Keuka Lake Triathlon 2010 Race Report

Took Saturday off to rest and only did an open water swim on Friday after an 85 mile ride on Thursday.  I didn't get into be on Saturday night until 11pm- too late but that was as early as I could manage.  I packed the car on before heading off to bed.  Woke up at 4am on Sunday to an absolute downpour which lasted for most of my drive to Keuka Park; I didn't even feel like I could safely drive the speed limit and took a little longer to get to the race than I had planned.

I got a great parking spot which was pretty close to the start/finish/transition area and headed to get my numbers and swim cap.  Packet pickup went smoothly and I was happy to get a hat, meaning I registered in the first 600 for the race (which includes all races: olympic, sprint, relay, aquabike...).  Heading back to the car I found more rain showers and, I should mention, the temperatures were in the upper 50s for the start- during the run it got warm for a bit but then we got a nice downpour again to cool things off.  I changed in the car into my race shorts and top, pumped up my bike tires, packed all of my race stuff up, and headed to the transition area.  Race numbers dictate where you bike goes in a row and I found a spot at the end of a rack with a little extra room to set up my running shoes and eventually drop my wetsuit.  By this time it was raining again so I put my socks, running shoes, visor, gel for the run, and sunglasses (yes, I'm am optimist) into a Wegman's bag to keep them dry; my bike shoes were already clipped into the pedals.

By now it was back to a steady downpour and getting a wetsuit on when you are already wet is tough so I headed under an overhang, with some other smart people, and put my wetsuit on in relative dryness...then to the swim start.  I actually got into the water and had some time to warm up before the start (which is new for me).  Water was warm and had a visibility of about 6 feet or so.  I tried to practice for Lake Placid by getting "in the mix" for the swim start but there weren't enough people to get the right feeling- a little bumping but nothing bad.  I didn't swim very straight but I think my swim was OK after I got into my groove.

I had a pretty quick T1- wetsuit came off quickly, socks went on well, helmet clipped on, and I was off.  I ran with my bike out of the transition area, crossed the mount line, and stepped on my shoes and then slipped into them while pedaling and building up speed.  Knowing my calf would slow my down on the run, I decided to push on the bike more than I normally would.  I passed a few people, ate three gels and drank almost a whole bottle of PowerBar drink (which is what will be on IMLP course).  Some of the roads were terrible, just as they were last year, but I managed.  New-to-me wheelset seemed fast and light and great in the wind we had in the face on the top of a ridge.  I rode by myself almost the entire time but found a good rhythm on the uphills and kept my cadence around 90.  Maximum speed was around 38.

Dismount from the bike went well and T2 was quick- rack the bike, slip on shoes and visor (sunglasses needed now), and clipped on the race number belt.  I found my run rhythm quickly, set my cadence at around 90 again, and chased a few people down as a few chased me down.  I had a couple of miles at 7 minute pace but had to back off to 730s and 8 minute pace as my calf tightened.  The calf didn't hold me back as much as it could- I didn't have to walk- but I was definitely not going as fast as I wanted to.  I ate a gel at the halfway turnaround and finished strong.  I ran with a guy from Massachusetts for a while which helped passed the time.

At the finish area I talked to, and was evaluated by, a chiropodist doctor and he have my calf a little of a massage and suggested that I get a massage from a true massage therapist.  I then headed, with my stuff, to the van to dump stuff off and put on some new calf compression sleeves that I just bought yesterday and headed out for some more running.  Again, I fell into a good zone and got another 4 miles in to up my run miles to 10, on a day that I was supposed to run 12- oh well, at least I got some running in.  The calf guards did seem to help so I will run with them on Tuesday.

Post-race meal was pretty good.  I stopped at Dunkin' Doughnuts on the way home for a large coffee and drove through the rain most of the way home.  All in all, it was a good day.  Now it is 10:10 and I'm heading to bed so that I can get up and be in the lake at 6 tomorrow morning. I didn't proofread so let me know if this is confusing.  7 weeks to go...

Race results to follow but I was something like 37/199 overall and 7/39 in age group- ok for a slow run.