Head Music from:
- Waterboys "The New Life"
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