Monday, September 6, 2010

Skinnyman Tri Race Report - part 1.

Well, I have not been very good about posting regularly. Nothing posted in July or August. It's now September 5th and I did finally decide on a race way back in early July. I ended up signing up for the "expensive" but local Skinnyman Sprint Tri in Skaneateles NY. I decided on this race for a number of reasons.

  1. I live 5 minutes from the start so I would have an easy time getting there on the morning of the race.
  2. I know the course. Well I knew the bike course very well as I have ridden it many times with friends. The swim is pretty straight forward from the north end on Skaneateles Lake, right in the village. The run on the other hand was changed fro previous years. Due to road construction on the previous run route, the run was completely moved. The new run was on roads I a familiar with, but I did not have the opportunity to run the route due to the short period of time before the race that the revised route was announced and my tapering before the race.
  3. My friends and family would easily be able to see me race, and I would also know many of the competitors as they would be friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances from the area.
  4. The reality of the cost differences disappeared when considering transportation and lodging for races that were farther away.
I prepared pretty well for the race. Would have liked to have done more running but my knee severely limits the amount of training I could do.  My bicycling was my strongest area prior to my decision to compete, so
I did not focus heavily on bike training. Swimming is my second strongest event, so I worked pretty hard to develop my swim. I made a conscious decision to train only in open water. I think it paid off.

Thursday before the race:
I went and picked up my race packet at a bike shop in Syracuse. They were offering 15% off of accessories and nutrition products.  I needed to pick up a Bento box and some Gu. When I picked up my packet, they forgot to include my swim cap to indicate the wave I would be starting in.

Day before the race:
I decided to take the off of work on Friday. Mainly to ease my anxiety of getting my gear bag organized with clothing and nutrition and going over my bikes mechanics.  I also needed to pick up my swim cap. I also wanted to ensure that I got to bed early.  I was able to think through each step of  my race and organize my gear bag appropriately. Everything worked out nicely and I was able to get to bed early!

Morning of the race:
I had been given advice to eat breakfast at least 2 hours prior to the start (7:30am) but the transition area opened at 5:30.  So I was up by 4:00am, showered and dressed by 4:30. A leisurely coffee (1/4 caffeinated)  and breakfast of organic oatmeal. I had loaded up my bike in the van the night before, so all I had to load was my gear bag. I left my house shorty after 5am and arrived at my in-laws (they have a house in the village of Skaneateles) where I would be able to walk a few blocks to the park where the race would be starting.

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