UMM Tinman Race Report
April 25, 2015
Pre race: Finished rounding up all of my race stuff from its
winter hiding places. With Ironman as my
last event, some of my gear had been in storage for a while (Since T4C in
July)! I packed gear bags, then had an early bed time. Unfortunately, Camp Ripley thought it was a
great night to shoot the big guns all night long! Got up about at 04:00. Normal pre-race routine. I was out the door by 04:45. As I headed out to the car, I was thinking
what great weather it was turning out to be!
I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a
transition spot. Unlike home, it was
overcast, cool & windy. Winds were a
mere 15 mph. I got things set up, got
checked in & body marked. A quick
warm up & bike check then off to the pre-race meeting. The field was smaller this year, which I feel
is going to be a trend in many local races.
Many of the familiar faces from this event were missing. The Olympic distance seemed to be the most
affected.
1100 Swim Time Estimated: 16:30 Actual: 15:36
We were seeded by estimated swim time with 3 per lane. The entire Olympic field started in the same
heat. I was the slowest anticipated pace of my lane, so took up the rear. It was a relaxed swim while sitting in the
draft. Around 500 yards, the lead swimmer started to pull off the front/ #2
started top fall back. I tapped his toes
& passed on the next turn. #1 was a
little too far ahead to get back in the draft by the time I was in the #2
position. At about 750 yards, I felt a
toe tap. At the wall, I moved out of the way to let the pass happen. As soon as I pulled up, He lifted his head
& told me to go (incidental contact).
A large leap out of the lane with the assistance of the starting block &
run to transition. I hit the wrong buttons
on my watch, so my data is off from the swim.
It felt great!
T1 Time Estimated: 0:40
Actual: 0:28 (Fastest T1!)
I had my jacket on the starting block during the swim, so
was putting it on as I ran out the door.
I had a great (fast & organized) T1.
19 Mile Bike Estimated Time: 1:00:00 Actual: 1:01:37
My flying mount was a little hindered by the slight uphill
exit from transition, but it worked. I
had placed my gloves over the bar end shifters & got them on in the first
mile or so. The wind was direct out of
the east at 15+ mph. Good thing the road
went straight east! I tried to just
grind it out, maintain my HR & cadence, & not look at my speed on the
out leg. At the turn I was averaging
around 15.5 mph! On the plus side, I had
been passed by only one at the turn!
Good news was that the return leg had a fantastic tailwind! I held my
own & came into T2 in 3rd overall!
T2 Time Estimated:
1:00 Actual: 0:32 (Second
Fastest of the day)
There is a slight downhill into the transition, so I used
caution coming in & had a great flying dismount! I had some difficulty getting my helmet off –
it is a little tougher to do when your fingers are numb!
6.2 Mile Run Estimated: 57:00 Actual: 57:52
Wind was again just a “light breeze” from the east (put your
head down & push on). I was in
uncharted territory for me. I was about
a mile out of 1/2nd & was better than 0.5 miles ahead of 4th.
The first mile was hard on the legs I couldn’t feel my toes until about mile
1.5. After getting my running legs &
feet back, I was feeling good. My race plan was to go out of my comfort zone
& push out of my comfort zone on the run.
I have done very little running since September 7th. As I left T2, my plan changed a little. I was going to be the guy from the Boston
Marathon that lead the first mile of the race.
I was going to go hard for as long as I could. I got caught around the mile mark & again
just shy of three. At that time I was
still holding my pace… not sub 7 pace though! At about mile 4, I cracked. The last two miles were painful, but I kept
trying to push my limits.
Finish Time Estimated: 2:15:00 Actual: 2:16:03 (2 Seconds slower than my PR!)
Recap: - This was a good early season race.
-I was able to pull off a 7th OA, 6th Male, 3rd AG
-Plan your race, race your plan! Pick something to focus on & go for it!
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