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Race Result

Racer: Mike Tine
Race: Reston Triathlon
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2005
Location: Reston, VA
Race Type: Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group: Male 30 - 34
Time: 2:15:42
Overall Place: 27 / 517
Age Group Place: 7 / 41
Comment: Great race for a not highly trained year. Enjoyed this one, though!



Race Report:



Well, I lost another wedding ring (kicked in the hand about 150 yards into the race). Thankfully, my wife is VERY understanding! That being said, other than that unfortunate incident, this race went better than expected if not quite as well as hoped.

My pre-race goals were to be within 3 minutes of Steve Smith (yes, Steve, I set goals off of you!) after the swim, be in the top 20 after the bike, and be in the top 25 at the end. Additionally, I had a time goal of 2:07 and an age group goal of top 5.

My post-race results were only 2:16 minutes behind Steve after the swim, 22nd after the bike (about even to where I started the bike), and 27th after the run (although top 25 in my wave). My time was 2:15:42, getting beaten by Kevin Kunkel by a mere 2 seconds! Had we been in the same wave, it would have been a fun kick to the finish line, although as a runner he probably would have beaten me anyway. I was 7th in the 30-34 age group. And yet, with all of this, I still consider this a wonderfully successful race for me. I conquered my running demons of mid-season – maybe not entirely, but at least enough to know I’ve still got it in me. And I got top 30 – not bad. This was the first race in awhile that I truly enjoyed before, during, and after.

The swim started suddenly, but I settled into a good rhythm and swam a reasonably straight line to the final buoy. After the turn, I had a hard time staying straight (continued to drift slightly right due to shore line) or sighting the finish, but continued swimming long and strong. I raced into transition, took too long to strip my wetsuit and get on shoes, but overall had a decent transition. The bike was taking my breath away until after the turn onto Lawyers. At that point, I forced myself to slow slightly to regain my breath control (HR was fine). This took about ˝ mile, but then I was able to get into a good rhythm. I was back and forth with several other competitors, but that helped push me through the bike. I was superb on the downhills (that weight’s coming in handy!), and decent on the uphills. It was a bit difficult to maneuver, particularly around the turn from Twin Branches onto Glade with the later waves clogging it up, but all in all it was a great and comfortable ride.

My transition from bike to run went relatively smoothly, although I forgot – again – to take out my gel bottle from my shirt pocket. After about 10 seconds wasted turning around and taking care of that, I was off. About 200 yards into the run, I thought to myself “I feel fresher now than I have in any run segment this year.” This made me run more smoothly for the remainder of the run. That being said, I was hoping for a 7-minute pace, and I didn’t get anywhere near that. However, I was expecting an 8-minute pace, so I beat that! I may have been able to push it harder in the middle, but I wasn’t sure what I had in the gas tank given recent races. Also, I was pushing reasonably hard given my state of fitness this year. I got passed by a few people on the final hill up to the finish, but I also passed several others, so I think I netted out even. And I passed one or two others on the track, one at the finish line. I was completely wiped out when I finished, but felt surprisingly good after that. All things considered, a great day.

Things I learned: I need to stretch out my glutes/hamstrings better prior to the race. I felt twinges again on the bike. I need to practice better drafting on the swim. I need to learn again to push myself hard for a full 6.2 miles of the run. Stretching my sides eliminated the side stitch problem I had earlier in the year. If I dip my goggles in the water before putting them on (not all goggles, just this pair), they don't fog up on me at all. I need to practice running without socks.