RR: NJ State Triathlon (Olympic)

This past Sunday was my first triathlon since IMAZ back in November.  In years past I have done the LavaMan Triathlon down in Lavallette, NJ in late June as a gauge to see where my fitness is and as a bit of a motivator to get ready for the July and August races that I normally do.  Well, this year I didn't do LavaMan because my daughter had a soccer game that day (family comes first), so I went into the NJ State Triathlon (Olympic) a bit unprepared or rather unsure of where my fitness was.  I suspected that I would be slower than I was last year this time, but I still thought I would be able to put in a decent time.  Well, let's just say, the day was all over the place....here is my weekend recap and race report:

Saturday
My wife and kids went to my in-laws for the weekend, so I was left to pretty much do whatever I wanted.  I slept a little late (7:20AM), ate some breakfast and then watched the Tour de France Time Trial (Cadel Evans rocks!).  It was around 11:15AM when I decided to head over to Mercer County Park to pick up my race packet....it was brutally hot out.  easily over 99F.  I didn't spend a whole lot of time there, pretty much got my number, t-shirt (way too big) and looked at a couple of tri tops that were on sale but of course not the right size (damn!).  On my way back to my car I ran in to fellow Blogger Theia who had made the trip up from Delaware for the race.  We talked for a few minutes before we went our separate ways (translation:  we both needed to get into air conditioning and drink large amounts of water). 

Once home I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and headed over to our pool to relax for a little bit, and of course put in a short swim (500 yds) just to loosen up a bit.  It was so hot out and I realized that laying in the sun was probably not the best idea the day before a race.  I headed home to relax in the air conditioning.

Sunday
I was up and out of the house by 5:20AM, I little later than I would have liked, but not terrible late (I arrived at my transition by 6:10AM).  The time in transition kind of flew by, having to set up my spot, then getting to talk to Theia again, and then it was time to exit and head down to the lake.  It was already 80F+.   The bad part of this race is that they send off each wave in 5 minute intervals and I was in the second to last wave which meant I had to wait around for 45 minutes before my start....ugh!

The Swim - 1,500m
At last it was time to get in the water, the piss warm water of Mercer County Lake.  The horn blew and the normal amount of kicking and slapping occurred.  I tried to find the cleanest water possible and around 200m in I was in a rhythm and swimming OK.  The first 900m seemed like forever and my shoulders were starting to feel it a bit, but at least I wasn't dealing with a whole lot of contact along the way.  Finally the turn buoy and then a few more strokes and the other buoy for the second to last straight away.  This is where I really started to hurt; my lack of swimming over the past few months really affected me and I slowed considerably.  I continued to push forward, hoping to see that last buoy which would signal the end to the swim.  Finally I made the turn and cruised smoothing to the end and up the ramp.  My shoulders were sore but my breathing was really all that labored; I felt good considering.  I saw my family:  My wife, two daughters (high-fived them all), my Dad, and my Mother- & Father-in-Law....always great to have people cheering you on.
Swim stats:  35:30 (2:09/100m), 503 Rank Overall

T1
Apparently I was a little more tired than I initially thought.  I was out of it and had trouble figuring out what the heck I was doing.  After some fumbling I got my glasses, helmet and watch on and jogged out of transition....slowly.  1:49, 166 Rank Overall

The Bike - 25.5 miles
It took me a bit longer than I expected to get my feet into my shoes (I was doing this on the fly on the bike), but around the 1st mile marker I was going.  The course is two loops, flat for the most part, with some good opportunities to really open it up and fly.  The first loop was a blur, I was feeling good, my legs felt fresh and my breathing was spot on.  Every mile was right around 2:45 (21.8MPH) and I didn't feel like I was pushing all that hard.  The second lap started off the same as the first and I was just cruising along passing all of the waves that started before me in the swim.  I think there were five guys that passed me the entire ride and they were geared up (race wheels, aero helmets, etc.).  Around mile 21 I started to feel it a bit, maybe I as riding a bit faster than I should have.  I had to put in a little extra effort to keep my speed up and I wasn't feeling all that great; my quads were sore and I was running out of fluids.

I shook off the bad feelings and knew I only had around 12 minutes of riding left.  On the way into the park I took my feet out of my shoes way too early (like a mile too early).  Such a rookie mistake which would come back and bite me on the run.  The ride was ending, I did a flying dismount and started my run through transition.
Bike Stats:  1:11:32 (21.4MPH), 171 Rank Overall

T2
The trip to my rack was a rough one, I stepped on a rock that left the bottom of my left foot a bit bruised.  I was not feeling all that great.  I racked my bike, slipped my shoes on (no socks), grabbed my visor and race belt/number and off I went.  1:27, 176 Rank Overall

The Death March....err Run - 6.2 miles
I knew the first mile would be a little rough, but I figured once I got my legs moving that things would settle down and I could hold an easy 8 - 8:30/mile pace.  Well, the first mile was around 8:50 and I was OK with that.  What I wasn't OK with was the pain I was feeling in my legs.  Perhaps I pushed it a little hard on the bike, eh?  Maybe I didn't take in enough fluids?  I was about to find out.  At the first turn around I grabbed two cups of water and a wet towel and walked through the aid station....the temp was easily 95F, it was HOT!!!  Around 1.5 miles into the run I dropped my Clif Shot Bloks and had to pick them up....cramp in my right hamstring.  WTF?  This was not a good sign at all. 

What was to ensue was the worst run I have ever had in a race ever.  The 10K run was a combination of running, shuffling, and walking.  Thank God for the numerous fire hydrants and fire hoses at various points along the course.  Honestly the high light of the run was seeing my family at the midpoint and getting to do another round of high fives as I went by.

I am not going to give a mile by mile description of the run since it would seem as though each mile was a carbon copy of the prior mile.  I will say that my pace slowed with each passing mile, and around the 5.5 mile mark I really wanted to try and finish strong but my body just wouldn't let me.  I was starting to get a mild head ache and despite my best efforts I just couldn't run like I wanted to.  I think I finally picked up the pace for the last 1/4 mile, high-fived my wife and daughters as I went down the finishers chute and was ecstatic that I was finally done with that damn run. 
Run Stats:  1:01:08, (9:51/mile), 508 Rank Overall
Final Time:  2:51:26, 345/976 Overall, 56/138 AG

Final Thoughts
Of course I am disappointed with my overall time and especially with my run as a whole, but I think I got what I deserved.  I haven't been able to train as well as I would like; swimming is tough because of family commitments, biking is OK, and running is tough because of the weather and the breathing issues I am dealing with (heat and humidity kill me).  My swim was exactly where I thought it would be considering the training I had put in.  The bike was slightly better than I expected, but I think that ended up hurting my run.  The run was horrible, but as I just stated, I rode a little too strong on the bike and didn't take in enough fluids, thus affecting my performance running.  It was a hot day and I didn't take care of my body like I should have.  I learned my lesson today and will be ready to do well next time.

I have another race in two weeks, a sprint tri down in Asbury Park, NJ, Born to Tri.  It is a much shorter race, flat as a pancake, and an ocean swim.  Hopefully the weather will be a bit cooler and I can post a much more competitive time.  As for right now, I need to get ride of the soreness in my legs, the pain behind my right knee and get back to training. 

Cheers everyone!