The day before Minuteman

So, here we are the day before another race. All that fear and anxiety is turning into eagerness to race. No training tonight, just the preparation of checking into the hotel, driving the bike course, and picking up our packets. I'm already (over) packed for the trip. I installed Rach's bike computer last night and looking at the usual last minute maintenance.

We swam last night as a final workout. 1000 yards, and I turned the first 400 into a measuring stick. I did 400 yards in a nice quick 9:30, including 20 seconds to fix a goggles problem. I did the remaining 600 at a pretty relaxed pace, and still finished under 30 minutes.

The Minuteman sprint triathlon is comprised of a 1/4 mile swim, a 14 mile bike, and a 4 mile run.  I've done triathlons of similar length last season, with the exception of the 4 mile run being longer than the run distance in previous races. We've trained to handle all these distances though, so I'll be within my range on all of them, with only the run causing any concern.

So now it's about setting goals for this race. Each of these smaller races is a stepping stone to Timberman, so setting and meeting a goal in each is important. Obviously, I had a fairly disastrous Season Opener, but those conditions were a unique situation, and not one that could easily be planned for. And it still wasn't my slowest race at those distances. All the more reason I want challenging but realistic goals for this race.

The swim: 1/4 mile is about 437 yards, and if I can do 400 yards in 9:30, I can do 437 in 10 minutes. That's a challenging but not unreachable goal, especially if everything goes to plan.

The bike: On a mostly flat but windy course, I did a 12.5 mile bike in 53 minutes last year at Maumee Bay. I followed that up with a 40 minute, 10 mile effort at Nantasket Beach in rainy windy conditions. My cycling has improved quite a bit this year, but climbing is still a concern. If the roads are mostly flat, I believe I can easily do a sub-50 minute ride. If there's more climbing than I expect, then perhaps it'll be closer to an hour. Regardless, this ride will be less than an hour.

The run: So it comes down to this event every time. In every race I've done, I've passed at least one person on the swim and bike, only to have them get time back against me in the run. My running still is my worst discipline, but I'm slowly getting stronger. 4 miles at the back of a triathlon will be tiring, but I think it's less of an issue than when it's a stand alone run. My best miles of late have been around 12 minutes, but i can't yet sustain that across 4 miles. I'm averaging around 13:30 per mile, but that's not good enough. I'm going to shoot for 12:30 on every mile, and do a 50 minute run. It means I have to be 10 minutes faster than everyone else in the bike to have a shot at the podium, but I think I might be able to do this if I pace myself properly.

There are guys in the Clydesdale division. I'm shooting for 3rd, but will happy with 4th or better. Several of our teammates, as well as a guy I know from Bike Forums will be at the race, and I plan on taking some pictures while we're there.

Finally thanks to everyone for the good luck sent in yesterdays comments.