Trial Course Run
With only two weeks to go to the Triathlon, it was high time I got myself over to Clemson to do a practice run of the entire race course. So 'Coach' Rance and I headed over there to give it go this past Friday.
The bad news:
When we got there, we were apparently unaware that Clemson was hosting the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club Nationals. In other words, there were hundreds of college triathletes – in top physical condition – doing a series of races and making me feel very old...and unfit. Damn kids and their peak physical conditions and what not. Also, it appeared there was still a bit of something going on around the lake area so we didn't get a chance to do the swim course.
The good news:
We were still able to do the bike and run courses. Plus, it was actually pretty helpful to see how the USAT event was setup so I could get a sense of what to expect in two weeks. I was able to checkout how the transition areas work, how the bikes are setup (mental note: I need a cooler looking bike) and where all the start and finish points would be.
The Bike Course
All geared up, I loaded the route on my watch and we were off on the bike course!
Can we pause for a minute and marvel at the fact that we are now living in an age where I can casually mention that I loaded up a course map onto my watch – MY WATCH – so it could give me turn-by-turn directions all while it tracked my speed and health stats...and this is a somewhat normal occurrence? Amazing.
Anyway...off we went. The course sets off from the Y-Beach area, skirts the edge of campus, then heads back into some county roads, circling back around to Hwy 93, ending back at the Y-Beach.
The course was a lot harder than I expected at the beginning...lots of intense hills. My legs...MY LEGS! Thankfully, things did smooth out towards the end of the course with a few serious downhills, giving me some time to recoup.
Here's the recap
The Bike Course stats (click to enlarge)
For you data geeks, here's a link to the live stats: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/755691584
From Bike Straight To Run...
We finished the bike, threw the bikes up on my roof racks, locked 'em and immediately took off on the run portion.
The run is a quick 3 mile course that goes up behind the Esso Club, around the neighborhoods back in there, across the dyke and back to the Y Beach.
To my surprise, my legs did not buckle nor did I collapse and die. WINNING! I'm not saying my legs felt great, but it was manageable. Then after about a mile into the run, they felt totally normal again and I was settled into my rhythm.
I can say with ultimate certainty that my former-Clemson-student self would never have imagined that one day, I'd be running past the Esso on a Friday afternoon (instead of drinking there) as part of a training regimen, and that I'd be doing it in skin-tight triathlon gear for others to see. Yeah, that thought wouldn't have even remotely crept into my head. Then again, my less-than-a-year-ago self would not have imagined this either.
Anyway, the run was pretty straight forward. No issues, no injuries...and we finished right on time.
Here's the recap
The Run Course stats (click to enlarge)
For you data geeks, here's a link to the live stats: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/755716165
Lessons Learned
So what have we learned from this little trial run?
- I'm feeling a little more prepared knowing I won't die (at least on the bike and run course), but it was still damn tough...and that was without the swim.
- I'm not very fast.
- Looking at the swim course setup for the USAT event, I was able to use their markers to see exactly what our course will look like (see in green below). OMG. Next weekend is our last chance to try the real swim course so let's hope the weather corporates.
Our 750m course, shown in green