Appleton YMCA Indoor Triathlon - Race Report

Finally get to wear my TheTriShop.com gear!

I realize that I said I would probably never do another indoor triathlon after the Oshkosh Indoor Triathlon this past February...but I lied.  When I heard about the Appleton YMCA Indoor Triathlon, I figured I would sign up for it.  First, it was just down the street from my house.  Second, it fell onto my first day off and worked into my training plan well.  Third, all proceeds went to the Strong Kids Campaign.  Lastly, I kind of wanted to redeem my performance from the last indoor triathlon I did in February.

Being in the middle of April, one would think that the weather would have already made the turn for spring.  However, that couldn't be further from the truth.  Here in Wisconsin, we have been dealing with one of the longest winter/springs I can recall.  Most recently, the weather has been dreary, wet, and cold.  We have been getting overnight snowfalls turned daytime rain showers.  Overnight, the water turns ice on the roads, making travel treacherous.  It's depressing, to be honest.  This winter has been absolutely frustrating.  This time last year, we were in shorts and t-shirts regularly.  So, now that I want to get outside to train more than ever, it's extra frustrating that I have been stuck inside.  Either way, doing an indoor triathlon worked perfect.  The weather today was overcast skies with highs in the low 40's, a good day for a triathlon...indoors.

The format of this triathlon was exactly the same as my previous race.  It started with a 10 minute swim in a meter pool (25 meters in length).  After the swim, we were given a 10 minute "transition" period to get to the group cycling studio for a 20 minute bike.  After the bike we were given a 5 minute "transition" period to get to the track for the final leg of the race, a 15 minute run on a 100 meter track.  The key difference in this triathlon, compared to the Oshkosh Indoor Triathlon was the scoring system that was put in place.  The Appleton Indoor Triathlon awarded 100 points to the athlete who recorded the furthest distance in each discipline. The second best athlete was given 99 points and so on down the line.  After the competition the point totals are added up and overall seeding based on who ever has the highest total points.

This format was my ideal format for an indoor triathlon as the bike leg doesn't outweigh the other two disciplines and consistency in all three disciplines is rewarded.  The only negative is that the bike portion is still a "RPM race" - meaning, the one who can spin the fastest with the least resistance will log the most "miles."  In most cases this is not necessarily the strongest road cyclist.  I'm not saying the one's ahead of me in the bike standings are not as good of a road cyclist as I am, because, I honestly have no idea who they are.  But, without ruffling any feathers or offending anyone, my guess would be that majority of those who can free wheel a spin bike are not as strong of a road cyclist.  Just my opinion and for all I know, it may just be my bitterness due to my weakness in my ability to free wheel a spin bike well.

I went into this triathlon with only one general goal, to potentially take 1st place overall.  I knew going into the race that there were not many entrants; only 36.  I also was going in the philosophy of, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  By this I am referring to my experience from the last indoor triathlon, were I rode the bike segment with a moderate resistance as opposed to no resistance.  My plan was to only use enough resistance to keep the bike pedals from "throwing" me off the bike.

Training Plan

Even though my goal was to race each individual segment at or near 100%, I was still treating this race as a higher intensity workout.  The race feel on my first day off.  I worked 3rd shift 10pm on Friday night into Saturday morning 6am.  After work on Saturday morning, I still did my regularly scheduled workout, only with a minor adjustment in distance.  I originally had a 2700 meter swim scheduled for Saturday morning, but knowing that I would swim between 500-650 meters during the event plus an additional 100-300 for a warm up I cut the total distance of my morning swim down to 200 meters.  I swam 4x500 meters with 30 seconds rest between the sets.  It was a simple swim set without any bells and whistles, such as a pull buoy or fins, which was nice.  The total swim took 38 minutes afterward I headed back home and was in bed by 9.  Originally when I signed up for the race, my first choice for my start time was 3pm, which would have allowed getting a little extra sleep, but due to a limited number of entrants, I was slated to start at 1:15pm.  So, I was up after 3 hours of sleep at noon and got dressed and headed out the door.  Sunday, assuming I am not sore at all from the race, it's right back into the training plan with a 16 mile long run.  I really do not have any intentions of being sore as the duration of the individual events are minimal.

Day/Night Before the Race

Tired, but excited to race!

On Friday after working Thursday night 3rd shift my scheduled workout was an easy 4 mile run.  I worked 4 hours of overtime from 6am-10am on Friday morning in addition to my regular 10pm-6am Thursday night shift.  --Ahhh, yes, the joys of 3rd shift!  So, I was physically exhausted after working 10pm-10am which made the 4 mile run seem all that much more difficult.  I slept Friday from 12:30pm until 8pm and then left for work for the night.  Like I explained above, I still did an abbreviated swim workout Saturday morning prior to taking my "turn-around nap," since this indoor triathlon was being considered a "C" race at best.

