In comparison to the 1/8 this version has a shorter swim…about 400m. All other components are the same, 20km bike and 5km run.
Another interesting difference in this version, and what makes it extra fun and exciting, is that there is no mass or wave start, but athletes start in time-trial fashion; every 10 seconds.
Lastly, most races are in the morning, or early afternoon, while this one starts at 19:00…giving some additional challenges in eating and energy conservation after a full day of work.
Luckily for me it was only some 25 minute drive to Nijkerk from my work in Hilversum, so I was there on time even though I passed through a few traffic jams on A1.
Picked up the race number (234), set-up my transition zone and looked a little where you enter and exit the transition zones before and after the bike. Now that I mastered that part it was time to see how swimming is done as that is also a little unusual.
Swim portion is done in an outdoor pool of 35m, yes you read that correctly. So how does it work? You start in lane 1, and swim the 35 meters. At the end of the pool you change to lane 2, and swim lane 2 twice, and change to lane 3….etc…so in the end you swim 11 lanes x 35 meters = 385 meters but as you need to cross the lanes, it does come very close to the 400m.
First the race for teams started, and at 19:00 the individual race would start….every 10 seconds an athlete would mean that I would start some 45 minutes later. I lined up in the que and very soon after I had to jump in the water which was cold at first. Interesting thing is that normally before the training my heart rate is around 85, but as the adrenaline was pumping my heart rate was already almost in zone 1 at 110.
I think I started as the clock said 45:40….and off I was. Started very strong, and tried not to take air during the first 6-7 strokes in order to pump up the HR. It worked well. It was interesting swimming in a 35 meter pool as opposed to the 25 meter one…you kind of get used to 25 meter and expect the turn to come but this time I had some 10 meters extra which was actually an added benefit for me as I didn't have to make that many turns…my turns are poor and slow.
During the swim I don't think I was passed while I passed a few people on my way to 400m finish. I was out and my head was a little dizzy coming out of the water but this only lasted a few steps. My total swim time was 6:58.
T1 went smoother than in Ter Aar. I can't compare the actual times as I don't have the exact T1 time in Ter Aar. I dried my feet, put the socks on, helmet, the number and off I was. T1 was done in 1:40. Clearly there is lots of time to improve here as I teach my feet to cycle/run without socks, and as I learn how to step on the TT bike with clipped shoes on it….but that is for later in the season or even next year.
I was on the bike…and this time pedal clipping went good. I had no idea on what the bike rout was but was told that on every turn there would be someone pointing me in the right direction, and so was the case. Very well organized. Even to the point that cars were stopped in order to allow the athletes to pass. The bike course was on the asphalt roads, while in the beginning and towards the end there were spills of 500m and 3-4km where road was made of bricks meaning lots of resonance on the steering wheel and obviously, in my case, loss of speed. Not did I only lose speed, but due all the resonance at the 3-4km stretch, which was some 6km before the end, my right hand aero bar became lose and started turning which meant I could not steer properly in my aero position so had to be as low as possible on my handle bars….Overall, I was very please with my bike ride in 30:42 over the 20km….38 km/h average speed….
T2 was smooth, helmet went off quickly and without any problems….still overall T2 was not fast enough….and this time as I was lacing my shoes up and it took ages…so I really need to get those fast laces. Total time of 1:37.
Run started well, but after the initial 200m, my left leg started to cramp in the hamstring and calf. It was bad….to the point I would need to stop and stretch and even stop the race. I continued and fought the pain, and managed to overcome it by 1.5km mark, after which I tried to pick up on speed. Once the cramps were gone run went smooth and I was quite pleased with it totaling 22:16 over the 5km. Average pace of 4:26.
Summary of all times:
Swim 6:58 position 64 out of 228 starters
T1 1:40 position 162
Bike 30:42 position 23
T2 1:37 position 154
Run 22:16 position 87
TOTAL 1:03:11 position 56
Looking at this it is clear that I need to work on transitions….very important in the 1/8 triathlon version. Moreover, I need to improve on the running….but that will hopefully come over time. I am very pleased with my bike result!
Overall, happy that I learned form mistakes made in Ter Aar, and even happier with the time achieved.
Last but not least, many thanks to the organizers and all the volunteers that did an exceptional job. I look forward to staying up on February 1st 2012 to snatch my starting place in 2012!
For the coming 2 days it's very light training, recovery and a massage...and then its time for the 1/4 triathlon in Huizen.
Should some action photos of me appear on the net, I will post them here on at a later stage.
Here are the GPS logs of the race for those interested. Times may vary slightly vs. the official chip timing.
Due to poor Garmin 310XT performance in water I will not post any data of the swim.
Bike 20km
Run 5km
Very nice article.
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