Piranha National Series Strategy: Two Provinces Sprint Triathlon (Race 4) Handbook

July 11, 2019 Leave your thoughts Posted under

After a hard day of racing in Wicklow last Sunday, there is very little time to rinse off the wetsuit as 2 Provinces NS Sprint Triathlon is taking place next Saturday, 13th July. This is recognised as one of the best races on the calendar, both from a racing and setting perspective.  The swim is in Lough Ree and is hailed as a warm swim due to the ESB Hot water run-off from the local power station. The course is quite flat and therefore fast.  As a sprint, you can just go for it!

This note has the following sections:

  • Who’s racing?
  • Final Schedule and Race Briefing
  • Pre Race Advice
  • Getting There and Car Pooling

 

Who’s Racing?

Ross Condy Adam Goslin
Patricia Eadie Finbar O’Grady
Brian Stanley Eddie Cosgrove
John Lyons Fiona Nelson
Helen Dowdall Danielle O’Riordan
Bernard Hanratty Becky Woods
Declan Connolly Siobhan Forman
Martin Dunne Ross Hamilton
Shane Farrell Shane Gavin
Gordon Grant Carl Byrne
Stephen Eustace Ciara Brody
Eimear McHugh Richie Dooley
Conor Crosbie Ronan Corby
David Larkin Cathal O’Sullivan
Vanessa Fenton Sahil Jhamb
Niall O’ Flynn Eoin King
Noel Kelly

Final Schedule and Race Briefing

As at the time of printing, the race schedule for the weekend is:

Wednesday (10 July) – Dublin Registration – Wheelworx Bike Shop, Lucan

17:00-21:00        Race sign is available in Dublin at Wheelworx on Wednesday evening.

Friday (12 July)

18:15-20:30         Race sign on will take place in St Mary’s Hall located on Main Street, next to the bridge.

Saturday (13 July)

07:30-10:00         Limited registration only. Doors will close at 10am sharp

07:30-10:15         Transition opened. Transition will close at 10:15am sharp. Transition is located beside Lough Ree on the Longford side of the river.

10:30-10-45         Race briefing Start times may vary dependent on conditions on the day.

11:00                     Wave 1 start

11.10                   Wave 2 start

11.25                   Wave 3 start

11.40                   Wave 4 start

11.55                   Wave 5 start

**Note – There is quite a delay between Race Briefing and the latter waves going off. Make sure to stay hydrated and warmed up!

15:00                     Prize giving

In particular note the following:

  • Athletes will be directed to parking, which is right beside the transition area.
  • The swim is a triangular route and shouldn’t pose too many challenges, although there can be some swell. You will get a chance to acclimatize.
  • Usually the lake is warm – due to the nearby ESB power station, however, that has been put on stand down this week, so temperature may be as usual Irish lakes.
  • The bike route takes you into Connacht and is very straight with a drag to the turnaround point, making it one of the faster routes. Roads are closed, which adds to the appeal.
  • The run is also on closed roads, nearly all of which is ‘out and back’ and fairly flat.
  • If it’s wet, be careful on the grass in transition.
  • Two Provinces prides itself on being an accurate sprint triathlon (no corner cutting here), so it’s a great race in which to gauge yourself against that barometer.
  • Obey the rules and be courteous to the marshals and fellow competitors.
  • Enjoy the loud country music and good food after the race!

See http://twoprovincestriathlon.com/two-provinces-triathlon/for the race briefing.

Keep an eye on your e-mail inbox and Lanesboro Tri’s website/social media for any late announcements.

Pre-Race Advice

Race Week

In the week before the race, being well-rested is vital. Triathletes have a (good) habit of being very committed to training and often find it hard not to train! However, the week ahead of a race is one of those times when you should take that break and not feel guilty about it – especially those who raced Harbourman last week! The training that matters has been done already and flogging yourself a few days before a race is not wise! However, tuning up in the form of short and sharp intervals across all three disciplines is generally recommended. Eat good and nutritious food and stay hydrated.

Make sure you have everything you might need for the day! Of critical importance is your TI card or one day license – no license, no race! You should know yourself what items you need, but as a guide, see the sample checklist below:

Swim

Bike

Run

Other Options

Race Day

Outlined below is a comprehensive warm-up that incorporates all three disciplines and requires a decent amount of time. What is arguably as important as the physical side of warming-up is the logistical and mental preparation. Make sure that you have everything positioned where you want it (the logistics), ideally as early as possible, so that you can then prepare (mentally) prepare. Assuming you have allowed sufficient time, this should incorporate familiarising yourself with the course, in particular, in and around transition. If you have any particular concerns, try to limit these. For example, nervous swimmers might walk to the turnaround point to get the measure of the course and note landmarks that might be reassuring during the race; if your bike handling on a TT is rusty, navigate a few corners. Make sure your bike is roadworthy and operating smoothly (faulty bikes cause anger, anger leads to hate, hate causes suffering………..and we know where that leads!).

Cycle

Before you rack your bike, try to get 10-15 minutes easy cycle- this will give you a feel for you race position, changing gears and pedaling technique. Keep this cycle at easy intensity- This can be a couple of hours before the race start and the purpose is to give you a feel for the bike (Use run/swim as warm up before race).

Transition

 When racking your bike: Do a couple of jogs through the transition and visualise where you have to enter and exit for T1 & T2. Know exactly where your bike is – memorise how to get to your bike quickly. Placing a ridiculously colourful towel on the ground by your bike is sometimes useful as it can be easy to spot as you run along a row of bikes. You can place your runners, gels, visor, sunglasses etc. on the towel so you can grab them before you head out on the run. Alternatively, note a fixed landmark (not a bike!) and practice making your way to \ from the entry \ exit point.

Run

After racking your bike and setting up your transition completely, do a run warm up next – complete 10-15 minutes jog with 5x 10 strides seconds at intensity of 7/10. Aim to finish your run warm up approximately 20-25 minutes of starting your race, then get wetsuit on for swim warm up below.

Swim        

Try and get into the water to allow time for the body to acclimatize. While you don’t want to get cold, acclimatising as best you can is very important. Dynamic movements of your arms and shoulder are suggested (e.g. circling your arms and practicing the swim motion). Start with some aerobic swimming and add 4 x20 seconds at race intensity, with 1 minute easy between each.

Getting There (and Car Pooling)

Registration and race day parking details are outlined in the Race Briefing. Piranhas should be able to get to Lanesboro in around 1 hour 45 minutes from Dublin, whether via the N4 to Longford or the R392 from Mullingar. Since there is a large number of us heading down to race it makes sense that we try and minimise our carbon footprint and carpool where possible! If you are interest in giving or getting a lift please post up on the forum and take it from there. The more information and flexibility you can offer, the likelier you are to get a lift! If you are taking a lift please take it as read that you should offer to contribute to the cost of the journey for petrol / diesel and tolls, if applicable!

Wishing you all a Good Race.

Any questions then please do not hesitate to contact either of us.

Good Luck!

Siobhan and Ross

Siobhan Forman and Ross Condy

National Series Coordinators.

 

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