Heading to sprint distance tri in Ft. Lauderdale - Triathlon Week

DOUBLE DOWN · 09-16-2006, 10:04 AM

Sunday, 9/17/06
CB Smith Park in Ft. Lauderdale
.25 swim / 10 bike / 3.3 run

My goal is under 1:10 with major improvements in the run over my last races. I've been training 9-11 hours a week for the last three getting ready for a series of Olympic distance tri's in October and November.

I also just put a set of aero bladed deep race wheels on the bike that my shop asked me to test along with a reduced diameter tire. They are aluminum, and aside from the aero advantages, these weigh significantly less than my stock wheels. I have not trained on them at all and am only trying them as an experiment for the shop owner. I don't even know the manufacturer!

This is also my first time traveling away from home to race, so it's my first chance attempt at not forgeting anything and a new pre-race routine.

I'll post results on Monday.

hmullett · 09-16-2006, 12:05 PM

Good luck! Definitely let us know how it goes! And how lucky that your bike shop is letting you "experiment" race wheels! Maybe I should give them a call.....

Heather

chappy · 09-16-2006, 01:28 PM

Good Luck, and how do you get the local bike shop to let you "test" things? I'll be heading down to mine for the first time next week to rent a road bike for my first sprint tri.

sfricks · 09-16-2006, 05:14 PM

Knock 'em dead guys! 1:10 is humpin' and 10 hrs/wk training!!! I'm barely getting that for my Ironman! Great job. Looking forward to Sun/Mon post from you!

As with Chappy, my Sprint is next week. Best of luck to you Chappy.

DOUBLE DOWN · 09-16-2006, 05:42 PM

Trust me,
I spend lots of $$$ at the bike shop between myself on my training buds. You develope a good relationship with them when you refer your training buddies over and they all buy expensive road bikes. I'm trying to hit them up for a sponsorship, but that's harder than I thought.

The wheels are Focus 20/20 with Michelin pro 23X700 that have a measured diameter closer to 22mm. They are blue sidewalls, not sure if anyone has tried these. I haven't been able to ride yet as it has been raining all afternoon.

The wheels have 16 bladed spokes and a rounded inner lip. They look cool..we'll see. I did a search on line and couldn't find anything on them.

This week, my training was as follows:

Bike - 2:30 minuutes
Run - 1:36 minutes
Swim - 1:30 minutes
weights - 1:30 minutes
stretching - 1:00 (using videos 15 minutes a day and 30 minutes on day before race)

Add a liitle over an hour on the race, and I'll be at my target for the week. I took two days off before the race except for stretching.

My group is having our usual pre-race party tonight. We eat some whole wheat pasta and do a jagermeister shot for good luck. I don't know if that helps, but it sure tastes good!

chappy · 09-16-2006, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfricks

Knock 'em dead guys! 1:10 is humpin' and 10 hrs/wk training!!! I'm barely getting that for my Ironman! Great job. Looking forward to Sun/Mon post from you!

As with Chappy, my Sprint is next week. Best of luck to you Chappy.

Thanks for all the tips, Scott. I got some easy laces yesterday and those things are awesome. Good luck on your sprint.

DOUBLE DOWN · 09-17-2006, 05:25 PM

Didn't make my goal, but this course was much slower than my home course.

8:07 / 2:59 (t1) / 32:31 / :39 (t2) / 28:43

The bike course was over 11 miles and made 4 laps around the park, so slowing down at all the turns really slowed my bike time. So much for aero wheels and thinner diameter tires, I needed the wide ones for traction on the turns! It rained all night, so the course was wet and sandy at all turns. My previous fastest time on a 10 mile race was 30:49, so maybe 2 minutes off wasn't bad.

My previous best time on a 5K run (3.1 mi) was 28:41, so running a 28:43 on a longer course makes me feel that the training is paying off. I'll spend alot of time turning myself into a runner this month. I start some speed work with my coach this week at the high school track.

The swim was nice. A fresh water lake is very different from open ocean swimming. No waves slamming you in the face. That was my fastest swim time to date.

The run to transition from the lake was a 500 yard sidewalk with gravel and rocks throughout. That was interesting.

It was nice trying a new venue. Next up, The Escape from Miami Olympic distance tri [ [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ] in October.

hmullett · 09-17-2006, 06:27 PM

DD,
I still think it was a great race time! And, with the negatives against you, I would definitely say that the training is paying off. Just keep with it. I've posted before about how I PR'd a local course that I've raced 5 times in the past 3 years. I've improved over 11 minutes in 3 years and I'll be even faster next season! Its all about finding the things you need to improve on and working on them! So, I think you're doing a great job!

