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We wanted to help folks answer some questions that we hear fairly often, so we set up this site to upload some "how-to" videos we've made and will continue to make. Along the way we'll be adding some product reviews and descriptions. All of this is designed to help make your triathlon decisions easier!
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After doing Red Hills in Tallahassee for a number of years as my season opener I decided to try a new race. The Great Clermont Triathlon is in its 26th year so it really has some triathlon history behind it. This year they added a sprint race to their Olympic race to attract more participants. That diluted the Olympic race down to just under 300 participants. The Great Clermont Triathlon is a small race with a big race feel, complete with a race expo. The weather was good with a start temp of 69 degrees, 82 percent humidity and light winds.
A beach start, calm and clear water (for that area) made for a good swim. My winter swim technique work produced one of my best swim times. The bike was technical with a lot of hills, turns and patches of less than perfect roads. I have focused on my cycling this winter and I out split my competition by about 3 minutes as compared to last year. In the run, which is normally my strong point, I struggled. I developed a bad blister by 2 miles and it only got worse by the end. Trying to protect the blister while running really hurt my run splits. Still a first place finish in my age group felt good.
Between The Great Clermont Triathlon and Red Hills I think I still slightly favor Red Hills. I like the longer swim of Clermont but Red Hills being several hours closer to Atlanta is a big plus.
Jeff Caplan
2009 Ironman 70.3 New Orleans
1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run
April 5, 2009
Usually I try to steer away from 1) first year races, and 2) triathlons that are held before the baseball season starts. There were a couple of reasons why it seemed like a good idea to make an exception and head down to New Orleans the first weekend in April. First, it was the start of Spring Break for my kids. Nobody in our family had previously been to New Orleans and this seemed like a great way to combine a family trip with some racing. Second, the race was being produced by the folks at Ironman and Bill Burke (of Premier Events Management) – these folks do everything well.Holding a large race like this in a major city is a little unusual. Cities like Chicago, New York, and DC have Olympic distance races, but a Half Ironman in a crowded city is quite an undertaking. For those familiar with New Orleans, the transition area is in a parking lot of the University of New Orleans at their Lakeshore campus. The host hotel was the Marriott by the Convention Center, which is a good 20-25 minute drive away. On race morning, bus service is offered from the Marriott to the race start. While there was plenty of parking near the race, the buses were allowed to use designated lanes and thus kept us from waiting in traffic. The swim itself is in Lake Pontchartrain. I think there had been a lot of skepticism about water quality leading into the race, but I thought the swim was fine – the waters were calm and the temps were perfect for wetsuit swimming in my Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit. There were two challenges with the swim that had less to do with the actually racing and were more related to the event logistics. First, the race start is *not* at the transition area and you either need to walk about 1 ½ miles to the race start, or take a bus. While the bus service ran up till 7:00, a lot of folks weren’t able to get room and had to walk to start. The second challenge was related to the size of the race. There were over 20 swim waves, each of which were 4 minutes apart. I was in the first of two 45-49 age groups, and we started 80 minutes after the pros left. They do have a dry clothes drop at the start, and sitting on the sea wall watching the earlier waves go by was a great way to kill time. I came into the race with pretty low expectations. My ‘A’ races for the year are Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Florida. Not that I didn’t want to do well for this race, but I had also lost a couple of weeks of training at the beginning of March to a bad respiratory infection. Net-net, this was a Spring Break trip with a day of great exercise in the middle. The race had a huge pro field that looked like a strong year at Kona. While doing some light training the day before the race with some other Atlanta folks, we saw Joanna Zeiger and Natasha Badmann doing the same. The night before the race we were seated at a table next to a group with Chris McCormack. I think the top pros in triathlon are friendlier and more supportive than those in any sport.The swim went fine, although the swim times seemed to be a bit slow. I think the swim might have been a bit long, and the timing mats were located quite a bit away from the swim exit. There were wetsuit peelers, which was a nice surprise. Thanks to the wave start and a well-designed course, there was plenty of room to swim and very little contact.
The only serious issue I had with the race involved the transition area. About 3300 people signed up for the event, which included folks who were signed up as relay teams. With that considered, you still had about 2500 people on the course at any one point in time. You also had a transition area with quite a few folks in it. Complicating the transition situation was that the bike exit and entrance were from the same location. Racks were set up based on bib numbers, which in turn were set based on your swim wave. The net is that to start the bike, folks in my age group had to traverse the whole transition area while walking our bikes, and after the bike ride we had to again do the same. You were on equal footing with those in your age group, but it didn’t help those PR numbers.
