Wildflower Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Lake San Antonio, California
United States
Tri-California
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 31m 30s
Overall Rank = 1756/2534
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 126/237
Pre-race routine:

Same as last year, we arrived early Saturday morning, set up camp at the edge of the overflow area, and hung out and watched the long course and mountain bike racers pass by. Went down to the festival (only once this time to avoid toasting the legs going up the hill) and then came back for a few beers, burgers, and a little bonfire. Went to bed around 9:30 or so.
Event warmup:

I woke up at 6:30 and my dad had already arrived and sneaked into our campsite. We spent a good half hour trying to find my mom. Had a few raspberry newtons and one of those cold Starbucks doubleshot things, and a little bit of water. My sister and I packed up our stuff and rode down to the transition area. Our warmup consisted of running around to set up our stuff and keep track of family members (our mom & dad, my husband, her boyfriend).
Swim
  • 34m 2s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 04s / 100 yards
Comments:

I've been swimming more often lately and it made a big difference. It didn't really show up in my time, which was about the same as last year, but I definitely noticed that I felt more comfortable in the water. I fell into a natural breathing pattern very quickly and was able to focus on my stroke mechanics, drafting, and sighting. Even though there was no time improvement, I definitely felt good coming out of the water. I mostly stayed with my wave, although I did get passed by a few black caps from the wave behind me.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I would say drink less water, but I think that actually turned out to be a good thing.
Transition 1
  • 03m 33s
Comments:

T1 was an improvement over last year. I can't remember if the run up the boat ramp is included in the T1 split or the swim split, but I know I took less time getting to my bike. No socks on the bike, just shoes, glasses, and helmet, and of course I had my wetsuit almost completely off by the time I got there. I've also gotten better at pushing my bike by the seat while running. All in all, a good transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 40m 40s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 14.81 mile/hr
Comments:

Lynch hill was a bit painful, but no problem. At this point I had done 3 rides on the course, the most recent one being 2 weeks ago, so I knew what to expect. The course was crowded and I had to dodge a lot of people. I passed many people and was passed by some. Someone called me "a good little climber" which I found amusing. I tried to keep up a challenging pace without going too hard. By this time it was sunny so I actually felt like drinking from my bottle, but I still had a little bit left at the end. I did manage to shave a few minutes off last year's time.
What would you do differently?:

Drink the whole bottle, maybe even part of a second bottle. For a training ride it would have been fine, but I was not adequately hydrated when I started the run.
Transition 2
  • 01m 43s
Comments:

I did take the time to put on socks, but I managed to do this fairly quickly. I'm not sure what I spent so much time doing last year, but I did better this year.
What would you do differently?:

Finish my bottle on the bike ride instead of wasting 5-10 seconds drinking from it in T2.
Run
  • 1h 10m 51s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

I drank 2 full cups at each aid station to catch up on my hydration. I made a pit stop at mile 1 or 2, wherever the volunteer camp port-o-potties were. That was time well spent. I did walk up one hill. Fortunately, about halfway through the run, the cloud cover arrived along with a slight breeze, which really helped. As good as I felt going into the run, I quickly started to feel like crap, and felt like crap for pretty much the whole run. I had to dig deep to keep myself running and I spent most of the run on the verge of pushing my heart rate into the bad place. I flew down Lynch hill without regard to my knee (which actually cooperated throughout the race and has felt great ever since). I was thoroughly spent by the time I crossed the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

I would do a better job of keeping on top of my hydration throughout the race. I was undertrained for the run, which I know didn't help. My time was still better than last year!
Post race
Warm down:

I waited about 35 or 40 minutes for my sister to finish. Meanwhile I had a tasty beer (even Bud is tasty after a race). I walked around a lot, then found my sister after she finished. They only let me back into the finishing area when they saw that I had beer.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Limiting factor was my knee. It wasn't an issue during the race, but it is the reason my training wasn't where I wanted it to be.

Event comments:

I missed my somewhat arbitrary goal of 3:30 by a minute and a half, but still shaved over 13 minutes off my time from last year, so I can't complain. Hopefully next year I will finally get to do the long course.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-12-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:02 | 1640 yards | 02m 04s / 100yards
Age Group: 143/237
Overall: 1758/2534
Performance:
Suit: full
Course: L-shaped course in Lake San Antonio
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:40:40 | 24.85 miles | 14.81 mile/hr
Age Group: 73/237
Overall: 1525/2534
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Lynch hill, then rolling hills, out and back, 2400 feet of climbing total, I think.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:43
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:10:51 | 06.21 miles | 11m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 184/237
Overall: 2032/2534
Performance: Below average
Course: Super F-ing hilly. I am no stranger to hills (Silverman!) but there is just no break from the hilliness on this course.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5