Race Result: Bismarck Sprint Triathlon

Event: Bismarck Triathlon (Sprint and Oly)
Date: Sunday, June 20
Location: Bismarck, North Dakota
Results: Sprint Results, Oly Results

Personal results

Goal: 1:06
Actual: 1:07:05
Overall: 3rd (60 total); top 5%
Overall Male Age Group (40-49): 1st (6 total)

The Recap

Up front, I should have won this race. That is not to take away from the very good performances of those who finished in front of me. It is a simple statement that had I hit my goals, I win...period. So many valuable seconds vanished here and there and those valuable seconds add up, don't they?

The 2010 Bismarck Triathlon version was two events. A Sprint Distance: 500 m swim, 20 k bike, 5 k run. And a Olympic Distance: 1500 m swim, 40 k bike, 10 k run. It all took place on the big horizon prairie sky at Misty Waters Marina, 4 miles north of Bismarck. The swim took place in the bay of Misty Waters Marina which is right off the Missouri River.To give you some idea of what the swim courses looked like:

You would not want to fight the current of the mighty Missouri. So the sheltered marina bay works out great. The water temperature was a refreshing 63-F...which was two degrees above what it was when I last did this event in 2008. Any way you slice it....its cold to us average Joe swimmers.

The race is put on by Epic Sports with race director Dennis Kemmesat once again doing a superb job of setting up this event. I cannot figure out why more Minnesotans don't try this event. Let me express to anyone on the east side of the Red River....if you want a flat (read fast) bike course this is it (sprint course). If you want a flat/fast Oly course sprinkled with a couple of really big grinders....this is it. I encourage you, check that. I implore you to put this one on your calendar for 2011. You'll love it.

My lone bitches on the race, petty as they are:

• Oly start time was 12:30 PM. Sprint start time was 1:00 PM (two waves). Let me tell you...the air was still, the sun was beating down and we were cooking like a pig on a poke before the event even got underway. Is it possible to start this event earlier in the day?
• The sprint was divided into 2 waves. By alphabet. A-K went in Wave 1. L-Z went in Wave 2. If one is going to have waves....break by male/female or even age group (39-under followed by 40-over) so that one can mark his competition.

Let's get into the race segments.

Swim - 500 meters
Goal - 9:00
Time - 9:45 (1:47 per 100 yds)
Overall Rank - 10 (60 total)
AG (40-49) Rank - 2nd (6 total)

We already mentioned it was nipple-hardening brisk in the water. Sprinkle in muddy, and slightly weedy (not as bad as Lake Independence for you Liberty participants) and vision is not something to worry about....'cause you can't see a damn thing.

I should have easily met my goal here. Here's what happened. I somehow got behind some yahoo who had no sense of direction and blocked my every move. I don't think he was blocking me intentionally. But he was the turtle and I was the northern pike and I need to get around him as I was losing seconds on every stroke.

If I tried to pass left, he moved left. If I tried to pass right, he moved right. Add insult to injury, he kicked me dead square in the chin...hard. Had me moving my tongue around to see if I had lost any teeth. That was it. I was now pissed off. So I went roller derby on him....making two strong strokes to move up on the inside and literally body bumped him out of the way. It was as if the sun came out and all of a sudden I had open water.

Time lost? I estimate 45-60 seconds.

Note @Curt Wood - My 2008 swim split was 10:25 wearing a Quintaroo suit. So the DeSoto (adjusting for the slow traffic) bought me approx. 1:30 over 500 meters.

T1
Goal - 2:00
Time - 1:42

Hey! Back under two minutes. The two piece Desoto Water Rover came off quicker this time. I think I'm getting use to it now. Just one minor issue with one leg...extra stomps required...but no issues here.

Bike - 20KTime
Goal - 33:35 (22.2 MPH)
Actual - 33:30 (22.6 MPH)
Overall Rank - 2nd (60 total)
AG (40-49) Rank - 2nd (6 total)

Oh. My. God. This is by far my favorite triathlon bike course I have ridden to date. I loved it in 2008. Still love it today. You just open up, get aero....and fly.

No issues with the calves. For the third event in a row. Whether all mental or the product, I am now a firm believer in this product. Available at Gear West. Stock up now.

Now, here is the silly part. I held back on the return of this out-and-back bike course. We'll get into that reasoning when I speak to the run. But question to my dear readers...all three of you...should I admonish myself for holding back some reserve or just let it go? One simply cannot go 100% for 100% of any triathlon. You have to know when to dial it in few even a few moments or risk totally bonking, correct? I'm open for input and comments.

