Ravi Pandya
ravi@iecommerce.com
www.iecommerce.com
+1 425 417 4180
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ABOUT ME

Ravi Pandya
Architect
Cloud Computing Futures
Microsoft
ravip at microsoft.com

03-	Microsoft
00-02	Covalent
97-00	EverythingOffice
96-97	Jango
93-96	NetManage
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88-89	Hypercube
84,85	Xerox PARC
83-89	University of Toronto, Math
86-87	George Brown College, Dance
95-	Foresight Institute
97-	Institute for Molecular Manufacturing

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed here are purely my own, and do not reflect the policy of my employer.

Black Diamond Long Course Triathlon (70.3)

This race doesn't start until 9:00, so it's easier to manage getting there in the morning than most races. I arrived at 6:45, and was early enough to get an onsite parking spot. It was shaping up to be a beautiful sunny day, like last year - pretty lucky for Seattle in late September. I had plenty of time to set up in transition, rest, eat, and do short warm-up run.

The water was noticeably warmer than last year. I got in the water and did short swim out and sprint back to warm up. There was a small wave of elites at 9:00, then the men started at 9:01. I stayed in the middle of the pack this year, and was buffeted for a while until everyone spread out after the first turn. Then a thick fog came down over the lake - you couldn't even see from one sighting buoy to the next, so I just followed the pack, hoping they were headed in about the right direction. I tried drafting a few times, but wasn't able to lock on - I'll need to work on that. I'm sure I zigzagged a bit, and spent extra time with my head up trying to sight the buoys in the fog.

The fog lifted and the sun came out shortly after I got on the bike, but the air was still nice and cool for most of the ride. The bike course is mostly easy rollers, and I stayed in aero uphill & down except for a few moderate climbs. I hit the halfway mark at 1:26, and then stopped briefly to swap water bottles into the front. I was a bit slower for the second half, but still came in under 3 hours. I put on my shoes & cap, slugged back half a liter of fluids and headed out for the run.

It had warmed up considerably, and felt humid. It was maybe in the high 70's but I don't cope well with the heat, and am cautious after ending up in the med tent a couple of times. I had put salt & electrolytes in my water bottles on the bike, I took a couple of salt tabs over the course of the run, and I stopped at most aid stations for water, electrolytes, and another cup of water to pour on my cap for cooling. Despite all that preparation, I was only able to manage an 8:00 pace for the first few miles, and slowed down as the course climbed up into the hills. I managed to pick up the pace a bit heading back down from the halfway mark, and passed a couple of people I had been trading places with. The final trail around the lake was a relief to get out of the sun, and the hills didn't seem nearly as steep as they did last year (it was the rocky downhill stretches that were tough). I don't feel particularly sore the day after, so my legs clearly could have ran faster, but the rest of my system rebelled. I think now that I know how to prepare for it, it's mainly a matter of getting used to the feeling of running in the heat - it doesn't happen often around here!

Overall, I didn't quite meet my 5:30 goal, but still finished 40 minutes faster than the same race last year. A pretty good way to end the season.

Time 5:35:39 
Placed 61/148 Overall, 10/18 Men 45-49
Swim 36:48, T1 4:21, Bike 2:55:33, T2 3:03, Run 1:55:54

Thanks to my family for tolerating my habit :-), and to Michael Covey at the Pro Club for his great coaching.

19:37 #