A bit of background information before I get on to the actual race review...
The summer of 2010 was my jumping off point in the sport of triathlon. As previously explained, I started training and racing while working on a lengthy project in Houston, TX. I joined TriMAC, a triathlon team and coaching service. They were great and I made some friends there, but the project I was working on ended and I was back home in Lafayette, LA. Initially, I attempted to continue training with TriMAC remotely, but I have to admit that I started loosing a bit of excitement for the sport. It's a whole lot harder to stay motivated to train when you're doing it alone. So, for the 2011 racing season I made the difficult decision to leave TriMAC in an effort to meet triathletes and find a coach in my area.
I was referred to Will Jones with 4th Dimension Fitness. Based out of Baton Rouge, LA, many triathletes in my area work with him. After an initial consultation, I decided to give him a shot and we immediately went to work training for Ironman Texas 70.3, to be held in mid-April. In addition to taking a biometric baseline of my fitness, we also agreed that I had to improve my swimming ability (read: learn to swim). So, in early January 2011 I enrolled in a Master's Swim session at Red Lerille's Health Club.
Fast forward to April 2nd, 2011. After a few months of intense swim workouts and personal training, I felt like I had made huge improvements in my swimming ability. Of course, any growth would seem exponential when you consider that I couldn't even make a complete lap in the pool when I first started. But, I was finally feeling confident enough in my ability that I could take off my arm floaties and sign up for a true sprint triathlon with a 1/2 mile swim. I reasoned that an early season race would likely be wetsuit legal, making it a bit easier. Plus, I figured I'd better find out if I could do it since I had already signed up for Ironman Texas 70.3, with a 1.2 mile swim, just a few short weeks later in April 2011!
About the race:
April 2nd, 2011 was a chilly foggy morning at 4:00 a.m. when I woke up to make the drive to New Roads, LA. It was an erie drive. Traversing along the Atchafalaya Basin toward New Roads, LA in the fog, in an area of Louisiana that I'm completely unfamiliar with didn't help my pre-race anxiety. I arrived at the race site very early. The race organizers were still setting up transition so I took my time walking around and getting my gear together, which helped with my nerves.
Taken straight from the City of New Roads website: "In 1822, New Roads was created as a shortcut from False River to the Mississippi River. Once part of the Mississippi’s main channel, it is actually a 22-mile long oxbow lake"...hence the name of the Oxbow Triathlon. The race transition area and finish line was set up around the Morrison Parkway boat ramp right off Main St.
As I recall, the water was quite chilly and, as expected, the race was wetsuit legal. The 1/2 mile out and back swim started and finished at the boat ramp. Being a boat ramp, the concrete was extremely slippery with mud and algae. The race organizers did attempt to place some carpeting down on as much of the ramp as possible, but if you stepped off the carpet you'd better be ready to swim! Once the swim began, the False River water was quite nice, the buoys were well placed, and there was plenty of support out in the water.
I distinctly remember telling myself not to get caught up in the swim once it started. My plan was to simply swim my pace and ignore everyone else...my race was supposed to start on the bike. Once the race started, however, I took off in a mad dash, arms and legs flailing about while gasping for air and drinking enough lake water to satisfy a camel. It's funny how fast my plan got flushed down the crapper. By the time I got to the turnaround point, I was really winded. Realizing I was only half way, I started to panic a little. But, I just kept telling myself to get to the next buoy. I didn't realize how badly I had over-swam until I got out of the water and tried to run to T1...I could barely breath much less run! I might have been a tri-newbie still, but I already knew I was in for a long morning...I was in survival mode.
The 18 mile bike course took competitors from the downtown area of New Roads out around False River and back. The real irony is the name of the town. The only thing new about the roads up there is maybe a new VW sized pothole that opened up last night. Seriously, I was really disappointed with this aspect of the race.
I was already winded from the swim and terribly disappointed. For the effort I put in, it seemed like I should have had a Phelps-like swim split. But, alas, I did not. The worst part was that my heart rate was (and remained) really high throughout the bike ride. I never felt like I could generate any power. I'm not sure if that was because of the road conditions, because I was just too spent, or a combination of both. One thing I know for a fact that I did wrong was nutrition. As a seasoned triathlete of two years (ha!) now, I know to never, ever, EVER, try something new on race day. But on this fateful day, I did not yet appreciate that cardinal rule of triathlon and so, in my infinite wisdom, I opted to try a new cycling "endurance formula" in my aero bottle. Wrong! It may work wonders for cycling; I'm really not sure. But, I know for a fact that it will not help you with running...more to come.
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| Why no that's not puke on my tri jersey...I ate pink cereal for breakfast and spilled some on myself. |
After a rather dismal swim and mediocre bike, I was looking forward to my natural strength and favorite part of a triathlon, the run. After exiting T2, I started out on a quick (for me) 6:45/mile pace and I felt good. I remember thinking that this was going to be my pace to ease into the first mile then I'd slowly start turning it up for the final two. My spirits were starting to lift thinking about having at least one solid split at this race. But, just as I was closing in on the first mile, my friend the cycling endurance formula showed up. By showed up, of course, I mean projectile vomiting in some poor person's front yard. The concerned (and probably disgusted) homeowner happened to be in the front yard watching the race. She was nice enough to offer me some water or a cold cloth. I thanked her, but I was too embarrassed to look her in the eye, so I just started walking down the road as quickly as I could. It was several minutes before the weakness from vomiting faded enough for me to start running again. Of course, my pace was never the same.
I finished the race, 7th place in my age group. I was disappointed with the result, no doubt about it. But, I learned a ton in the 1.5 hours of this race. Some of those lessons would directly translate to a successful race a few weeks later at the Ironman Texas 70.3. I now appreciate that you really don't need any kind of special nutrition for a sprint distance race...they just don't last long enough to truly deplete your energy stores. Just some water or sports drink to stay hydrated is all that's necessary. I also appreciate that sprint races hurt, period. If you're training for long course racing where the majority of your efforts are aerobic in nature, you can't expect to show up at a sprint race and try "to bury the needle" without it hurting. It seems so simple and obvious now, but those are the sorts of simple and obvious things that are lost on newbies. In the end, I'm glad I experienced those things. They're lessons I'll never forget.
Overall, the Oxbow Triathlon in New Roads, LA was a bit of a disappointment. At $65, the race entry for a local sprint race was a bit high. It progressed to $100 if you waited until race day! While False River was nice and the run course good, the road and the bike course were terrible...worst I've ever seen in a race. But, if you need an early year "tune-up" race or you live near that area (honestly, who does?) I suppose it will do.
Venue: 4 out of 10
Value: 5 out of 10
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