In just under two weeks, I'll have my first of three triathlons this summer. The race is our local Ordinary Mortals Triathlon (OMT) and it is a reverse sprint triathlon (3 mile run, 12 mile ride, 300 yd pool swim). This will be my third time in the last five years.
Back in January, with training going full blast, I'd hoped to have a phenomenal race. At that point, I was still applying the same level of enthusiasm and effort to my training (if not the volume) that I had for the Ironman. I quickly burned out.
In the end, that was probably a good thing. I've been busier at work than at any point previously in my life, and since stress is stress, trying to maintain that level of intensity would have likely left me injured. Besides, the whole point of NOT doing a longer race this year was to enjoy other endeavors and to indulge in being a bit lazier than in years past.
Even though today is cold enough to feel more like a winter's day than the first of May, the improving weather has me more excited about the upcoming season. I've adjusted my goals a bit for this first race, but that's okay. No need for my "A" race to be right out of the gate. I plan on continuing to train for the next several days, before starting to taper in the latter part of next week.
As far as goals for the race, I'll set a few. I'm also going to get my race plan laid out here, so I have some strategy going into the race. The logistics and strategy of triathlon is one of my favorite things about the race. It's definitely a race that requires some thinking in order to be effective.
The plan (in order of appearance):
Run- The three mile course for OMT is fairly challenging. It starts with a long downhill that results in an abnormally quick first mile. However, the last two-thirds of the course include several steep climbs. These hills can suck speed and energy quickly, causing one to burn some matches without really trying. The trick is to take advantage of the downhill without over extending. I'll try to put together a strong first mile, but then back off on the first climb a bit, keeping a steady pace, and trying not to overdo it. After another downhill, there's a second big climb back up towards T1. If I'm having a great race, I think I can do the 5k in a touch under 24:00.
T1- I'm hoping to practice some transitions this week. For Ironman, I really didn't have to worry much. If T1 or T2 took a few extra minutes, it didn't matter over the course of a long day. Now that I'm doing the short stuff, I need to get back to a quicker transition. My goal for this will be less than 1 minute.
Bike- This is a fast bike course. Mostly downhill on the way out and a gradual uphill on the return. Two years ago, I did it in 35 minutes. I may not be at quite the same level of fitness now as I was back then, but I'm stronger on the bike now than I'd been before. If all goes well, I think I can go sub 36:00.
T2- Much like T1, I'll want to move through this one. There's a bit more running to get through this transition and up to the swimming pool, so maybe 1:30
Swim- At 300 yards, the swim isn't much. I've been pacing my harder efforts around 1:40-1:50 this year. At that pace, I'll be around 5:30-5:50ish.
The Chart below lists some potential outcomes:
So, that's my plan in a nutshell.
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