Niantic Bay Triathlon 8-8-2010

I had my best race to date. I took 12:48 off my 2007 Niantic time and for the first time finished above the bottom 20% in a race.

I haven’t done that many triathlons. In my first year at the sport --2007 --I did Teramuggus 4 times (two second to last finishes), Niantic and Lake Compounce. In 2008, I did Lake Compounce and in 2009 I only did Madison. This year I have done Amica Ocean Beach and Niantic, as well as the Shamrock Duathlon.

Now there are a number of explanations for my improved performance. I believe Niantic gets a lot of first timers so the field is weaker at the bottom than some tris. The weather was great – hardly any humidity at all. The swim and thus the first transition were different (and I think shorter) than 2007, I had a road bike and clip in pedals instead of a hybrid, and I have improved my transition ability. Still 12 minutes is 12 minutes. I felt strong and was happy with my performance throughout.

Here is where my time savings came from:

Swim 16:06 (0:53)
Bike 46:01(5:23)
Run 31:28 (3:50)
Transitions (2:28)

I don’t know when they changed the swim start, but it was a great improvement starting on the beach we finished at in 2007 and finishing at the beach we used to start at. This meant no running up the rocky path, and then up the rest of the hill and through the park to get to transition.

As a Clydesdale, I was in the 5th wave, along with the relay teams and men over 60. The swim was well marked. I drift markedly to the left if I swim without sighting, so I started well to the right and felt I swam pretty straight, and only drifted a little wide on the final swim in. I tried to get out of my wet-suit as quickly as I could, but didn't do as well as I had two weeks earlier. Just outside transition, I stopped to get out of the suit using the stand on it method. I had to step on it about six times. I lost my balance, and almost fell over, managing to split the nail on my big toe nail by stepping on myself before I finally got it off.

The bike start was also difficult for me. The bike starts at the bottom of a short hill. I clipped in with one pedal, but couldn’t get the second clipped in, and had to stop a couple times until I realized I could just push on the pedal unclipped and power up the hill that way. D'oh!

Other than that, my ride went great. I passed a number of people (and was passed by a number). Where at the Ocean Beach race, the Clydesdales were in the 2nd wave, being in the 5th, I had far fewer bikers blowing past me. I did quite well on the two hills and then on the declines, spent more time down in the aero position than I have in the past and over all felt increasingly confident.

When the ride ended we had to dismount and then walk our bikes down a short steep hill – so steep they advised you to take off your cleats and walk. I skidded in the cleats at first, and then quickly followed their suggestion and took them off. With so many people taking their shoes off, it created quite a bottleneck and I just missed getting my bare feet run over a couple times by people and bikes hurtling down the hill. In transition, I was thrilled to see someone had placed a chair near my spot, so I took advantage of it (Thank you to whoever!) and sat in it to change into my socks and sneakers and off I went. I ran slow and steady at first, drinking Gatorade at the water stops and pouring water on my head. Before entering the beach at the end, I glanced over my shoulder to see if there would be anyone trying to pass me in the last two hundred yards, and seeing no one, I decided to just run in at my same easy pace (I wanted to look fit and strong for my finish line photo. At New London I was so exhausted with trying to sprint on the boardwalk at the end I looked like I had lung disease in one finishing photo and quite teetering like I was having a stroke in the other). But then maybe fifty yards out, I heard someone shout that another runner was going to pass me, so I took off like Usain Bolt and roared across the line, uncaught. I eagarly await the photo -- the only thing missing, of course, will be the finishline tape across my chest.

While, with finisher medal around my neck, I declined to do a Usain Bolt pose, I did take my sneakers off and then took a celebratory dive back in the water for a refreshing post-race reward.

I’m not certain what my next race will be. If I can get a babysitter for my two-and–a half-year old, I may be at Lake T on Thursday evening (I have been trying to get there all summer). I have thought about trying Litchfield this year, but with the Brunning Road uphill currently being two miles of loose stone, I will likely pass unless they pave it.

The only definites on my schedule now are the Lake Quassy Swim and the Dave Parcells Tri, which I registered for last night. I hear they are almost full.


400 out of 511 (78%)
31 out of 43 Clydesdales
1:37:56 Total

Swim 254 (16:13) (49%)
TI 2:47
Bike: 421 (46:01) (82%)
T2 1:30
Run: 422 (31:28) (82%)

2007

Finish: 1:50:44 (92%)
Place: 357 of 389
Division: 21 of 24 Clydesdales

Swim: 17:06 (135) (35%)
T1: 4:55
Bike: 51:29 (374) (96%)
T2: 1:48
Run: 35:27 (367) (94%)

Difference

Total 12:48 (78% versus 92%)
Swim: 0:53 (49% versus 35%)
T1: 2:08
Bike: 5:23 (82% versus 96%)
T2: 0:18
Run: 3:59 (82% versus 94%)

Results