The bike leg of the race took place north and east of the city. Have you ever wished that you could have a major road reserved for bikes? It was pretty cool – part of the Interstate and also Hwy 90 were closed to vehicles and reserved for cyclists. There was a lot of concern before the race about the quality of the roads, but I thought they were great. The biggest challenge on the bike was the wind. I was very happy to be wearing my Giro Advantage 2 Aero Helmet while I cruised along on my Cervelo P2C with a Zipp 606 wheel set – it was the perfect combo for the conditions. I did the first half of the bike in about 1:16, but the second half was around 1:23. Those winds were just a handful. Even with the winds, you could also feel that there was some pretty significant humidity. There also had been a lot of speculation before the race about whether drafting would be a significant problem, but I didn’t see much drafting taking place during the race. I think that the winds and some of the overpasses served to break up packs, and I also think that the mandatory pre-race briefings (you had to attend and get your hand stamped before getting your packet) also helped. The only ‘first year race moment’ was that they ran out of liquids at the 3rd aid station on the bike. Not a deal breaker, but I definitely was thirsty by the time the run started. Fortunately, I mix up my Infinit liquid nutrition with some extra sodium so that cramping was not an issue.
The set up for the run is that you ran along the lake for the first few miles, then turned around and came back though the City Park Golf Course. The first few miles of the run were very tough as you were still dead into a head wind. The humidity and temps were also increasingly of notice – fortunately, a number of the aid stations had ice and all had water, Gatorade and nutrition. At the aid stations, I would dump a handful of ice down my Louis Garneau tri suit and also put a handful under my running hat. Once we got out of the stronger winds and got onto the Golf Course area, the run was really beautiful. You were running on nicely paved roads that under trees and through some nice green areas. The golf course has been closed since Katrina due to damage, but is scheduled to be reopened in the future.
After going through the park you wind up in some downtown areas before finishing in the French Quarter. The road quality wasn’t quite as good the last 5K or so – not terrible, but something you had to consider along the way. The finish is really a lot of fun – you come down Decatur St. and finish right at Jackson Square with the Mississippi on one side and St. Louis Cathedral on the other. The crowd support during the last mile was great, and I think that as people in the city become more aware of the event the on-course support will only increase – New Orleans loves a party, and that fits nicely with the spirit of triathlon!
My finish time was quite a bit slower (5:35) than what I had expected. However I got a nice surprise when I looked at the results and saw that I finished up 32 of 189 in my age group. On a percentage basis, that was my best triathlon finish placing. It set a great tone for the next three days of site seeing and eating with my family throughout the city.
When you are assessing the quality of a race, the question is always “would I sign up again?’ For this one, the answer is “Absolutely!” The 2010 edition will be held on April 18th. The race theme is ‘Laissez Les Bon Temps Rollez” – Let The Good Times Roll!
I’ve been looking for an MP3 player to make my repetitive, monotonous laps in the pool more fun. After reading several reviews on different products, I decided on the Finis SwiMP3 player.
I admit, I was skeptical at first because it uses bone conduction, and I wasn’t sure how good the quality would be. I was pleasantly surprised at how clear it sounds - and it actually sounds better underwater! It’s very small compared to other waterproof players or the otterbox that attaches to your goggles. This fits nicely on each side of your goggle straps and snug against your head.
Loading songs is easy. The device has a single port on it with a sealed waterproof cap. Simply remove the cap, plug it into the USB port on your computer, and drag and drop songs. It holds about 60 songs, so I’ve never heard the same song during a workout. The battery will charge through the USB port and should last up to 8 hours of playback. There is also a free software program that you can download to rip songs from your CDs, create playlists, and download songs to the SwiMP3. I haven’t used the software (or downloaded it for that matter) because the drag and drop feature is just so easy.
While you’re swimming, it’s easy to use. It has only 4 buttons on it to change tracks, shuffle songs, change volume, and power on/off. Songs will either play in alphabetical order or on shuffle. There is no display, but you don’t need one since you can’t see the side of your head anyway. :) It has an LED that indicates whether it’s on/off or shuffling songs.
