hoping to get some clarity on the exact way the races are going to be run. i'm going to try to write about this tomorrow.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

according to the stuff from Terry Davis, It'll be the same as last year. Of course, that doesn't help much if one doesn't know how last year went.

I did it, and from a competitive point of view my only regret was not going a bit faster on the run between swim and bike.

Hope for good weather.

Umm... Dev. Did you age up this year? If you are now in the 50-54 AG...
On the bike, make sure you enter HWY 101 North at ~ mile 34, in fact everybody in that AG should do that. ignore what everybody else is doing. This will have you avoid Nasty grade (how lucky can you get?).

Seriously, I hope to finally meet you there. I'm the doofy looking blond (OK, kinda gray) average guy.

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

It is funny you said, 'regret not running faster on the first run'. I was actually thinking that everyone will overcook the first run and the reality on a 2ish mile run, at best I can only gain 1 minute going full throttle vs moderate/steady. Basically I would run it at the equivalent of "85-90% FTP effort"

Yes, I will be in 50-54 also. We need to meet up pre or post race.

Slowman, tell Monty to get on this thread and write up his advice on how to pace/attack the ride. He wrote that several year ago and it was bang on. Something along the lines of.....everything until you get to Nasty Grade is a long warmup. Nasty grade is the first leg of the entire race....second leg are the hills to T2....final leg is the run.

Can anyone comment on what part of the run course is removed ? How far do we go down into that pit to hell?

I assume we just take our run shoes to the swim start, put them on, stuff our wetsuit into a bag and the bag gets brought to the finish area after the race to be reclaimed and we just use the same running shoes that we left beside our bike for the actual main run course. Correct?

No pit at all. Insteaed of coming off the dirt road and turning right on the pavement around mile 9(??) you turn left, run the .5-1 mile to Lynch and go down Lynch.

keeping in mind you are in my age group :-)...

you should run barefoot over the dry lake bed to your bike!!! Just kidding.

Me? I'll have my "good" flats ready at the transition area. From the swim I plan on using my "old" flats to get on the bus to the swim, walk around, warm-up, etc. AND use them to run to the bikes. I won't use them again. Just in case they get dirt or rocks in them.

But, you could use the same shoes, and, in all likelihood be OK.

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

That makes sense as you need some shoes/flip flops to get to the swim start anyway and go with two sets. OK, so where is Monty to tell legends from the past when they used to ride around with 10 kilo weight jackets and do the entire run barefoot and still run sub 1:15 ?

OK, what is the new swim venue like ? Water visibility OK?

I don't recall WF ever being no wetsuit, but should I pack my swim skin too? Given your heat and drought and shallow water, is the water a lot warmer than previously?

I'm glad you've rekindled this thread (I was going to myself). re: Water temps, etc. since the location is ~ 500km from Sacramento, I have no idea. I'd love to hear reports from someone more official - please!

Of course I hope it's warm enough to NOT allow wetsuits (fingers and toes crossed). As a "swimmer" that is good for me - problem is, most of the fast guys in the AG are even better swimmers than I am.

I don't have a swim skin, but I'll bring my wetsuit. For you, flying down, tougher choice. I've never heard of WF being warm enough, but, this would be the year - given how low the water level is and how warm it's been.

see ya in a few days!

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Last year I tried to do a flying bike start even though I knew it was a short take-off ramp before the hill, and it didn't work out so well. Usually I'm good at this technique... in fact, Wildflower's the only time I've bumbled it during a race. So my question is, what's the best way to get from T1 onto your bike, do you just put shoes on at the rack and trot out of T1 wearing them? Carry them in order to run fast and then slip them on at the mount line?

I always put my shoes on at the bike at all races and then run like hell to the mount line.

.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

2010, I just ran to the mount line in bare feet carrying my shoes, put them on with the bike leaning against my body and then mounted like a normal training day. Starting that far back in the field with all the sketchiness at T1 all around, I prefer the secure control of my bike...for example, look what happened to a vet like Simon Whitfield at the London Olympics when he was not secured in (feet still on top of shoes) and unable to control the bike when he hit a speed bump.

"Slowman, tell Monty to get on this thread and write up his advice on how to pace/attack the ride"

i might be mistaken but i think he's got the kids and the wife packed into the motorhome and he's already on his way.

monty and i can give you the same advice: if either he or i are racing the long course, and it's a hot day, it doesn't matter what we do, we're in trouble. cold day? which happens about 1 year in 10? then we're going to do well.

mostly WF is a party, and the triathlon is the excuse to drive up there. by far, the best stories about WF having nothing to do with the race itself.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

You might hit the jackpot. Low of 7 Celsius, going up to 26 (so just under 80). Great if you are a pro, but for people starting in the last wave, the heat will creep up late in the bike and for the run (not that it is that hot, but easy to ignore). This is almost the worst combo of 'getting warmer late day', because you think it is cool until it no longer is a bit past temperate, but then its' too late case you're de hydrated and bonking. But I guess that is what the after party is all about.

