San Jose International Tri
by Jeremiah @ Jeremiah's Tri Training Experience
This past weekend we participated in the San Jose International Triathlon. It was an Olympic distance triathlon(1.5K swim, 40K bike & 10K run). There were quite a few people from past teams and other friend that were in the race too. We got to Almaden lake at 6am, unloaded our bikes, pumped our tires and head over to set up our transition area. Transition area at this race is first come first serve, so it was key to get there early to get a favorable spot. We setup in a row with a lot of our friends so it was nice to know who was around you.
Swim:
As we were walking down to the lake to get ready for the swim, Annette(my friend Tuong's wife) was already there, with her camera on, documenting everything. I was pleasantly surprised to see her. Gave me a boost right before the race.
The water was pretty warm. There was a heat wave in the bay area with temps reaching close to the 100 for a few days in a row. This helped heat up the lake. I actually could have swam without a swimsuit, but I wore mine. Helps keep me afloat :) I started off my swim and everything was going well until I tried to sight.... The sun was reflecting off the water so it was a little challenging seeing the buoys from a far. My swim lines were not the best, but I made it through. On to the bike
Bike:
I was very much looking forward to this bike ride. Biking has been an area that I have been working on getting stronger at, so I wanted to see how this bike ride was going to go. I started off in my slow but high cadence ride. taking my time for the first few miles to get my legs under me and get the blood flowing. this went well, I was felling great. As the ride went along I was getting a little concerned that I wasnt eating or drink like I am supposed to. I didnt feel the urge, plus I thought my tummy may ache. I forced myself to take in liquids and eat something, otherwise I would have been hurting at the end of the race. Right around mile 14, we started ascending bailey hill, which happens to be the only hill on the bike course. for once I was able to pass some people on the way up :) coming down the back side of bailey was great. I decided to turn it up at this point. I only had 10 miles to go and I was looking forward to beating my bike time from last year...... off the bike and on to the run..
Run:
This started of very slow. I didnt think I was going to make it. It may have been the fact that I have not done many brick work outs where I am charging for the last few miles on the bike then going to the run. I need to work on that. I felt flat, no power in my legs, no idea what pace I could keep up. At mile one I was running a 10 min per mile pace. I had to pick this up, so for the second mile I clocked an 8:40 min per mile pace. From then on I thought I was doing well. Other than the first mile, every mile after that was a lot faster. I finished with a pace of 8:55 per mile.... not bad, but I need to work on this.......
At the end of the race I was greeted at the finish line by Tuong and Annette and their kids James and Emily. It was nice of them to come watch the race.
I will keep you posted on how my training for Vineman is coming along......
Swim:
As we were walking down to the lake to get ready for the swim, Annette(my friend Tuong's wife) was already there, with her camera on, documenting everything. I was pleasantly surprised to see her. Gave me a boost right before the race.
The water was pretty warm. There was a heat wave in the bay area with temps reaching close to the 100 for a few days in a row. This helped heat up the lake. I actually could have swam without a swimsuit, but I wore mine. Helps keep me afloat :) I started off my swim and everything was going well until I tried to sight.... The sun was reflecting off the water so it was a little challenging seeing the buoys from a far. My swim lines were not the best, but I made it through. On to the bike
Bike:
I was very much looking forward to this bike ride. Biking has been an area that I have been working on getting stronger at, so I wanted to see how this bike ride was going to go. I started off in my slow but high cadence ride. taking my time for the first few miles to get my legs under me and get the blood flowing. this went well, I was felling great. As the ride went along I was getting a little concerned that I wasnt eating or drink like I am supposed to. I didnt feel the urge, plus I thought my tummy may ache. I forced myself to take in liquids and eat something, otherwise I would have been hurting at the end of the race. Right around mile 14, we started ascending bailey hill, which happens to be the only hill on the bike course. for once I was able to pass some people on the way up :) coming down the back side of bailey was great. I decided to turn it up at this point. I only had 10 miles to go and I was looking forward to beating my bike time from last year...... off the bike and on to the run..
Run:
This started of very slow. I didnt think I was going to make it. It may have been the fact that I have not done many brick work outs where I am charging for the last few miles on the bike then going to the run. I need to work on that. I felt flat, no power in my legs, no idea what pace I could keep up. At mile one I was running a 10 min per mile pace. I had to pick this up, so for the second mile I clocked an 8:40 min per mile pace. From then on I thought I was doing well. Other than the first mile, every mile after that was a lot faster. I finished with a pace of 8:55 per mile.... not bad, but I need to work on this.......
At the end of the race I was greeted at the finish line by Tuong and Annette and their kids James and Emily. It was nice of them to come watch the race.
I will keep you posted on how my training for Vineman is coming along......