I really can’t think of anything negative to say about this product, except that I can’t download my itunes protected files like I can on my ipod. Songs purchased off iTunes come as an .M4P file that is either protected or unprotected. The SwiMP3 only supports MP3 and WMA files, not M4P files. So, before transferring itunes songs to the SwiMP3, you need to convert them to MP3 format (by a simple click of the mouse in itunes). Then you can drag and drop into the SwiMP3 folder. The itunes protected songs won’t let you convert to MP3 format. But if you’re getting songs off your CDs, you don’t have to worry about this issue.
Overall, this product ROCKS! This device makes it so much easier to swim laps alone. I even caught myself swimming for 1.5 hours when I only intended on going for an hour…because I was rocking out to some great tunes. I definitely recommend this product to any lap swimmer. It’s worth every penny!
CARBO-PRO is the best! I love not having to worry about carrying bars and gels on long training rides and races. It is just too hard to eat solid foods when you are training/racing hard and already having a hard enough time just breathing! No sticky fingers from gu’s, no wrappers to deal with, and no stopping to try to get something out of your pocket or bike bag. I just mix a few scoops of CARBO-PRO in with my drink mix and I’m all set with the calories and electrolytes I need to get me through longer training/racing. If you have never tried it….you should!
Get it at all3sports - http://www.all3sports.com/product_info.php?pName=sportquest-carbopro-30-lb
I can not believe the 2009 season has officially begun. It does not feel right publishing an official race report for a race that I did not get to truly “race”, but I’ll go ahead anyway since I did cross the finish line. It was a bummer of a way to start the season, as I have been unable to run more than a few very short, shuffling-paced runs over the last month+ leading up to this race. Some ongoing, recurring foot pains have had me limping through even a few 30 minute runs lately, so I had come to the realization that I was not going to be able to finish my first race of the season. I was going to watch my Husband, Jeremy, and many friends from Atlanta anyway…so I packed up the race gear as if I was still racing and figured I’d at least get a nice swim and bike in for training and then would drop out after the bike. I was not thrilled to be DNF’ing my first race of the season after having worked so hard through the cold Winter months…but at least it is early in the season with plenty of other races yet to come.
We arrived Friday afternoon and went to the expo and mandatory race meeting. I think they did a pretty good job of organizing the packet pick-up process. We then went for a short run and drove the bike course. I had heard it was a flat course, and they really were not kidding! We did notice that the roads were pretty bad (bumpy and in disrepair) throughout much of the course, and it was not the most scenic or pretty of courses I’ve experienced. Saturday, we went for a ride on the start of the bike course, and boy was it windy…and getting pretty hot out early in the day. We checked our bikes into transition that afternoon, and I always like races where you do that. It just seems to make the morning so much less hectic, with less to carry and maneuver through the crowds. Transition was huge and so spread out with around 3000 registered racers (so I heard…but I believe something like 2300 finishers).
The race is a bit different logistically because the start is a mile or more from transition, and the finish is in an entirely different place (Jackson Square) so you have to get transition set-up, take busses to the start, and afterwards take busses from the finish back to transition. Although it worked fine for Jeremy and me, I heard some negative feedback from others who had bad experiences with the logistics. Some people ended up not getting a bus and having to jog 1+ miles to the start, either barefoot or in flip-flops. Not happy campers rushing in close to their wave time, holding wetsuits/bodyglide/goggles/cap/etc and still needing to get wetsuit on and get their heart rates back down for race start. Nice forced warm-up!
I’m a wimp for cold water, so I was a bit worried after feeling it…but it actually turned out to be a nice temp with wetsuits. My swim is always slow, but it was even slower than expected for a few reasons. I decided since I was not going to finish the race, that I was not going to kill myself to shave a little time for my DNF…..and then add the fact that I can not seem to swim in a straight line to save my life! Rather than taking the fastest route and staying close to land (the swim curves around the lake shore so it should be a pretty “simple” course to follow) I ended up swimming all the way out by the buoys. In addition to adding extra distance there, I even found a way to get off course and go further past the buoys and a few kayakers had to point me back on course! Crazy me…but I’m working on my swim! So, my swim was pretty slow, but I was so excited that they had wetsuit strippers at this race! Nice to have it off in a few seconds since I take forever to get mine off.