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lake%20san%20antonio%20weather


Maybe Emilio will serve up some magic rejuvenation liquids in the DeSoto both to pull everyone out of the post race misery?

That looks like perfect temps. I remember going to the race on Sat with the temps 100 degrees and seeing the life flight taking folks away. As well as watching working at the end of the run by the road
on a death march. I stayed home the year it was pouring rain. So 80 would be perfect. Looks hotter Sat than Sunday?

.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

hopefully it will cool off by Saturday. I just finished riding the bike course and it was 90 degrees out there. You really only notice it on the climbs when you aren't getting a steady breeze across the body.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Tri California posted on FB that the lake was 76.6 deg today and they will check again on Friday. I don't see on their web site anywhere what the cut-off is, but I assume 78 deg? Someone asked about visibility. Last year the first 100 yards or so, maybe a bit further, was 0 visibility from all the silt getting stirred up by previous waves. I put my face in the water and got confused because it was so dark I thought my eyes were closed! Past that spot visibility wasn't too bad, and then it was black again at the swim exit. I did the Olympic on Sunday last year though, so maybe Saturday wasn't as bad.

Darn...on my way to the airport and realize that in my haste I did not put a swim skin in. Oh well, just swim with tri shorts and suffer through a bad T1 if it is no wetsuit.

Racing at Wildflower this weekend... coming in from Lake Tahoe.

If anyone has a spare set of quality race wheels, I can offer some cash or trade for swim lessons or whatever else you're looking for. PM or email me - jkenny5150 at gmail.

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_______________________________________________________
John Kenny, Pro Triathlete, USAT Certified Coach - http://www.frenchcreekracing.com
Philly Masters and Open Water
Swim and Multisport Events

So does anyone know if Slowman and Monty are making celebrity appearances in the last M50+ wave on Saturday, or do we need to crawl over to the DeSoto booth post race to catch up with them after they spend the day tending to a basketball team worth of little kids in a camp ground?

Any updates on the wetsuit/no wetsuit scenario? Also an someone describe the topography of run number 1? Is it technical trail with rocks and roots, or pretty easy flowing?

As to the run from swim to bike. Uphill (steep) up the ramp and past, then, rolling to downhill (slightly) to and on the lake bed, then up a bit to the bikes. I recall conditions to be no problem, e.g., not "technical."

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Well there was not much of a smackdown in 50-54. Neither Pete Kain nor Tim Sheeper made celebrity appearances, and then Manofthewoods, out swam me by 6 minutes or so, outbiked me by 4 min and out ran me by another 3 min. My saving grace was I appear to have won the Wildflower 50-54 transition world championships crawling in at 5:15....the split run format just killed my legs for the second half of run number 2 but with a bunch of studs over in St. George or tapering for their Tuesday night club world championships, I ended up in 2nd. The coolest part of the day was meeting/pass Scott Tinley who was racing in the relay. It just seemed wrong to pass triathlon Royalty in this manner. When I got into tris in 1985, Tinley was winning Kona. It was just a fabulous moment coming up beside one of your sporting heros.

Keith kicked butt in your AG yesterday. Was great to see that his great training leading up to the race paid off in the event. He had an amazing swim, bike and run for a 53 year old guy. I looking forward to racing with him
again this season to see if I can still beat him in the run. Keith, no more excuses of letting an old guy get a faster split time in the run. :)

.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I don't think you can use Keith's run splits in Wildflower as an indication of what he might do in an Olympic tri. That first part of the run just destroyed the tail end of the bike and the second run no matter how conservative you took it. Just look at the top pros with combined run splits of 1:22 which are very "touristy". A lot of the pro women were low to mid 1:30's for their combined runs so that that for what it is worth in terms of how slow the running was. With your biking (all relative), if you had done WF LC, I am pretty sure that Keith would have outrun you on run number 2. The bike and run 1 would have just removed most of your run legs. It's just the way it is. Even Jesse Thomas said he was 11 minutes slower overall than his normal time in WF due to the format. That first run also had sections that were like running on quicksand. Super slow, especially for us coming out of the last wave for whom the trail was chewn up to just pitted lose sand.