Race 15: Silicon Valley Olympic Distance Triathlon

Date: June 13, 2010
Distance: 1.25k Swim, 40k Bike, 10k Run

After my recent success at Wildflower (even if I did get sick) I was really psyched to keep a strong season going with the flat and fast course of the Silicon Valley Olympic Distance Triathlon. I woke up early that morning anxious to improve on last year and set a new personal best for the Olympic distance.

The swim started and ended almost exactly like the year before. It was a deep water start, only I took a chance and tried to swim in the pack of racers. I was worried about getting kicked in the face, and the thrashing of a hundred other pairs of arms and legs didn't exactly excite me, but I knew that if I wanted to improve, I was going to have to learn to deal with it. After about 250 yards of swimming, the pack started to spread out and I was able to get into more of a rhythm with my swim stroke. I must have gotten caught up with just trying to keep a steady stroke, because I stopped checking ahead of me for the guide buoys and once again got caught off course. This added to me time, and in the end my swim time was almost the same as the year before, but I felt a little stronger going into the bike.


The bike went extremely smoothly. I found my rhythm quickly and kept it strong. The course takes place within 30 minutes of my house, so my training for the last few months included this exact bike course, and it seemed the training was really paying off. The bike seemed like the easiest ride I've ever had in my races so far. Looking back I probably could have pushed myself a little harder to gain some time, but then again, if I did I might push myself to hard and run out of gas to soon, so it may have been for the best. Unfortunately, the official results have been lost, but from what I remember I came in from the bike in less than an hour and a half, or just under two hours including the swim. After a quick transition, I began on my run.

I started running feeling fresh, and kept myself at a sustainable pace. One thing that always happens to me when I'm training with the run, is that I start at a pace that I want to run at, and if I'm feeling good, I turn up the pace involuntary. My legs just like to take me faster when I can go faster. Today, my legs were going faster than I was asking them too. I kept my mile splits with my Timex watch though the whole run. The first mile I ran around 7 minutes, 30 seconds.  The 3rd was around 7 minutes, 15 seconds. The fastest of the run was just over 7 minutes. Much faster than I usually run even in training. I was so excited to see my final time, 2 hours and 44 minutes. The run itself was about 45 minutes, giving me an average speed of 7 minutes, 15 seconds per mile! I was so excited about finishing time I forgot to look at the clock as I crossed the finish line! I finished in just under 2 hours and 44 minutes, making for my fastest race at this distance.

Unfortunately, the official results for this race have seemed to be lost. But I wasn't done with making personal bests.

Links:

Website: http://www.usaproductions.org/events/triathlon-series/tri-svot

Race 9: Silicon Valley Olympic Triathlon

Date: June 21 2009
Distance: 1.25k Swim, 40k Bike Ride, 10k Run

Last year I was at Almaden lake for the Silicon Valley Mountain Bike Triathlon, but this year I decided to up the stakes a little bit and go for my second Olympic distance race. The swim was a little shorter than the traditional race distance at 1.25 kilometers due to the size of the Almaden lake. The race started deep water just like last year, and not feeling like I was able to keep in the pack for this distance I allowed the more adventitious and competitive athletes go first, and followed steadily behind.

The swim was difficult for me. I was having a tough time keeping straight between each turn buoy, or even sighting them. I think at least once a lifeguard had to paddle out to me and set me back on course. Eventually I found my way to the water exit, and transitioned to the bike.

The 40k bike ride is one of the flattest, fastest courses I have ever raced on. There is only 1 hill that takes about 2 minutes to climb half way though the course, and then a downhill ride back to the race start. The ride was fairly uneventful as I kept a steady pace though the whole thing. After finishing my ride, I was well on my way to a sub 3 hour time which was my goal of the race.

The run was yet another flat and fast course though the park, and once again I kept a strong steady pace though what I thought was supposed to be a 10k run, but somewhere along the line someone messed up a measurement or two, which forced everyone to run an extra 2 kilometers. This was a interesting surprise, but I persevered though and finished in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 57 seconds. 3 seconds under my goal time! It's easy to say that I was very pleased with the result, and looked forward to doing more Olympic distance races later in the year.

Links:

Website: http://www.usaproductions.org/events/triathlon-series/tri-svot
Official Results: http://www.usaproductions.org/media/SVODT2009.pdf