Triathlon for AutismYesterday was a beautiful day, not only was it the second race in my first triathlon season but the race was for a wonderful cause. It was really moving to see how many people came out to support the Race for Autism. The JT Foundation was out in full force and the entire family put their back into it with love and support. Mountains can be moved and they prove it every day. There are so many dimensions to this inspiring community as I get to know every day heroes.

The Event:

This has been my second DQ event and needless to say I was not disappointed. Tom Manzi and team did a great job to organize this event which was a smashing success. This event had great support and so many volunteers it felt more like a block party than a race with so many familiar faces and friends. I was concerned that beach parking in a residential area would be tough but that did not become an issues. All in all it was a standout event, I am looking forward to participating in the Oct 11 Dottie’s House End of Season Triathlon/Duathlon at Island Beach which is another DQ Event.

The Course:

The sprint distance included a 1/4 mile ocean swim, 11 mile bike and 5k run. The course was a tough ocean swim, followed by a three loop bike with some sweeping turns then a flat run around Spring Lake and boardwalk. The only minor criticism of the course was the three loops on the bike. Bike traffic made the third loop a bit tough especially since bikes were going in both directions and passing lanes were narrow. The ocean swim was definitely difficult. The current was strong and the swells added to the challenge but it was probably my favorite aspect of the course.

Transition Set-up:

With one race under my belt I had idea of what I wanted to do strategically. I also eliminated clutter in my set up that was unnecessary and implemented some preparation that was missing in my first race. My goal was to be simple and systematic. I added a nutrition system to my bike which I did not have for my first race and planned to down a gel after the bike. Nothing fancy, no extra steps. The biggest decision I made was not to go with the wetsuit. This may have cost me a few minutes in my swim because I did not anticipate the swim going as long as it did. In retrospect I probably should have listened to coach and went with the wetsuit.

The Start and Swim

I went into my second race with a game plan. I was not going to repeat the mistakes of my first race and attempt the swim without being properly warmed up. Even though I was anxious I managed to get in enough of a swim to relax me and get me loose before the start. I spotted my start to the outside and actually paused for about 5 seconds to give the pack a head start because I knew getting pummeled in the swells of the ocean could take me right out of race mode. I think I may have slightly over thought my strategy and did not give my training and preparation enough credit.

Where I went wrong was to stay too far to the outside thereby swimming a longer distance than I had too. Additionally, a strong current pulled me further from shore and I had to adjust my course to swim slightly inland to compensate for the currents. I swam until I touched bottom and made my way to the shore for the long transition run to the bike up the beach and across the street.

My training had prepared me for the ocean swim which felt strong and I had the conditioning to dig at a race pace for the entire swim. I have come up the curve in the swim and proved it to myself in this race. Certainly I could have been much more efficient in my course and stroke but I am learning. I was very pleased I finished the ¼ mile swim in 14:34 which ranked me middle of the field at 199/374.

Transition #1

There was nothing fancy about transition one get my bike shoes on, race belt, helmet and sunglasses and I was off. I waddled in my bike shoes to the mounting line and was off. A fairly smooth and quick first transition because I did not have to make the extra step of peeling the wetsuit was 1:33 which ranked 59/374.

The Bike:

Since the bike is my strongest leg I had a higher performance expectations for this leg of the race. I also realized that I did have to dial the intensity down slightly to leave some gas in the tank for the run. While this bike was short and flat it was not easy. Since I was in the first wave I was fortunate that my first loop was open and fast. The difficultly came in loop two and three as traffic started to build on the course. It became very difficult to pass traffic in narrow lanes which I estimate slowed the field down. I felt very comfortable on my bike and focused on my race pace. I have enjoyed the bike portions of my races and was feeling good and enjoying the ride. My bike ride was 31:50 with an average speed of 20.7 which ranked 59/374. I was very satisfied with my bike ride hoping it left me with enough legs to finish strong.

Transition #2

I approached the dismount area and hopped off my bike cleanly. I ran back to the transition area in my bike shoes. In spite of this I quickly racked my bike and popped off my bike shoes and went right into my running shoes sockless. I made a slight mistake here and raked my bike on the wrong side which left my gear on the opposite side of the rack which is something to consider for my next race. Second transition time was 1:12 which ranked 168/374.

The Run:

My run was a vast improvement from my first race. My training and brick workouts improved my legs for the run. Of runningequal importance I believe was nutrition on the course. Most of the information I have read indicated that nutrition on a race of this length is not overly important but in my case I found it made a big difference for me. Not only was I able to keep a good race pace but I was able to finish with a strong sprint to the finish line.

I am still a very inexperienced runner. In my initial months of training I believe my overall speed and endurance accelerated during my runs but I have not seen much improvement in the last three months. Just like in my swim I think my doubt and inexperience may have cost me some precious time. I was unable to judge where I was in the course having no idea how much distance was left. I knew my pace was better than my first race but was unsure. When I saw the finish line I was able to sprint to the finish, but I felt like I did not leave it all on the course. My 5k run was 24:04 26:49 on a pace of 7:46 which ranked 82/374. This was a 2:45 minute improvement over my first race which was very encouraging to see.

The Finish:

The finish is always a wonderful feeling. I have been working hard in my training and it is extremely satisfying to experience notable improvements in my fitness and performance. I know I have so much to learn but it becomes easy when you have so much fun doing it. My overall time was 1:13:10 which ranked 67/374. I finished 12/38 in 35-39 age group.

Lessons Learned:

I need to trust my training. Now that I have a bit of experience I should be better prepared for the swimming starts. I need to practice transitions as part of my race preparation. I also need to use a watch/heart rate monitor in my training. I have been thinking about this for a while but I do know it is an important tool for training and my time on the run would have helped me gauge distance better so I could have kicked it into 5th gear earlier.

Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who made this such an awesome race and a fantastic job by Tom Manzi and DQ Events for putting it all together. Special thanks to Christian of Cycles 54, Christine from The Shore Runner and the Western Monmouth YMCA. Special thanks to John Hughes, the entire Team for Autism Awareness and the JT Foundation. What a great day!