Race Profile: Pee Dee Triathlon

I want to give a quick profile of the Pee Dee Triathlon I raced a few weeks ago. This is race #8 in the SC Tri Series, and the first Setup race I've done this year that did not hit max capacity. Max is 350 and there were just over 300 finishers.

This race is just south of Florence, SC. It's a rural setting for sure. I think the actual town is Timmonsville or maybe Darlington. It's held at a private residence on a man-made ski lake. Leaving from Mt. Pleasant, you can get there in 2hrs 30min. But be careful, it's tough to find coming from I-95. The directions are good if your traveling via I-20, but completely jacked up otherwise. I knew where I was going this year, but last year, got completely lost and barely made the start.

The Swim
The 700 mtr swim is in the ski lake, complete with slalom buoys and ski jumps. You'll start in waist-deep water with your wave. At the sound of the horn, it's one clockwise loop around three buoys then head back toward the beach. Once you exit the water, you have a good 150 yards to transition. Water temps are in the mid-80s, so no wetsuit.

The Bike
The 15 mile bike is your typical country back roads deal. Lots of fields, farms, trailers, and barns. Road conditions are pretty decent once you get out on the pavement. However, the first 3/4 is on a dirt road. Portions of the road are real sandy and impossible to get through without sliding. Last year, people were falling all over the place. This year they put a 'sport court surface' down, which is essentially large pieces of heavy foam/plastic. This worked nicely and nobody seemed to have any trouble.

You're told not to race this section of the course. That just means don't pass anyone. You can get up to around 20 MPH on this surface.

The Run
The 5k run is 3 laps around the lake, completely off road. There is little elevation change, but parts of the trail are a bit sandy and offer poor footing. And, by this time in the race, it's starting to get really hot. There is a water station that you'll pass 3 times offering water and a Hammer Heed mix.

The race shirt this year was a nice cool max material and sleeveless. Moe's provided the post race meal. Vendor's, race photography, course officials, and lots of volunteers were on site. Great awards, split and transition times provided, and good music. As always, Setup hooks it up and puts on a great race.

Swimming with Snakes

This morning I was swimming laps at my neighborhood pool. I finished my third set, took a drink of water, turned around and saw a snake swimming over the lane line right toward me. It was a small snake, and probably about 5 ft away from me, but I was out of the water in about .0001 seconds nonetheless.

Once out of pool, I could see the snake was just a baby -- about 12 inches probably. I scooped him out with a net, tossed him in the woods, and continued swimming, but I was a little wigged out. I swam 6 more laps but couldn’t concentrate. I wondered if he was coming back to finish the job he'd started. I wondered if he had 15 or 16 siblings slithering around, and of course, I wondered if mom was creeping around. I decided to cut my swim a little short and head home.

This is the first snake I’ve seen in the pool, but I think about it every time I go, especially in August when it’s still dark outside. Today it was light, so I could see. But when it’s dark and my hand hits a leaf, or a piece of foam from a raft or something, I almost have a heart attack every time. So to actually see a snake completely validates my paranoia. Like most people, I cannot stand snakes. I mean, it’s not Snakes on a Plane or anything, but it’s not cool to be in a pool with a snake.

I think that once civil twilight is around 6:30 a.m. in August, and I’m swimming in the dark again, I’m going to have a hard time keeping my HR down. If I see another one, I’m calling in Samuel L. Jackson to come down to my pool and take care of business.

CSTS#2 Race update

The second race in the CSTS was last Sunday at James Island County Park. I shaved about 20 seconds off my time from the first race, and managed to grab 29th place overall and 2nd in my age group. I’m happy with that, but my goal is to crack 1 hr 5min. I still need to cut about 1:30 off my current time, and I'm not sure if I can get there in one month.

It seems there was some drama after the first race in the women’s elite division regarding drafting. A complaint was made, but there really wasn’t anything the race director could do other than ask the riders if they had indeed drafted. They said no, and that was that. Since there are no draft marshals on the course, you are on the honor system. Paul King decided to have draft marshals on the course for this race, and by all accounts, it was a clean race. No infractions occurred.

The bigger issue is blocking, another USAT rule, but I won't get into that again. Anyway, David Quick wrote an article for the P&C regarding the drafting allegations at the first race. All Setup Event races have marshals on the course by the way, and they always give penalties. It’s not that people are trying to cheat, it’s just that don’t know the rules. Some rules you just have to learn the hard way.

Pee Dee Triathlon Tomorrow
I’m heading up to Florence tomorrow morning for the race #8 in the SC Series. It’s a 700 mtr swim, 15 mile bike, 5k. I’ll post a course profile next Monday. The first mile of the bike is on a dirt road with lots of sand. Last year people were falling left and right trying to get through the rough parts. It’s not a hard fall, but obviously, it’s preferable to stay upright on the bike. This year they’ve put something over these rough patches, but are still saying not to race this section of the course. Easier said than done. It’s a race after all. I’m just hoping I don’t get lost trying to find the race site like I did last year. I literally had 15 minutes to check in and get my bike racked before my wave went off.

Tour de France
I can’t get enough of the Tour this year. Both US-based teams are killing it – Green jersey, White jersey, stage wins, race leader, top 10 GC guys. It’s incredible. This is the first time we’ve had two American teams in the Tour and we are represented well. I have wagers with two friends of mine on who will win. We’ve each selected 5 riders and will take the 3 lowest times combined to determine the winner. Plus I joined two Tour de France Fantasy Leagues, so I’m completely enthralled with all things Tour, or as one buddy likes to put it, “You’re a dork.” Whatever, Viva la US!!!!!