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Tri Indy: Benchmarking Race

Tri Indy was on July 31.  I think this is going to be my benchmark race.  The first time I attempted the Olympic distance was at this event and I managed to DNF before the run.  That was the impetus to start working with a sport dietitian and stop trying to work with advice from the diabetes center staff who didn't know what to do with me becoming an endurance athlete.  The second time I finished just under 4 hours.  So that is the beginning.  That was 2013.

In 2014 I raced the Oly at Tri Indy three weeks after finishing Muncie 70.3, which was my first 70.3. I struggled through the race, starting with a mentally difficult swim that was a minute slower than the prior year.  In and out of the water near last meant out on the bike near last and probably the last Oly athlete off the bike course since I could hear radio communications as I was passing about the last athlete.  First lap of the run was slow, heading out for the second lap I saw Kara and told her I was hot and sore...but I kept out there.  I finished just under 4:01.  Pretty all around crushing that it was over 4:00.

I didn't really do tri in 2015.  Only Cicero sprint and there were enough timing issues on my end and the timing company end that it was completely meaningless other than to have fun.

So this year my coach and I decided that Tri Indy was going to be the final tri of the season so I could focus on my goal for the Detroit Marathon.  It was also three weeks after Muskoka 70.3.  Aside from Tri Bonkers I have been racing well this season, with 30+ minute PRs at Oly and 70.3 distances, so it would be interesting to see what happened on the (very easy) Tri Indy course.  Based on my earlier performances this season I had requested and been granted to have my swim seed moved farther up, which is important for this race since it is a "time trial" start.

Tri Indy is also a good benchmark swim because this is the first year I have raced using a wetsuit, but it was not wetsuit legal for the swim this year.  This gives me a good apples-to-apples comparison.  In the future even if this race is wetsuit legal I will race without it to keep the comparison even.

My swim went well.  I didn't let the weeds freak me out as much as they have other years and I was able to keep more to the center of the canal with better sighting than I have done in the past (thanks to a lot of practice).  I was out of the water in under 43 minutes, which was 12 minutes faster than 2014.  T1 was a solid 2:30 and I was out on the bike course closer to mid-pack than I had been previously.  I passed a few people and got passed by a few.  There is a really rough section of road that is hard to ride fast out on White River Parkway.  Saw Chrissy as we headed back toward White River State Park and headed in strong.  Second loop I was passed less often because the people blowing by me on my first loop were on their second loop.  Came in and had another strong 2:30 transition.

The first mile of the run was a solid 11:45 and I was hopeful that it might get better, but it didn't. I saw Matt near the end of the second mile.  By this point I knew PR was highly questionable, I just didn't have the pace I needed.  He was positive and I kept going.  I chatted a bit with a woman who was trying to win masters Athena at the sprint distance (I don't know if she was successful).  She was taking walk breaks but still averaging about what I was.  I headed out on the second loop.  After the zoo it is full sun along the river and was starting to feel toasty.  I kept running, but I also knew from my splits that PR was unlikely, but sub-3:30 was still possible.  Kept it going and turned into the final part of the course before the loop to the finish.  Crossed the 6 mile marker and was about to start sprinting to the finish when a toddler stepped in front of me and tripped me.  I was able to recover and keep going, but it was a distraction.  Closed hard and finished just under 3:30.  So roughly 31 minutes better than 2014.  I'll take it.

Tri Indy should be on my 2017 list just to keep the benchmarking going.

Comments

  1. Just catching up on your last post now. What an amazing race! Seriously, I don't know how you keep cutting these incredible amounts of time off your races - you have all the right things going on! Good job! Looking forward to the Detroit report!!! I know you can do this!

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