With a few hours to reflect on my race yesterday, I am still very happy with my age group win at the Edinboro Triathlon. Here is a quick report on my race.
Swim (0.3 Miles – 09:26) : I chose to start the sprint race, as part of the ‘elite’ wave, who entered the water first. I wanted to challenge myself on the swim leg and I felt I met the criteria, which was the possibility of a top ten finish. I had a solid, if not spectacular swim. Unfortunately, as we swam through the weeds near the shore, I had trouble swimming straight and lost the opportunity to find some feet to draft. I ended up completing the swim pretty much alone, until I overtook a couple of people near the exit. Leaving the water, I smiled… for once I had not over exerted myself on the swim.
T1 (01:24) : My practicing paid off. I was a full minute faster than in 2019. I was much more efficient in removing my wetsuit, and I had my bike shoes on the bike.
Bike (12 Miles – 34:43) : I had a very solid bike leg. I was able to get into my bike shoes quite quickly and then set about catching those who had exited the water before me. The course wound its way up some small hills, out to a long out and back, straight road. The outbound portion was a gradual climb and I was able to reel in several other sprint race cyclists. I was also passing lots of people who were doing the Olympic race, so it felt like I was making good progress.
After the turnaround, it was mostly downhill and I started to fly. I averaged over 30 mph for much of the straight road back towards town. Once back in town, I was able to easily get out of my bike shoes and dismount at the line. Overall my power on the bike was quite good, but I struggled to push the power that I had predicted. Maybe my legs were a little fatigued.
T2 (01:09) – I was a little slower than I hoped in T2, with my time exactly matching that of 2019.
Run (3.1 Miles – 24:14) : The run was the most disappointing thing about my race. My legs felt a little weak, but I really struggled with my breathing again. The early part of the run course at the Edinboro Triathlon is flat, but then it goes uphill for about half a mile. The first part of the uphill section is really steep and that set off my breathing. I ended up walking through the aid station at the top of that steep incline, to catch my breath. After that, I ran quite well, but still struggled with breathing.
A couple of competitors passed me on the run, but they were absolutely flying. Even if I was breathing well, I don’t think it would have mattered. Eventually I got to the finishing chute and sprinted as best I could, over the line (the photo is me within 100 yards of the finish). My run was almost two minutes slower than in 2019.
Total Time = 1:10:53
My total time was slightly slower than 2019, but the bike course was slightly longer this year. I really like this race and I’ll likely be back to race the Edinboro Triathlon in 2022. I’ll be aging up next year too!
