Stavros was able to get 2nd in his age group and 29th overall last weekend at the Stanford Triathlon (which he did before returning to the second day of the CrossFit Running and Endurance Seminar!) qualifying him for the 2010 USAT Age-Group Nationals in Alabama! Click "Continue Reading" below to see his race report.
Workout: "Nicole"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
Record number of pull ups completed each round. Do not "pace" the pull ups. Go for maximum reps every round.
Log your results online by clicking here.
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Stavros' Race Report:
Stanford Triathlon, 2nd in AG, my first podium!
On Sunday, 2/28 I raced in the Stanford Triathlon, it was a sprint distance; 500m swim, 20k bike, 5k run.
As I woke up at 5am that morning, I asked myself...why was I doing a triathlon in FEBRUARY!? It had been raining all week and the weather had been crummy, not to mention the swim was in the icy bay water. This would be my first saltwater/ocean water swim. Luckily it looked to be protected by the marina (which it was). Fortunately for us, the sky was clear and blue that morning, awesome! I met up with John Fulton, Chris McCrary and Chris DuFour. We headed out and arrived at the race in plenty of time to pick up our registration packets, timing chips, and rack our bikes.
I then began the pre-race prep and getting my transition area ready. When we had arrives, I noticed there were a lot of racks and thought there would be plenty of room...but soon enough, the ALL filled up and it was tight quarters. I never though so many people would come out for a race this early. I heard something like 700 or so? Not sure about that though. I had everything laid out and decided to take a spin around the bike course to get loose. I rode for about 10 minutes, and then heard a huge POP! Yep, flat tire, about 15 minutes before I had to get my wetsuit on and I was 10 minutes (riding) from the start...awesome! Lucky for me a passer by quickly stopped, I loaded my bike and headed back. I had also thrown some levers & a tube last minute in my bag. I kind of just laughed when my tire popped..what else could I do? I got back, changed it quickly, ran over to the mechanic and pumped it back up, done deal.
Time to get the wetsuit on and head to the swim. They said you need shoes for the walk out there, but I decided to leave my shoes at the swim exit, since it was easily 200m from the exit to T1. That wasn't the problem, the issue was the rocky path out to the swim start with no shoes...OUCH! It was an open water start and required about a 100m swim out to the buoys. As I swam out, I realized how COLD the water was...much more than I thought it would be. This was the coldest water I have ever raced in, but I felt fairly comfortable in my suit.
My swim heat (39-U) started at 9:20am, and it was packed. The whistle went off, and we headed out for the 500m swim. I started on the right, near the buoy. I tried to find someones feet to pace off of, and keep the same pace. Getting used to swimming in a full sleeved suit was a bit different, my arms fatigued much quicker. Overall, the swim went okay, I finished in the front 1/3 pack. We were lifted out of the water onto a dock, which was a bit weird, then the long run to the transition area. I was glad I brought shoes to wear. I finished the swim in about 8:30 (1:42/100m pace), and arrived at T1 in 10:48 (3rd fastest in AG).
T1 went okay, my suit got a bit hung up on my heels. As I put my bike shoes on, the back got stuck under my heel and I had to take the shoe off, then put it back on. Total time 1:27, slower than I would have liked.
The bike course was 3 loops, 20k total. I was on my road bike, as I'm working on building up my TT bike. I got going and tried to get to a cadence and HR that I could maintain. The bike has always been a weak link for me, my main goal was to stay within my limits, and get to the run as fresh as possible. I was pretty successful in getting through the bike with gas left in the tank, and still push myself. Bike time was 33:58 (22mph avg/speed & 7th in AG).
T2 went a bit smoother, :53 seconds. Running shoes got a bit twisted, nothing too difficult. Then off to the good stuff, the run!
The 5k run was flat, but with some decent turns and a couple of turn arounds. I just focused on the runners in front of me, picking someone attempt to pass. This kept me going throughout the run, and I felt strong the whole way. There were mile markers, but I didn't have my watch dialed in, so I wasn't sure of my pace. I kept passing people though, so I knew I was having a decent run. Was able to put together a modest sprint to the finish. 5k run time, 19:22 (6:12/mi pace & fastest run in my AG!).
Total race time, 1:06, good for 2nd in my AG, not sure of overall finish. Definitely some positives to take from this race, and some things to build on. Overall, very happy with my first race of the season. It was also great to race with other FoMo studs (and studettes) out there. Fulton and McCrary both raced great and got 3rd in their respective AG's. Looking forward to my next race, which is a big one, Oceanside 70.3, my first Half-Ironman race. The butterflies have already started! Thanks for FoMo and Diablo Crossfit for the great training partners and environment.
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