It was very windy on the bike, so although it was flat…it was a tough ride! My bike computer was not working and it showed that I was biking between 3 and 12 MPH, so that was pretty discouraging since I had no idea how I was doing. I did feel like I was passing a lot more racers than usual, but still was not sure. Once I finally started calculating out the time and where I was at on the course..I realized I was having a pretty solid bike.
Once I finished pretty strong on the bike, I felt like I wanted to at least start the run to see how my feet were feeling. After only a few miles into the run, I told myself there was no way I could push through the pain and keep going. Just as soon as I was about to stop running, a few things happened….I saw a guy running with a prosthetic leg and I said to myself “come on Elaine, think about what kind of pain HE must be in and he is still running…you need to keep going even if it is very slow”. The other thing was that due to the logistics of the course, I knew it was going to be difficult and time consuming to even figure out how/when/where to get to the finish. I had a bad feeling that it would take nearly as long just to find a way to get there, and that it was quite possible I would still miss seeing Jeremy and others finish. I decided the best thing for me to do was to just keep shuffling forward towards the finish. Another perfect timing was a fan who said “turn this way towards cold beer”. Those 2 words will usually keep me motivated! 
The run was more and more painful with every step, and I had to stop and walk a few times when the shooting pain was too much to handle and I found myself limping and trying to run on my heels to take pressure off my forefeet (which then started to make my knees hurt since I’m not used to heel strike running). 13.1 miles has never felt so long…and in fact all of the marathons I have run have not felt as long as this half marathon felt! The last 3 miles alone felt like a half marathon…forget about picking up the pace for the last 5K….or even the final stretch to the finish! I just chugged along at a very slow pace (something to the tune of 9 min miles or slower!)….but I made it to the finish and was so excited for pizza and Abita beer!
It was so great to hang out with so many All3 Teammates and other Atlanta friends after the race. Although this flat course should have been a pretty good one for PR’s; I think the wind, heat, and early season timing made it a pretty tough one for most people that I talked to. It seems that many others had pretty rough days and did not meet their time goals….but it is early in the season and it was still a great experience.
Although I had the slowest run ever, I’m still glad that I decided to tough it out and finish the race. All in all, I think they did a good job with this race organization, but I’ll make note of some feedback I heard from friends. The roads were not the greatest, they could have used a few more busses given the logistics of the course layout, aid stations were every 1.5miles on the run and people would have liked them at every mile for a warm area, and people would have liked some kind of sponges or something to help cool off on the run. The post race party was OK, but it was in a crowded, very dark/dungeon-like bar…so it was difficult to spread out, get comfortable, and catch up with friends. Going out in the French Quarter afterwards was fun though!
Despite my slow swim and very slow “run” (more like…shuffle/limp/walk/shuffle/walk/limp) I ended up 9th in my age group with a 5:13. With a normal run and pushing the swim harder (to my full capability) I would have finished sub 5 hours and top 3 AG. Oh well, NEXT TIME! Jeremy had a great race and ended up 3rd Overall Male Amateur, only about 30 seconds out of 1st Amateur and I believe with the fastest amateur bike split. He had a great race, so that makes for a fun day for me regardless of my results!
Next up…St. Anthony’s. I hope my foot pains get better by then, or at least that they are bearable through the 10K!
I decided to test myself at Red Hills Triathlon in Tallahassee, Florida to start off my year. The race prides itself as the toughest sprint in Florida with hills on the bike and trail running.
I got down to Florida early enough to preview the course. One thing I quickly noticed was a sign that said, “Alligators are common in this area. Please do not feed them.” My first thought is I hope they’ve eaten before we hit the water the next morning!
I felt good, and my training has been solid. My strategy going into the race was to swim under control, really push the bike, and try to push the final mile of the run. I’ve tried to be smarter managing my efforts on these races.
Race morning conditions could only be defined as perfect. 55 degrees and no wind. Perfect.
I was in the 3rd wave, behind the 20-29 year olds, and very quickly, the starter said, “10 seconds…”
I hit the water and was immediately greeted with a left cross from a guy that was about 6′5″. I decided to move away from him, and got another shot to the back of the head. I guess the “moderating my effort on the swim” was now out the door! I got into a nice groove, and hit shore in about 7:30. I was psyched as I was using my new QR Superfull wetsuit, and with the VPB (Virtual Pull Buoy) leg system, and the thinner neoprene, I felt like I was really on top of the water.
