The Summer Sans Triathlon and my Return to Open Water Swimming

Well, the tri season is nearly over out here in NY and I don't suspect I will be doing another multisport race this season.  That being said, I didn't even get to do an actual triathlon this summer.  That is, I never raced all three disciplines in succession.  I did two duathlons, several 5k races, and my very first aquathlon (I don't think that is actually a word because just race morning I heard it pronounced a-kwa-ath-lon, a-kwath-lon, a-kwa-ath-a-lon, and a-kwa-thon).  Regardless, I had my first summer without triathlon in 5 years, and it was a frustrating one that began with an insanely difficult American Zofingen Duathlon that I detailed previously and has ended (I think) with the very interesting Moreau Lake State Park Aquathlon.

For those that don't know, an aquathlon consists of swimming and running, either swim/run, swim/run/swim, or run/swim/run.  The Moreau Lake Aquathlon is a 1500m swim and a 5k run.  The swim was absolutely gorgeous; set in between some serious hills and heavy forests, the water was impeccably clean and made for excellent swimming and sighting conditions. I knew absolutely nothing about the run course except that the website says it is "technical", which can mean a variety of things, but usually it means everyone has a high probability of falling or rolling an ankle on a rock or tree root.

Not feeling too confident about this...

I was a little nervous about the swim because I only recently (2 months ago) started training in the pool again and haven't swam open water since one year ago today when I did Ironman Wisconsin.  Rather unsurprisingly, I swam an abysmal 24:30 for 1500m, putting me about 45 seconds behind the first athlete out of the water in this small field of about 25 athletes.

Not many people here.  Others had done the 3k swim, 1.5k swim, or 15k trail run.  Some were even doubling up on races.

Although, if I had to find a silver lining in this experience it was that I had a good start, made it to the first and second buoys first, got caught by a few athletes but was able to hang behind them for the remainder of the swim.

Who wouldn't want to swim in this lake?

So, I was 4th out of the water and quickly made my way to transition into the run.  I use the word "quickly" here very loosely, because even though I probably had the fastest transition time (not recorded, so this is just conjecture) I think it is only because I didn't sit down to roll out my calves with a rolling stick or have a snack before heading out onto the run.

This was the most poorly designed (read: largest) timing chip ever.

I think those people behind me are getting a pretty nice view...

And I'm off to start the "technical" run.

With my speedy transition, I ended up being the first runner out onto the course.  So, I head out to the run, which I knew was going to be a "technical" trail run.  I thought, "roots, rocks, maybe even a creek", but there is no way the 5k times from 2011 were accurate.  I mean, the winner ran a 28 minute 5k last year...28 minutes!  We all probably know someone who can walk a 5k faster than that, which, as it turns out, is the majority of what I was doing for the first half of the run.  Little did I know that they would make us run the most obscured and rarely traveled trail ever, which happens to have 500ft of elevation gain in the first 1.5mi.  The descents were no fun either since the rain last night left us to run on wet pine needles, mossy rocks, and slippery tree roots, this trail was for the sure-footed only!

The lead swimmer caught me about a mile into the run and let me set the pace.  Having done this race last year, he had the edge on me in terms of experience.  I put in a hard downhill surge at the 2mi mark to try and make a break and I got about 5sec on him.  Unfortunately, there were some sharp turns ahead and I wasn't able to carry my speed for too long.  He remained a few seconds behind me until the trail opened up into a nice gradual downhill where the blew by me.  I tried to stay with him but I was mentally gone.  The run course was so unexpected that it threw me out of my comfort zone.  I tried to match his pace but 30s later he was dropping me.  With less than .5mi to go and not another athlete within sight, I decided to back off the pace a bit and cruise into the finish for 2nd place overall.

While it would have been nice to win the race and the custom made Adirondack walking stick, I am still very pleased with my performance.  My previous multisport success has always relied on my cycling abilities.  This race tested my weaker disciplines, at which I only have had a few months of minimal training due to my extended hiatus from the pool and the tibial stress fracture.  I will always believe that I am a stronger cyclist than I am a runner or swimmer, but it is still nice to know that I can put up a reasonable race without relying on my bike performance.

I hope to add a few more pictures and actual results once they are posted online.  Check back in a few days for my official times and some running shots (hopefully good ones with my nice leisurely pace at the end of the run).