My first test of the season was Yokohama triathlon.
Given the tough conditions, I was relatively happy with the
result.
Meg, Ty, friend Reiko, and my parents all came down for
the entire race, and so it was a big lift to see them cheering
on the sidelines.
Here are the results in a nutshell:
Swim: 29:33, 164th place
Bike: 1:14:16, 97th place.
Run: 41:49, 153th place
Total 2:25:38, 106th place out of 938 finishers, 89 percentile
16th in age group out of 165, 90 percentile
The conditions weren’t super tough, but it was choppy out
on the swim. Than you have to run 800 meters barefoot to
the bike transition (the hazards of big city races).
The bike course is very technical with 2 hairpin turns.
That is actually an improvement from 4 years ago.
It was windy and there are hills as well.
The run was fairly runner-friendly except that it was getting
hot by 11 AM. And they subtract 500 meters from the 10k
run as a consolation for running 800 meters out of the water.
on the swim. Than you have to run 800 meters barefoot to
the bike transition (the hazards of big city races).
The bike course is very technical with 2 hairpin turns.
That is actually an improvement from 4 years ago.
It was windy and there are hills as well.
The run was fairly runner-friendly except that it was getting
hot by 11 AM. And they subtract 500 meters from the 10k
run as a consolation for running 800 meters out of the water.
Swim: I arrived late and barely got into my group before we
were paraded into the Yokohama Bay for our 3 minute
warmup. I made sure to do 20-30 quick strokes to get the
shoulder warmed up as much as I could. And the
all-important pee-pee 1 minute before the start gun. The
gun sounded and it was a rather smooth deep water start.
I tried to swim hard to get away from the main swimmers
but careful not to overexert my tender left shoulder.
It worked rather well and after 200 meters I had decent
space. But my sightings weren’t that good and I was getting
knocked around by the chopping waters. It seemed like
forever to get to the first buoy, than the 2nd and 3rdbuoys
before swimming back to base for the 2nd lap.
I didn’t have a watch on so no idea what my 1H split was.
But it felt very slow. For the first buoy you were swimming
with the waves at your left side, which was tough. Than at
the first turn you had a back wake which made it easier.
I tried to swim harder the second lap and felt pretty good,
feeling slightly faster than the first lap. Turns out I was out
of the water in 29:33, pretty damn slow.
I usually do 25 minutes.
were paraded into the Yokohama Bay for our 3 minute
warmup. I made sure to do 20-30 quick strokes to get the
shoulder warmed up as much as I could. And the
all-important pee-pee 1 minute before the start gun. The
gun sounded and it was a rather smooth deep water start.
I tried to swim hard to get away from the main swimmers
but careful not to overexert my tender left shoulder.
It worked rather well and after 200 meters I had decent
space. But my sightings weren’t that good and I was getting
knocked around by the chopping waters. It seemed like
forever to get to the first buoy, than the 2nd and 3rdbuoys
before swimming back to base for the 2nd lap.
I didn’t have a watch on so no idea what my 1H split was.
But it felt very slow. For the first buoy you were swimming
with the waves at your left side, which was tough. Than at
the first turn you had a back wake which made it easier.
I tried to swim harder the second lap and felt pretty good,
feeling slightly faster than the first lap. Turns out I was out
of the water in 29:33, pretty damn slow.
I usually do 25 minutes.
Bike: It is a technical yet interesting course, 6.5k loop times
6 laps. You have to decide how aggressive you are going
to take the turns.
I went conservative on the first loop, feeling out the course,
coming out of aero position on the sharp turns, and braking
hard on the hairpin turns. After the 2nd or 3rd laps I took the
turns more aggressively, staying in aero except for the
hairpin turns.I was passing 100s of bikers and only got
passed once. I felt my effort level was fairly high but I had
something left in the tank for the run. I finished the bike
in 1:07, not bad for that kind of course and wind.
My total bike time was 1:14:16 including the 2 transitions.
6 laps. You have to decide how aggressive you are going
to take the turns.
I went conservative on the first loop, feeling out the course,
coming out of aero position on the sharp turns, and braking
hard on the hairpin turns. After the 2nd or 3rd laps I took the
turns more aggressively, staying in aero except for the
hairpin turns.I was passing 100s of bikers and only got
passed once. I felt my effort level was fairly high but I had
something left in the tank for the run. I finished the bike
in 1:07, not bad for that kind of course and wind.
My total bike time was 1:14:16 including the 2 transitions.
Run: My T2 transition went smoother than T1 and I headed
out of the zigzag gate at 4:20 pace. First split was 4:28
which felt just fine. I aimed for a 43-44 minute run.
I started to feel fatigue at 2k or so, but kept seeing my
family, NAS, nanbanners, which helped a great deal.
They were telling me to go go go Motozo! And I was telling
them to shout louder and louder! The run is 2 loops up and
down the bay line with nice views and one difficult ramp.
After the final lap I could tell from my garmin that the course
was going to be around 9.5k and sprinted to the finish under
42 minutes. Run officially was 41:49.
out of the zigzag gate at 4:20 pace. First split was 4:28
which felt just fine. I aimed for a 43-44 minute run.
I started to feel fatigue at 2k or so, but kept seeing my
family, NAS, nanbanners, which helped a great deal.
They were telling me to go go go Motozo! And I was telling
them to shout louder and louder! The run is 2 loops up and
down the bay line with nice views and one difficult ramp.
After the final lap I could tell from my garmin that the course
was going to be around 9.5k and sprinted to the finish under
42 minutes. Run officially was 41:49.
So my total of 2:25:38 was good enough for 106th place
out of 938 finishers, or top 11% of the finishers. In my
age group, I finished 16th out of 165, or top 10%.
out of 938 finishers, or top 11% of the finishers. In my
age group, I finished 16th out of 165, or top 10%.
As usual, my bike was most competitive, followed by the
run and swim. I just got back in the NAS pool last month
after taking the whole winteroff, so that mediocre swim
was somewhat expected. Still have some work to do for
the next races including Oshima Triathlon on June 4,
but feel somewhat ready.
run and swim. I just got back in the NAS pool last month
after taking the whole winteroff, so that mediocre swim
was somewhat expected. Still have some work to do for
the next races including Oshima Triathlon on June 4,
but feel somewhat ready.
I wanna thank my Mother, my Father, my wife, and my son
for getting out of bed early and coming down to the race!
And all the supporters out there were fantastic.
As far as the race course goes, I have mixed feelings.
It was a great day with awesome weather and so many
supporters from Tokyo and Yokohama.
The swim is choppy and dirty, bike course tough, technical,
hilly. The run is the only part without any major obstacles.
for getting out of bed early and coming down to the race!
And all the supporters out there were fantastic.
As far as the race course goes, I have mixed feelings.
It was a great day with awesome weather and so many
supporters from Tokyo and Yokohama.
The swim is choppy and dirty, bike course tough, technical,
hilly. The run is the only part without any major obstacles.
No comments:
Post a Comment