TRI for FUN Triathlon #1 - TriathlonSprint


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Herald, California
United States
TBF Racing
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 56m 17s
Overall Rank = 248/421
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 15/18
Pre-race routine:

Besides being my first Sprint, I was super excited for this race because it would be the first sprint for my Mom (turned 60 in Feb), and first triathlon ever for my Dad (turned 60 in April). We went down to the race site the evening before and had an RV spot at the lake. After setting up camp we went for a short swim to check out the water and get loose, then I took a short 8-10 min jog to check out the routes to/from the run. Had some grilled salmon with spinich ravioli, saland and bread and called it an early night. RV bed was plenty comfortable, but had a hard time falling asleep. Didnt think I was nervous...maybe just excited. Finally put down Iron War on the iPad for about the 4th time just before midnight and got some sleep.

Race morning got up around 5:45, had a whole wheat bagel with PB and banana, along with a banana. Sat in camp and watched the stream of cars start rolling in. Met up with a buddy to give him his race packet, gathered our gear and got a nice transition spot all together next to a tree. Stopped by the registration desk to change out swim caps...they hadn't registered me as a Clyde but caught their own mistake and gave me a heads-up email the evening before. Well run event, as always by TBF.
Event warmup:

Put on the wetsuit and walked down to the water, no real warmup other than getting wet and splashing around a bit.
Swim
  • 16m 26s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

First big-group OWS...the short dash races I've done before I just sprinted out ahead of the group. It was strange being in the middle of the pack. Nothing too harsh, just a lot of accidental bumping and jostlig, especially out to the first turn (about 250-300 yd). The second "leg" straigt east into the sun I had some trouble sighting into the glare, ended up getting a little "inboard" of the course by following a guy who also didn't sight well. Overall was happy with the swim, and was suprised to see the time when I came out of the water. I was expecting closer to 20 min. Good start.
What would you do differently?:

Try to focus more on finding some feet and staying behind them. Don't get caught up in the turmoil of the "mid-pack". If I give up a little time to stay behind someone at least through the first stretch it may help my overall time. Be patient and let the group thin itself out before passing and setting a pace.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

My plan was to walk through the transitions, but I felt pretty good coming out of the swim and wanted to jog up the grassy hill from the beach. No real issue with wetsuit/bike shoes transition. Walked bike out to the mount line and headed out. Let a guy that was hustling a bit go out ahead of me...I didnt really care about time.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, went pretty smoothly. Took my time and felt good getting on the bike.
Bike
  • 59m
  • 16 miles
  • 16.27 mile/hr
Comments:

My goal for the ride was an hour, but I thought this was optimistic. I rarely have a flat training ride, and usually average 14-15 mph. I figured my run would suck no matter what, so I decided to go ahead and push the bike a bit to see how I would feel at the end. I knew I had a few minutes on my target from the swim, and if I could gain a few more on the bike it might help accomodate a slow run. Probably could have pushed a little harder, but that final gentle uphill back into the park was enough to really burn my legs after riding a fast pace (for me).

Got a really great energy boost at about 3/4 through when I saw my Dad going out...yelled some encouragement to each other and almost clotheslined a poor lady that was pulling left to pass me. She laughed it off and asked about my dad, got to talk with her for a minute before putting our heads back down. I stuck with her for the rest of the bike and only got passed again once the uphill into the park started.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder. Do more long training rides so I can get used to a faster pace on longer rides. Was still happy to hit my "optimistic" goal of 1 hr.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

Nothing significant. Dropped bike & helmet, put on hat and race belt. Downed 1/3 of the Gatorade remaining from when I filled my bike bottle, and grabbed a Clif Shot chew because I had been hungry on the bike (and swim, come to think of it). That was a mistake...I don't like those things when I'm hot and out of breath.

Was a little bummed to see my Mom with a camera outside of T2. She had been battling a chest infection for a few weeks and tried to race through it, but had to pull out during the swim. They finally diagnosed it on Monday as Bronchitis, and she should be fine by the July race so we'll run it together then.
What would you do differently?:

Don't try a chew that you haven't used before on race day, dummy!
Run
  • 35m
  • 3 miles
  • 11m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

I wasn't really exhausted coming off the bike, but my legs hurt when I started the run. I think I was fatigued enough that I was landing hard instead of keeping up my cadence/turnover like I'd been practicing. I got concerned that I was more tired than I thought, and without being able to see how far we were going (I know the distance, but my head won't believe it if I can't see it), I was afraid of running out of gas. I knew I had some time to spare given my swim and run times, so I took it easy on the way out walking all the uphills and some of the flats. Basically if I got tired, I walked. Once I hit the turn-around I felt OK, and ran most of the return.
Approaching the turnaround I identified a couple of guys ahead of me who looked like Clydes, one who had passed me on the bike. I decided they looked more tired than me, and I was going to make passing them my goal on the way back in. Passed the first one within a few minutes and never saw him again. Finally caught the second guy with about a mile to go and pulled ahead. He passed me back with about 1/3 mile left when I stepped over to hi-5 my dad heading out, but I ran him down and finished about 20 seconds ahead. I felt really good at the finish, and was happy to make the last turn and see the clock at 2:05 (I started 10 minutes later, so that was 1:55 in my time). Had no problem running the finish, and my mom got a good picture of me giving a thumbs-up a couple hundred yards from the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

Run harder...trust the training time and realize it's just a 5k. Try to keep a good pace, but just run and the finish will come soon enough.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some water and a couple orange slices, checked in with my Mom and the buddy that had finished in 1:37 (he's way faster than me, and had just run the Auburn HIM a couple weeks earlier). Hung around and watched some of the early awards while we waited for my Dad to come in, then cheered him across the finish line in 2:42 (he was just hoping to finish under 3 hrs...made it by plenty). Hung around a bit, gathered up our gear and hooked the RV back up to head home to the wife and kiddies. Had a celebratory dinner with my parents that evening at our favorite Mexican place with a victory margarita!!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall I was really happy with my race. I wasn't thrilled with the run, but I knew that was my weakest sport. Will work harder on it, and put in more long brick workouts to avoid the uncertainty coming off the bike as to energy level.

Event comments:

TBF puts on great events...I am always impressed with their logistical organization. Lots of volunteers, always right on time, and very proactive in helping address any issues. I had several volunteers/staff ask me after the race how my mom was feeling, because they either saw her pull out or were helping in the kayaks/beach and were worried about her. Great organization and I'll do as many of their races as I can fit in to my schedule.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-02-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:16:26 | 880 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/421
Performance: Good
Suit: XTerra Vortex 3 sleeveless
Course: Rectangular course, wade start from the west side of the swim beach. Starts out north, right turn to the east (right into the sun), another right turn back into the east side of the beach.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:59:00 | 16 miles | 16.27 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/421
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Slight downhill out of the park (over some speed bumps and across the dam), then right turn out onto Hwy 104. Out-and-back on 104, decent road with some rolling hills but nothing significant. The slight downhill out of the park somehow turned into a much longer uphill back into it...was a tiring finish at the end of the ride. Course was open to traffic, with plenty of signage and CHP at the Hwy 104 entry and turn-around point stopping cars. Not much traffic, and everyone I saw was very patient and courteous to the cyclists. No real issues.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:35:00 | 03 miles | 11m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/421
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back course on fire road around the east side of the park. Dry, no shade, and gravel mixed in with the dirt was a little rough on my feet. Some short uphill-downhill stuff that kept you from settling into any kind of even pace.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4