Chicago was a great reminder of how much I have missed the sport of triathlon. It was the first time I had competed in Triathlon in four years and it felt great to be back. I'm not really sure why I took so much time off, I didn't plan on it, it just sort of happened. However, I think it was a good thing because racing in Chicago has recharged my batteries. I couldn't have asked for a better race.
I was very apprehensive about getting started that morning, especially since the water was reportedly so cold. It ended up not being too bad ( I think 65 or so). I felt good in the water and I only went off course twice. The break wall just happened to be on the same side that I breath so that made things a lot easier. I would recommend this triathlon to anyone for the swim venue alone. It was perfect!!
When I got to the bike I put on all my gear and looked for the shot blocks I had set out. It seems that someone had walked off with them. Next time I'm going to implement better security for my stuff including facial recognition technology to identify the perp. I went without any energy replacement with the exception of diluted gatorade. The bike started off well except for the headwind but I kept plugging away because I that eventually that same wind would be at my back. I told my Maija and my friend from Pittsburgh that after we made the turn I felt like I was on an amusement park ride because we were able to go so fast.
The run was flat and fast but seemed to go on for ever. We ran right by Soldier Field and I has visions of Mike Ditka yelling at me to run faster. I literally ran side by side another guy for 5.5 miles of the 6.2 run. I pulled away from him with .5 to go but he found a way to get me at the end. I still thanked him after it was over because had he not been there I'm sure my run would have been slower.
Overall I was happiest with my bike section of the race. I've never had much confidence on the bike because I always seemed to get passed by tons of people right after the swim. I blame Lance Armstrong in part for this because I always read that he practiced a high cadence to conserve energy. I figured that in preparation for this race I would try what felt natural which meant turning a higher gear with a lower cadence. It felt more comfortable and turned out to be much faster. I also didn't feel as tired either. Does anyone know what is recommended for triathletes? I think I'm going to stick with this new strategy. Maybe having an actual tri bike would help even more.
The timing for this race couldn't have been better since I had been apprehensive about next summer's Ironman, but now I feel much better about my decision to go back down that road.
Now its time to relax, do some short runs, even shorter races for a couple months.
6 comments:
Congratulations on an awesome race, Chris! Seems like the 4 years off agreed with you! :-) Which Ironman are you doing next year?
Matt and I have been having the same conversations about our bike cadence.
Congrats on a great race. Genine sent me a link to your results. Not too shabby especially considering you've been away from it for a number of years.
Good report. Great Race!
What do you consider a lower cadence? I seem to be comfortable in the 85-95 range, preferring to be closer to 85.
IMOO is your race next summer?
Do you have to go to the race this year to sign up?
It's crazy that you have to plan a year in advance for most races. I've already been working on my schedule for next summer.
IM Lake Placid correct?
Great race! We seem to have totally different experiences just a few minutes apart. What a difference being in a smaller wave makes and going in after a 4 year break vs 4 years of racing like crazy!
What is the race plan besides Lake Placid?
I forgot to comment on the cadence thing. Everyone has their own natural cadence that is comfortable. Lance does better at high cadence while one of his main opponents from back in the day Jan Ulrich had very low cadence. Two great cyclists with different styles. They could both climb and time trial well, just different. So, if you feel more comfortable doing that and run better that way, go for it. Too low of a cadence/big of a gear can lend itself towards tired/heavy legs for the run, but like all things, you need to practice it and experiment with it in training to see what works best for you. Hope that helps.
To back Maija up about the cadence. Here is a link to Joe Friel's blog
http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/03/effect-of-cycling-cadence-on-running-in.html
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