UMM Tinman Race Report
April 28, 2018
Race week: The Sunday before, I felt a sharp leg pain mid long bike ride. I tried to push through, but pulled the plug 2/3rds of the way through the ride. This allowed me to take the bike off the trainer and give it a little TLC. Well, that TLC found a few issues that needed addressing! Thankfully, my friends at Muddy Bikes were able to get parts in for me in short order! Friday afternoon, I was still touching up some of the mechanical issues discovered. This race always forces me to round 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! I packed gear bags, then had an early bed time.
Pre Race: My alarm went off at about at 04:00. I was out the door by 5am.
I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a transition spot. I got things set up, got checked in & body marked. A quick warm up & bike check only to find a dead sensor battery. Fortunately, Morris is a small town and the hardware store was only a few blocks away! The field was very small this year. 12+ inches of snow 10 days before race day doesn't exactly get people in the triathlon mindset! There were only 8 of us going after the Olympic distance race.
Pre Race: My alarm went off at about at 04:00. I was out the door by 5am.
I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a transition spot. I got things set up, got checked in & body marked. A quick warm up & bike check only to find a dead sensor battery. Fortunately, Morris is a small town and the hardware store was only a few blocks away! The field was very small this year. 12+ inches of snow 10 days before race day doesn't exactly get people in the triathlon mindset! There were only 8 of us going after the Olympic distance race.
1100 Swim Time Estimated: 16:00 Actual: 15:58
With the small field, it was open lane assignment. The entire Olympic field started in the same heat, each with our own lane. I maintained a very comfortable pace. When I hit the turn with 75yds to go, my lap counter flashed double orange. I didn't think my count was off. My Garmin showed my count was right, so I did my last 75yds and headed out (rather than just 25). The pool deck makes for a large leap out of the lane with the assistance of the starting block & run to transition while putting on my jacket.
T1 Time Estimated: 0:40 Actual: 0:55 (Fastest T1!)
I had a great (fast & organized) T1. I decided to put my gloves on before heading out due to the cool temps. It was fun to banter with Matt D. as he was about 30 seconds behind me into transition.
19 Mile Bike Estimated Time: 1:00:00 Actual: 0:59:18
Heading onto course, I knew Matt would be hot on my heels. It was cold with a "light breeze"….at least by Morris standards. I just tried to focus and stick to my plan. As I approached the turn, Matt finally caught up and passed. Shortly after, we saw someone heading back the other direction. How did they get ahead of us? Shortly after the turn, I caught back up to Matt for a little bit before he passed me back and put about a quarter mile lead on me heading into T2.
T2 Time Estimated: 1:00 Actual: 0:38 (Second fastest of the day)
Again, I had a smooth, organized transition.
6.2 Mile Run Estimated: 55:00 Actual: 59:36
The first mile was taken at an easy pace. My hamstring was not bad (yet), but was letting me know it was there. Around Mile 2, Matt had pulled off the trail and was pushing me on. An injury had got the better of him. Right on schedule at mile 3, I was passed by Sheena (as she does almost every year). I was able to let a volunteer know about Matt and send help back his way. The rest of the way home it was a battle. My hamstring was letting me know it wasn't happy. I had my loss by 4 seconds a couple years ago pushing me on. It was mind over matter and pushing myself to continue to the finish line. As I entered the track, I was all alone. It was an easy run into the finish.
Finish Time Estimated: 2:12:40 Actual: 2:16:23
This was my slowest pace of the last 3 years on this course. Most (all) time lost off my PR was "lost" on the run. 2017 was my fastest race and I took 3rd. 2016 was my next fastest and I took second by 4 seconds in a sprint to the finish. This year, I won the men's overall. It is not as much about a time as who shows up. This goes both for the field, but also each competitor. I did not show up with my "A" game, but showed up to give it all I could. The guy we saw on the bike had swam short (did not complete the swim yardage) and was disqualified. It is never over until you cross that finish line!
This was my slowest pace of the last 3 years on this course. Most (all) time lost off my PR was "lost" on the run. 2017 was my fastest race and I took 3rd. 2016 was my next fastest and I took second by 4 seconds in a sprint to the finish. This year, I won the men's overall. It is not as much about a time as who shows up. This goes both for the field, but also each competitor. I did not show up with my "A" game, but showed up to give it all I could. The guy we saw on the bike had swam short (did not complete the swim yardage) and was disqualified. It is never over until you cross that finish line!
