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Race Result
| Racer: |
Erik Melis |
| Race: |
BRATS Salute to the Military Triathlon |
| Date: |
Sunday, May 24, 2009 |
| Location: |
Warrneton, VA |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - Sprint |
| Age Group: |
Male 50 - 54 |
| Time: |
1:21:11 |
| Overall Place: |
36 / 127 |
| Age Group Place: |
2 / 2 |
| Comment: |
This one, and the AG 2nd, was for my wife |
Race Report:
Race Report - BRATS Salute to the Military Tri, Vint Hill, VA, May 24,
2009
Pre-race activities
I did this race in honor of and to acknowledge my wife who was recalled to active duty and is currently deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan... I went out to pick up my packet on Saturday and drove the bike course since I was unfamiliar with the area... Funny, it didn't look as rolling to me as it
would end up feeling when I was actually on it. Since there were only two of us in my age group, and since the other guy ran a run pace that I can't match, I took a second place AG win by attrition but, hey, a win is a win and hardware is hardware...
Race morning
Decided to get an early start so that I could park and check out the rest of the race venue before the race. I got there and got a parking spot not too far from transition, checked out the pool layout and the bike and run exits and returns, got my gear set up, and then went back to the truck to finish my breakfast (banana, English muffin with peanut butter, and drink).
Swim (7:42) 300m pool snake swim
I am not a big fan of pool snake swims especially not ones where you go up and back in the same lane - I'm always worried about running head on into another swimmer especially when passing occurs and because I don't always swim straight. Unfortunately, passing is generally a consequence of folks
having a difficult time estimating their swim times, which I've been guilty of before as well. The swim was short enough that I was just going to relax and get through it. I hadn't counted on my goggles not sealing properly and started taking on water right after the start. My eyes are very sensitive to the pool chemicals so had no choice but to pause at lane end to adjust them. Didn't cost me much time I think but definitely closed the gap between me and the swimmer behind me. Water was not bad for an outdoor pool this time of year.
T1 (2:08)
Pretty uneventful transition to bike...was a little slow getting socks on but I can live with it.
Bike (39:31 - avg 18.8 mph)
The bike course was rolling, not like Columbia but that made it more tempting to push hard, maybe harder than I should have. Don't recall being passed by anyone on the bike but passed a number of folks so I knew I was making good time. The two east- west roads were a little rougher but the potholes were well marked, traffic was extremely light, and police assistance at the turns was much appreciated. By the time I came to end of the second loop, I could tell I was going to pay for pushing so hard on the run but it was fun. Finished 12th overall on the bike so was quite pleased with that effort.
T2 (1:19)
No issues except my legs felt a little trashed.
Run (30:30)
I wasn't sure what to expect on the run...except I knew it would hurt. My knees and foot rebelled as expected but I pushed through it all and managed to stay sub 10 on the run pace.
Summary and lessons learned
Overall, although I had a wardrobe malfunction (goggles) on the swim and the run wasn't pretty, I was thrilled to acknowledge my wife's service by bringing home an AG award. I really appreciated the way they openly acknowledged the active duty military folks and folks like me with deployed loved ones. I also appreciated and enjoyed watching the young triathletes being excited about the sport. Glad some of them aren't in my age group...
:)
Next up, Eagleman on June 14th...
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