Webster Lake Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Two weeks after Rev3, I was back racing at the Webster Lake Sprint Triathlon in Webster, MA on June 20th.  The race was a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run.  I had taken a complete week off after Rev3, and was now in week 1 of the Miami training plan.  I arrived with plenty of time for a warmup swim.

My parent's arrived just before the start and were able to see me off.  I was in the first of four waves with all the men under 40.  I positioned myself on the outside in the midpack.  This starting position has been working well for me so far, as it allows me to swim my race with minimal interference.

 

It was another smooth trip around the counterclockwise, two turn course.  I settled into the main chase pack just behind the fast swimmers who were pushing away in ones and twos.  Here is the pack heading down the "backstretch" and rounding the last turn buoy.

 

I'm the arm directly left of the closest buoy:

 

I'm the high elbow in the bottom center:

I was 15th overall out of the water (9th in my age group).  The swim was noticeable shorter then the advertised half mile (880 yards).  I would guess it was more like 700-750 yards.  I passed several guys right at the shore as they fumbled with their wetsuit.  Knowing it was nearly 1/3 of a mile run to T1, I knew there would be plenty of time to unzip on the way.

My T1 was a little slow, mostly because of the long run to the transition area.  Just down the road on the bike was the major challenge of the day, a short steep hill from mile 4 to 4.5.  I was soon getting passed by the fast guys who started in the wave behind me.  Cresting the hill, and onto the flats on the second half of the course, I was able to use these guys as carrots to push myself back to T2.

I felt like I didn't have a great bike, but my results indicate that I was fairly competitive.

 

Some shots coming into T2:

I had a quick T2 and it was just the run left.  I knew the run was flat with a couple of small rollers.  I was feeling good at the start and was easily holding 7:30-8:00/mile pace.  Even had time for a smile and wave to mom on the way by:

 

Approaching the turnaround, went through a bad stretch with some mild cramps that brought my pace down significantly.  They subsided quickly though and I was able to gather myself and increase my speed through the rest of the run.

The first mile was at 8:05, the second at 8:51, and the last 8/10 in 7:57.  The run was about 2/10 of a mile shorter then advertised.  Overall this was good for a 8:20/mile pace overall according to my Garmin which was my best run so far this year.

 

Crossing the finish line:

 

I was happy with the results.  I had a competitive swim, a strong bike and my best run of the year - even with some cramping.  I nearly ended up top half of my age group and top 20% overall.  I really liked the race course, but the swim and run were not the advertised distances. 

 

Thanks to my parents for venturing across the backroads of MA to watch.

 

And thanks to my special race photographer for the support and great shots!

 

Final stats:

 

	Time	Official Distance	Official Pace	Garmin Distance	Garmin Pace	AG Place	%	Overall Place	%
# Entries						19		272
Swim	11:36	1/2 mile	1:19/100 yd			9	47%	49	18%
T1	4:01					11	58%	93	34%
Bike	35:38	12 miles	20.2 mph	12.01 miles	20.2 mph	8	42%	45	17%
T2	0:40					9	47%	52	19%
Run	23:04	3 miles	7:41/mile	2.77 miles	8:20/mile	13	68%	115	42%
Total	1:15:01					11	58%	60	22%