Getting to the Start Line

I had to be at the Appleton YMCA by 12:45 to sign in and then to the pool deck by 1:00 for a pre-race briefing.  After the short race briefing, we were allowed the remaining time to warm up.  I swam a total of 150 meters for a warm up, just to loosen up the shoulders that were already beginning to tighten up from my morning swim.

10:00 Swim

At the Oshkosh Indoor Triathlon I covered a total distance of 650 yards or 0.371 miles, so my goal was to swim at least 600 meters or 0.375 miles.  I was a little tight from swimming 1.24 miles in the morning just hours before the race, but not enough to effect my race.  I covered a total distance of 600 meters during the 10:00 and actually finished my last pool length with a couple seconds to spare.

20:00 Bike

The bike portion was my nemesis at the Oshkosh Indoor Triathlon, so, I was really hoping for redemption at this race.  I got my bike set up to my liking and adjusted the resistance to where I could just start to feel a resistance on the pedals.  I rode the 20 minutes between 110-120 RPM's.  Which, if your not familiar with cycling, most road cyclist will ride their bikes at a cadence of 85-95 RPM's.  After the 20 minutes, I covered a total distance of 9.0 miles.

15:00 Run

The run segment was run on the indoor track.  The indoor track was SHORT.  It was about the same size as the track at the Oshkosh YMCA.  Each lap was 1/18th of a mile, meaning it was roughly a 100 yard track.  It was also pretty narrow; it was only wide enough to allow 2 people across.  Having 12 people on a 100 yard circular track that is only wide enough for 2 people across made it feel extremely congested.  It is was it is, but some of the people doing to race were doing it as a family event with no real vested interest in their results.  There was a mother/daughter combination that wanted to jog side-by-side during the 15 minute run/walk segment.  As I said the track was only wide enough to allow 2 people across.  So, when anyone wanted to pass the mother/daughter combination - you couldn't or you would literally brush up against them.  I fully understand the family aspect of the event and also understand they are more interested in the overall health benefits of the competition as opposed to the competitive aspect of the event.  I am all for building interest in the sport of triathlon through events such as this and having new prospective triathletes experience a triathlon at a controlled race such as this indoor triathlon, I just ask for a little courtesy and either do not run with headphones or do not run side-by-side on such a narrow track.  There were times when I assumed they knew I was passing them and they didn't because we brushed shoulders.  In the end, I ran a total of 42.5 laps or roughly 2.5 miles.

Post Race

Yes, it's small, but stings like a SOB!

Due to the somewhat complex nature of scoring the race, results were emailed out to participants following the event and were not immediately available after the race.  After the race, I showered right at the Y and headed home.  I opted to not wear socks throughout the race since my Zoot shoes were designed to have the allow the wearer the option to wear socks or not.  That was mistake, after the run, I noticed my left heel felt like I rubbed it raw.  Sure enough, when I took my shoes off, my left heel was bleeding slightly.  Thankfully, it was only a 15 minute run and not any longer.

Other Notes

The bike portion ended up being my downfall yet again.  I placed 4th overall and 2nd in a "double age group" of 20-29 year olds.  I placed 5th in the swim, 7th (actually tied for 6th) in the bike, and 1st in the run.  I still feel the same in regards to indoor triathlons, they are a separate event compared to a traditional triathlon.  I think they are a great way for beginners to experience a triathlon before racing a traditional triathlon.  I also think they are a great way to get a feel for a triathlon in the winter/spring when traditional triathlons are just out of the question.  It still bothers me that the bike portion is done the way it is, but without a power meter, there is no other way to do it.

Lessons for Future Events

I will continue to use indoor triathlons as a secondary option for training sessions in the early stages of my training plans.  I enjoy the atmosphere of the races even if they are done inside when its cold and cruddy outside.  I just need to realize my weakness of spinning, but in hind sight, I'm quite alright with that weakness.

What's Next

It's right back to the regularly scheduled training plan on Sunday.  This will also be the last indoor race event on my 2013 schedule, thank God!  Coming up on April 27th is the Jailbreak 5k and then on May 5th I have my first outdoor multisport event with the Paper Discovery Duathlon.  The duathlon consists of a 2 mile run, 18 mile bike, and a 2 mile run.  In the past I have done pretty well at this event and hope to continue that tradition and maybe improve on my past years times.

Physically and mentally exhausted, I need a nap!

1st opportunity to wear my TheTriShop.com gear!