Race Review: 2004 Prairie View Triathlon

September 4 (Labor Day Sunday) found me in Vicksburg, MI for the inaugural Prairie View Triathlon/Duathlon. A 1000m swim, 40k bike and 10k run displayed Prairie View Park and surrounding Kalamazoo County to a small but enthusiastic crowd of several hundred athletes.

If you look at the calendar, though, you'll notice that this race took place only a week after my stinko effort in the Chicago tri. The Michigan location (almost in my in-law's back yard) made it too good to pass up, so I asked my trainer at Lifetime Fitness, Burr Ridge, IL if it was smart to piggyback races so close together. Her answer: take the week off from training (which I reluctantly did,) eat 5,000 calories per day (which I happily did) and race how you feel (more about that later.)

The swim in Hogsett Lake offered the 3 'Cs' I look for in triathlon swims: clean, clear and calm. A short run uphill into T1 and then out on the bike for a flat, fast, two-loop course on local and county roads. Race organizers say they're looking at altering the course for 2005 to avoid the bone-jarring railroad crossings. Back into T2 and out on the run, also a two-loop course featuring the park's most diverse terrain: woodland trails, open fields, sand dunes and paved roads.

Now, I went into the race with few expectations beyond finishing and having fun. Yet my finishing time was fully 30 minutes better than my time in Chicago (2:28 vs. 2:58.) Sure, some of the improvement (maybe 10 minutes) can be accounted for by the .5k shorter swim, but the rest represents actual improvement.

Thinking about it, maybe there are some lessons to be re-learned: (a) tapering works, (b) nutrition and pre-race fueling matter, (c) adequate sleep and low stress levels improve performance and (d) I should listen more to my trainer (thanks, Kathleen.)

Prairie View is another solid effort from 3 Disciplines Racing, one that should garner more participant support in years to come. Count me in for 2005.