XTERRA Tahoe City - TriathlonLong Course


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Tahoe City, California
United States
Big Blue Adventures
64F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 57m 37s
Overall Rank = 27/105
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/15
Pre-race routine:

Pre-race routine went out the window. I had a hard time sleeping the night before the race and wasn't feeling well. Woke up feeling nauseous, so decided to not eat before the race. I had some water, a little coffee, and a couple sips of gel.
Event warmup:

None. The water was way too cold once again. Ambient air temperature was in the 50s at race start and gradually warmed throughout the race. About 5 minutes to the start, I wadded into the water and slowly got deeper. Finally worked myself up to submerging my face and then flushed my suit. I'm not afraid to admit it, it hurt and I really wasn't looking forward to the swim. I came very close to pulling the plug on the race!
Swim
  • 26m 38s
  • 1600 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

I really didn't expect much here. I'm not a strong swimmer and have struggled here in the past. I contribute this to the elevation (6,200f) and the cold water.

I tried to use a different strategy this year and it seemed to work alright for me. Instead of breathing bilaterally on every third stroke, I chose to breathe unilateral every other stroke. This helped me to keep my face out of the water more and allowed my to breathe easier. While I'm sure this slowed my swimming some, it eased the pain of the cold water and increased my confidence.
What would you do differently?:

I am over the cold water OW swims. However, if faced with these temps again, I'm going to bring wetsuit gloves.
Transition 1
  • 04m 32s
Comments:

Hmmm... this would of been comical if it wouldn't have been a race. In fact, this transition cost me a podium finish.

First, the run from the lake to transition was roughly a quarter mile along a bike path, up a short, but steep hill, across a highway, then into transition. I removed the upper part of my suit, stashed my goggles, cap, and hoodie into one sleeve while running. I ripped one of the sleeves on my suit while trying to get the sleeve over my watch. Sorry honey, I needed a new suit :)

Unfortunately, with numb hands, I found simple tasks become quite burdensome. I fumbled with my shoes and couldn't get the buckle on my helmet snapped.
What would you do differently?:

Wear gloves during the swim to avoid numb hands.
Bike
  • 1h 33m 43s
  • 18.56 miles
  • 11.88 mile/hr
Comments:

I went hard, but at a sustainable pace. Course is very well suited for getting around other riders. I was really surprised that I only ranked 20th on the bike. A few more miles and I could of passed a few more people.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster so I don't have to pass as many people on the rides.
Transition 2
  • 00m 30s
Comments:

T2 was much better than T1. The bike course ends on a downhill which facilitates removing shoes while riding.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 51m 58s
  • 5.79 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

This year I was able to pace the uphill section and still hurdle the trees. I felt pretty good about the run, but I thought I was faster than I actually was.
What would you do differently?:

Keep working on trail running, especially long, sustained climbing
Post race
Warm down:

Short walk followed by getting into the lake up to my waist. Consumed 24 ounces of water with Recoverite.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Cold water. Numb feet and hands.

Event comments:

When the director announced that the bike course had to be shortened due to snow, I knew I was in trouble, especially at this swim distance. I need the longer bike distance to compensate for my poor swimming. Oh well... collect my XTERRA points for the fourth place finish and move on.




Last updated: 2011-06-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:38 | 1600 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 54/105
Performance: Average
Suit: 2XU V:1
Course: Inverted triangular course. Course consisted of two 800 yard laps separated by a short beach run. Water was very clear. You could see the bottom and anchor ropes on the buoys!
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 52F / 11C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:32
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:33:43 | 18.56 miles | 11.88 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 20/105
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Burton Creek State Park. Course was a combination of paved road, fire road, and single track. Trails were muddy, wet, and with snow. In the drier areas, the soil was in great condition for riding.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:30
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:51:58 | 05.79 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 32/105
Performance: Average
Mile 1: 11:23; 418 ft gain Mile 2: 12:07; 444 ft gain Mile 3: 8:28; 64 ft gain Mile 4: 7:02; 4 ft gain Mile 5: 7:16; 5 ft gain Mile 5.79: 5:51 (7:24 min/mile); 3 ft gain
Course: Run course was very demanding. There was no time to get your legs adjusted to the run. The first two miles of the course gain over 800 feet. Course starts on paved road, but quickly transitions to fire road and single track. Upper portion of the trail had a lot of snow. Some of the drifts were a good couple feet high.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %unk
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3