I was happy to see myself in the upper 22's again. Its been a while. I need to be in the 23's but that will come later in the season. Happy as a clam after getting off the bike.

T2
Goal - 1:00
Time - 1:21

Lost unnecessary time here. One reason - my shoe horn had been moved. I use a shoe horn to slip quickly into the flats. Been doing this for years. It is soooo simple and quick. But the shoe horn was not where I had placed it. I wasted a few seconds looking, then just went to my Neanderthal thumbs. Twenty seconds lost easy.

Run - 5K
Goal - 20:24 (6:35 per mile)
Time - 21:16 (6:51 per mile)
Overall Rank - 3rd (60 total)
AG (40-49) Rank - 1st (6 total)

OK, let me tee this up. On Wednesday of last week I had done a planned 4-mile negative split workout. That meant I did the first mile under 7:40, the second mile under 7:30, the third mile under 7:20 and the last mile was to be sub-7's. You get the picture.

With a half-mile to go and me thinking how great I was doing/feeling, the left calf gave me a 1st degree warning shout. Lets break down the three degrees of muscle warnings:

3rd degree - You stepped on a rock and landed funny and the muscle gives you a 'what the feck are you doing' temporary twinge. You respond by snapping to attention, and keep on pushing at same pace. No worries.

2nd degree - You ask yourself if you had filled up the ice trays as you are going to need them when you get home. Temporary set back of one to two days.

1st degree - You know to shut it down immediately. Something is amiss. You will need every ACE bandage in the house along with Icy/Hot, ibuprofen, ice, heat, massage and prayer if you are competing later in the week.

And so I was in 1st degree hell. The pain was sudden and not good. It has to be an acute muscle injury to the inner calf. Imagine a line of pain straight down the center of the calf from knee to ankle. Tender to the touch. Can't bend the toes towards the knee.

I knew during warm ups on Sunday I was going to be in trouble. But when it came to the run I somehow just ran through the pain knowing that which each step I was causing more harm. My stride was right foot normal placement (toe plant and push) followed by a flat foot plant and push from the left. I have no idea how I managed a 6:51 pace...and the overall course is dead accurate. But I lost fifty seconds here off my goal which I know I can do.

Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda. Still proud of the effort. Live to fight another day.

Weekend Shout Outs!!!!

Huge, ginormous shout out to Adam "Wrong Way" Beston for winning top overall honors at the Utah Summer Games Oly triathlon despite a wrong turn. 2:05....incredible my man. Full results. I think we'll be seeing additional podium results from Adam yet this season.

Shout out to Don Schmeichel for winning the Clydesdale division at the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon. Don actually finished twelfth overall with the 10th best swim and 10th best bike and I see his run time is really make great strides. Don, tell your dad I was swearing at him big time when I was riding the inner trail at Pipestem mountain bike course this past Saturday.

Shout out to Chris Hawes for his 13th overall (43 total) in the male 35-39 AG at Lake Minnetonka. Chris is making a come back from a stress fracture and those run times are amazing! You are having a great comeback year!

Shout out to Mike Fretland for his third overall finish in the Bismarck Oly event. Mike, it is no sin to be chicked by Marnie Walth. And just so you know, post race she told me that you bury the training group on the bike. And thanks for your dad volunteering! He did a sweet job at transition and is a super nice guy. Best of luck at Lifetime!

Shout out to Steve Aesoph, race director/athlete. Steve spent Saturday winning a local 5K in Jamestown. Gave a mountain bike course tour of the upcoming Pipestem Creek XTERRA...all in the morning. Then returned in the afternoon to give me the same tour. He then raced Saturday. And that is the ONLY reason I came in ahead of him. He kicks my ass on any other day.

Shout out to Mario Minelli for his 2:13:26 Oly finish at the Rochesterfest Triathlon on Sunday. The results seem a little screwed up at the moment so I'm unsure of Mario's overall placement....but 2:13 is smokin'!

Finally, huge shout out to brother-in-law Kim Hocking who completed his first ever open water triathlon at Bismarck...and even took 2nd in his age group! Well done, sir! PS - Thanks for the shower and let Juanita know her food package saved me on the 6-hr drive home.

Next Event: Was to have been the Pipestem XTERRA. But due to the aforementioned calf, I will be taking a break from racing this coming weekend. That puts my next event on July 3, at Minneman. If still not completely recovered I will pass that event as well as Cornman is circled in big red on the race calendar. Cornman is the he Midwest Special Qualifier qualifies the top 33% per age group for the USAT Age Group National Championship in Tuscaloosa, AL on September 25, 2010. So I'm gunning for Cornman come hell or high water.