For several years I had wanted to race the
Coeur d’Alene Scenic Challenge Olympic Distance Triathlon and on this past Saturday I finally got my chance.
The transition area and swim are located in the same city park at
IM CDA and both the bike and run start off on the same streets and paths before veering away through different routes.
As we waited for the swim start the clouds opened up for a brief downpour which served to cool things off considerably as well as soaking the roads. I still had a few minutes before my start so I managed to run back to my transition area and cover my shoes and socks from the rain. One side effect of the brief but powerful rain storm was that it turned the transition area into mud.
The swim went as well as to be expected. My swim speed and technique is still very much a work in progress and will be a major focus of my off season training. I continue to have a bit of difficulty in swimming triangular courses in that when I make the final turn to head back in, I tend to not make a sharp enough turn, which puts me somewhat off course. I finished the 1500 meter swim in a pedestrian time of 32:26 (1:58/100 yards).
This picture shows me coming out of the water and moving towards T1. I guess I am traveling at a speed much too fast for the camera, however I did manage to get a wave and a smile in.
I have been practicing on improving my skills in getting my wetsuit off and did a bit better at this race. I also rolled up my socks which made it a bit easier to put them on as well. We had a fairly long run with our bikes to the mount point which added to my T1 time of 4:48.
My coach wants me to strive to have the fastest transition times in my age group during my next race, but then again, she is one of the most optimistic people I know. I did point out to her that compared to my IM CDA T1 time of 14 minutes, I really blasted through this T1.
After I mounted my bike and was working to get clipped in I was having difficulty with my left pedal. After several tries I finally reached down and cleaned out a massive mud clod from my cleat which resolved the problem.
As I started the bike portion the roads were very wet, which made me ride a bit conservatively, especially around the corners. We headed out to the first turn around of IM CDA and shortly afterwards made a sharp right turn and hit the first of four major hills.
Shortly after that point riders began to understand why this race is called the Scenic Challenge. We went up and up and up and looking off to the right gave us a magnificent view of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the surrounding forests, well below us.
Along with the hills the bike course was extremely technical with a number of sharp turns, bumpy roads and loose gravel. I was amazed with the numbers of riders that I passed as they stood on the side of the road, fixing flat tires.
We finally finished with a huge downhill where I hit over 40 mph and headed back into town. I felt good and strong and pushed as hard as I could, and passed a large number of other riders. I finished the ride with a time of 1:21 for an average of 17.77 mph.
After once again entering the muddy transition area for T2 I headed out on the run. I took it relatively easy during the first mile and then began to press a bit. The course was an out and back route and followed a paved path with some rollers.
While I was never totally comfortable during the run, I pushed along and managed to finish with a time of 50:22 with an 8:07 minute per mile pace. If I was aware I that I was so close to coming in under 50 minutes I think I would have pressed a bit more.
My finishing time for the race was 2:51:02 which placed me 8 out of 27 in my age group and 280 out of 669 racers.
It was a good day and a great race. It is always nice to race in the local area and see so many familiar faces. This is a great community of athletes and a terrific race.
Thank you for reading.
The transition area and swim are located in the same city park at IM CDA and both the bike and run start off on the same streets and paths before veering away through different routes.
As we waited for the swim start the clouds opened up for a brief downpour which served to cool things off considerably as well as soaking the roads. I still had a few minutes before my start so I managed to run back to my transition area and cover my shoes and socks from the rain. One side effect of the brief but powerful rain storm was that it turned the transition area into mud.
The swim went as well as to be expected. My swim speed and technique is still very much a work in progress and will be a major focus of my off season training. I continue to have a bit of difficulty in swimming triangular courses in that when I make the final turn to head back in, I tend to not make a sharp enough turn, which puts me somewhat off course. I finished the 1500 meter swim in a pedestrian time of 32:26 (1:58/100 yards).
This picture shows me coming out of the water and moving towards T1. I guess I am traveling at a speed much too fast for the camera, however I did manage to get a wave and a smile in.
I have been practicing on improving my skills in getting my wetsuit off and did a bit better at this race. I also rolled up my socks which made it a bit easier to put them on as well. We had a fairly long run with our bikes to the mount point which added to my T1 time of 4:48.
My coach wants me to strive to have the fastest transition times in my age group during my next race, but then again, she is one of the most optimistic people I know. I did point out to her that compared to my IM CDA T1 time of 14 minutes, I really blasted through this T1.
After I mounted my bike and was working to get clipped in I was having difficulty with my left pedal. After several tries I finally reached down and cleaned out a massive mud clod from my cleat which resolved the problem.
As I started the bike portion the roads were very wet, which made me ride a bit conservatively, especially around the corners. We headed out to the first turn around of IM CDA and shortly afterwards made a sharp right turn and hit the first of four major hills.
Shortly after that point riders began to understand why this race is called the Scenic Challenge. We went up and up and up and looking off to the right gave us a magnificent view of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the surrounding forests, well below us.
Along with the hills the bike course was extremely technical with a number of sharp turns, bumpy roads and loose gravel. I was amazed with the numbers of riders that I passed as they stood on the side of the road, fixing flat tires.
We finally finished with a huge downhill where I hit over 40 mph and headed back into town. I felt good and strong and pushed as hard as I could, and passed a large number of other riders. I finished the ride with a time of 1:21 for an average of 17.77 mph.
After once again entering the muddy transition area for T2 I headed out on the run. I took it relatively easy during the first mile and then began to press a bit. The course was an out and back route and followed a paved path with some rollers.
While I was never totally comfortable during the run, I pushed along and managed to finish with a time of 50:22 with an 8:07 minute per mile pace. If I was aware I that I was so close to coming in under 50 minutes I think I would have pressed a bit more.
My finishing time for the race was 2:51:02 which placed me 8 out of 27 in my age group and 280 out of 669 racers.
It was a good day and a great race. It is always nice to race in the local area and see so many familiar faces. This is a great community of athletes and a terrific race.
Thank you for reading.