Heather

sfricks · 09-18-2006, 06:48 AM

GREAT JOB DD! Sounds like the elements were contrary to your goal time but you sure did pull everything out if it. Sounds like road bike had the course advantage. Do you ride STIs or does your bike have bar end shifters? Given that the run to T1 was a quarter of a mile, you were humpin’ to put together a 2:59. Your actual T time must have been lightening fast! Again, great job.

Regarding the wheels & tires... The Focus brand wheels can be bought on EBay. They're a good looking but cheap "off brand". I had a friend who rode these and threw them away after a year. Turns out they're cheaper to replace than rebuild. I've not had great luck with the Michelin Pros either. Our roads here hold a lot of debris and tend to produce a great many cuts and punctures. I've ridden the entire Michelin line (Pro, Pro Lite, Ironman, etc as it's all my LBS carries. Replacing my tires 4-5 times a year got old. I switched to the Stadius Pro for a training tire and race Vitoria EVOs. The Stadius is a cheap 10 bar (145~ PSI) tire but are not high quality. I love the Vitorias. Great traction, high pressure (10 bar), and the most cut resistant tire I’ve ridden. *** Side note to Heather: Don’t forget to put new rubber on your steed 1 week before your dance. ***

I’m jealous of your Oly! Doesn’t that race take you through the Miami Zoo? Now that you’re hooked, you need to see if you can get a slot in St Anthony’s. That’s the only short course I’d ever travel JUST to race. If you’re not committed to EFM, you might look at the Florida Challenge 70.3 in Clermont too. Sounds like you’re ready for middle distance + :)

I did my Sprint Course as a workout Sunday. Other than getting stung by a sea wasp (think Jelly Fish crossed with Man-of-War on Steroids!), the workout was great. If the weather holds, it'll be faster than last year. My goal is 1:30. Think I'm there!

DOUBLE DOWN · 09-18-2006, 07:21 AM

Scott,
The Olympic tri in October drops us off on an island in Biscayne Bay. We have to swim .7 miles to a park near down town and run to the bike. The biking and running take place on Miami Beach.

The November Olympic tri is the one that runs through Miami Metro Zoo. Here are the links to both incase anyone wants to travel.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] - This is the Escape Challenge in October

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] - You can find the MIAMI MAN event on their listing as well as the past years events.

As for the bike,
I was happy to have the drop bars on my road bike. I have been looking at a tri bike with bar end shifters and "short bars", but I see where the road bike came in handy this time.
The focus wheels are being sold in his shop for $300. They actually look pretty cool, and I'm going on a long ride this week to test their "aero" advantage over my stock wheels. I know my speedo is usually showing anywhere from 19 MPH to 22 MPH when I'm riding what I would call my normal speed in the aero position on flat roads without much wind. If I get on it, maybe 24-25, but I can't keep that speed for miles on end. While riding the longest stretch of open road at the race, I saw 23 pretty steady on my speedo, so I'm interested to see if there is a real advantage there. Compared to the $1800 Xentis wheels or the $1950 Zipp's I was dreaming about, these will have to do for now. I just hope there is some advantage.

chappy · 09-18-2006, 02:57 PM

Great Job! I love all these race reports. I'm getting seriously pumped to do my first triathlon. I did 8 miles on a stationary bike in 22 minutes. I'm not sure how they measure the miles and then ran along the patuxent river for 3.3 miles.

sfricks · 09-19-2006, 06:11 AM

DD: Have fun in Miami. I love the area. Lots of culture. Should be a fun race.

FYI, in last monts Triathlon magazine they wind tunnel tested aero wheels and aero helmets. The results were that you get more aero dynamic benefit from an aero helmet than aero wheels. USC's cycling team did a study on aero wheels and although I can't recall the exact benefit it was somehting like 30 seconds in a 40k time trial. I've heard an arbitrary "2 minutes" in an ironman. Obviously, the faster you go, the greater the advantage. For most of us they just look cool. I guranatee you won't be able to tell a difference just by riding one wheel over another outside clinical conditions. You're talking seconds, not minutes of advantage. How hydradated or rested you are will have much more influence over your ride. So... I'd say if you want the wheels to look cool on your ride, buy them. If you seriously want aero dynamics, forget the wheel and buy an aero helmet first.

Terry: Great workout! 8 miles in 22 minutes is about 22mph average. That's movin' Sounds like you're ready. Keep it up!

As for me, this is swim week. I did ride 13 this AM with wifey who set a PR of 53:45 on our infamous East End Loop. That time makes her officially competitive with our Cycling Federation members. Maybe I'll post her Tri splits from Sundays race as well.