I mounted the bike, and I had one mission…track every single person on that course down. The bike is 16+ miles of rolling hills. The net climbing is about 1,000 feet, so I didn’t think it would be too bad. There were some steep climbs, but you really get a nice descent after each climb.
Within the first 5 miles, I had ripped through the entire field. At mile 10, I passed whom I thought to be the first place participant in the M20-29 race wave. I continued to push the pace, and tried to get as much distance between me and the other participants. I dismounted the bike averaging over 23.5 mph, and nearly 320 watts.
I flew through T2, and onto the run. The run is 1 mile pavement, and then you get about 1.5 miles of trails and soft sand. Not a recipe for a PR on the run, but after mile 1 I checked my pace and was looking pretty good at 6:17. I got through the trail portion, which was well groomed despite some heavy rain several nights before. About 1/2 mile until the finish, and I thought I was clearly in 1st place. I was passed by a competitor that was in his early 20’s, but knew he had a 3 minute head start. I pushed through to the finish, thinking I had taken the overall title.
I went to get a massage in the complimentary massage tent, and overheard somebody talking about winning the race. I knew I had passed everyone on the course, and never saw anyone else. Well, apparently, a really nice guy who is now a junior at FSU, ended up beating me. He had a fantastic swim, a very solid bike, and a great run. I just never caught up to him.
I ended up 2nd overall, which isn’t a bad way to start the season. I was pleased with the overall race and my result.
I highly recommend this race to anyone who wants to get in an early season test. The race is very organized and well run. It sells out early, so sign up before October, or you’ll be on the outside looking in.
Season Opener: Lavaman Triathlon
http://www.lavamantriathlon.com/
Wow, it was finally here, the first race of the season. I always love the first race. Nerves, lots of bathroom stops, seeing people you only see at the races, friends, and competitors, all wrapped up in the beautiful Hawaii morning.
Once in transition, I was filling my front water bottle with water and Heed I happened to glance at the bottle and staring up at me from the bottle was a little gecko. We have plenty of geckos in the house and that’s great as they bring good luck and more importantly eat bugs. But when he/she stared up at me from my race bottle, I dropped the water I was using to fill it and dumped it on the competitor racked next to me. Not a great start! So, while I was trying to figure out how to get that little sucker out of there, he is refusing to leave even as I dump the water out, shake it all around, and even attempt to drown him. He likes to swim backstroke! I know that I would never drink one sip with him in there as I could only imagine that he would come up through my straw and down my throat, not to mention that I am sure he left me surprises in my bottle. Dave, from Wisconsin, # 727 had his biked racked next to mine, and laughingly said, “I have a plan”. I love people with smart plans! He took my straw out of the bottle, and used it to suck him to the end of the straw, he let him go and we watched him escape into transition area. Dave saved my race!
Lavaman was going to be a special race for me. This winter my mom passed away and her wishes were to be buried in the ocean at “A-Bay”. A-Bay is located 25 miles north of Kona and the exact site of the Lavaman Triathlon. My dad, siblings, and spouses all converged on Kona at the end of February and buried my mom’s ashes in the blue, whale filled ocean Bay. The exact spot is in A-Bay the site of the swim for Lavaman. It was such a special place for me to be and re-connect with my mom. I cried, smiled, laughed, and eagerly jumped in for the swim portion because I knew she would be there watching me like she has done in the past. It was pretty powerful morning for me. Mom led me to my fastest swim that morning, three minutes faster than 2008!
I love the bike, especially in Hawaii. The course begins at the Waikoloa and we ride south to Kukio through a tunnel under the highway and then head home to Waikoloa. It is a great bike ride mostly flat to rolling hills, lots of sunshine and a nice head wind heading back. I had a good ride and after starting in the last swim wave, I was able to see many people out on the course.
The run is through the grounds of the Waikoloa, around the hotel, on to single track lava trails, coral, and finally a beach finish. It is one of the prettiest yet challenging runs all in one 10k event.
The post race party is awesome. Kona Brewery beer and lunch provide by the Hilton. The best post race party ever! Fresh fruit, cookies, turkey wraps, beans, hamburgers, chicken…did I mention beer? Oh, and a great band. All in all a perfect ending to this season opener. I highly recommend the race. Oh, and winners receive fresh Kunitake Kona Coffee and hand made rice bowls. Pretty cool awards.
See you at the race…. Laura
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