Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon - Triathlon


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Morgan Hill, California
United States
USA Productions
68F / 20C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 55m 23s
Overall Rank = 109/404
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 11/35
Pre-race routine:

This is the third time I've done the MHST. This was my first triathlon two years ago. As usual, I woke up about 10 or 15 times the night before, and managed to string together about 5-6 hours of sleep. I ate a light breakfast, drank some Gatorade and Red Bull, and felt better. Petted the cat for a few minutes for good luck. It took me about 15 minutes to drive across town to Uvas Reservoir. I got there at about 6 AM.
Event warmup:

Picked out my transition spot and started setting up shop. A few minutes later, kmac of BT stopped by. He was set up only two spots away from me. Good to meet him in person! There seemed to be a lot more room in the bike racks this year. I did my usual stretching and light jogging to warm up.
Swim
  • 24m 11s
  • 1320 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

Good swim for me. I improved my time from last year by nearly 6 minutes. I stayed relaxed for the entire swim and stayed on course. I've been working a lot on navigating this year. Last year, I was wandering all over the place. No so much this year. The water conditions were great. I noticed that my age group swim rank (13th) was actually higher than my run rank (16th). That is a stunner for me. I was a little concerned about the swim because I scratched the cornea of my right eye last Sunday doing an OWS. But everything seems to have healed up fine.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Hopefully, I can continue to improve my swim.
Transition 1
  • 01m 33s
Comments:

I had a little bit of trouble getting out of my wetsuit.
What would you do differently?:

I seem to do a better job removing my wetsuit when I sit down.
Bike
  • 48m 23s
  • 16 miles
  • 19.67 mile/hr
Comments:

I've been working hard on my bike lately, so it's nice to see some improvement. I've successively lowered my bike time on this course by two minutes each year. I can clearly see my riding pattern now: I lose ground on the uphill, gain it back again on the downhill, and I'm fairly solid on the flats. I imagine my weight (175 lbs) has a lot to do with it. I played cat and mouse with another rider in my age group who usually leaves me in the dust. He still beat me by about 25 seconds, but it gives me hope that I'll be able to keep up with him some day.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I think. I left enough in my legs for the run, which was my main goal.
Transition 2
  • 01m 21s
Comments:

I fumbled a bit with my Garmin watch.
What would you do differently?:

I think I'm ready to start trying to run without socks. I'm going to ease my way into it and see what happens. Hopefully, this will save me a couple of seconds in transition.
Run
  • 39m 55s
  • 5 miles
  • 07m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

My goal was to dip under 40 minutes for the run, so 39:55 feels pretty good. I've been working hard on my leg strength lately so I'd have something left for the run. I managed to stay at an 8-minute pace for the most part. Near the end of the run, I picked up the pace a little bit, but it appeared I was still going to miss my goal time. Then, with about a quarter mile to go, I passed up a big guy who was a few years younger than me. I guess I hit a nerve. I heard him grunt and say "Okay, we're on," and he surged back ahead of me. I've never had this happen before. But it was actually kind of fun having a sparring partner. We ran side by side for a while, until he surged ahead again. Then, with about 75 yards to the finish, we crossed a temporary wood bridge covering a drainage ditch leading to the finish in the parking lot. At this point, I suddenly found another gear, broke into a sprint, and left the other guy behind me. I really surprised myself -- I didn't know I had it in me. After the race, I chatted with the other guy for a few minutes and we thanked each other for the extra push at the end. I don't think I would have broken 40 minutes without that last sprint!
What would you do differently?:

In hindsight, if I'd known I had so much energy in reserve, I would have picked up the pace earlier. This was all new to me. I usually don't have much left in my legs at the end of a triathlon.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around the expo area and drank some Gatorade. It was fun talking to EV3110 of BT in the transition area afterward. I also finally met clydecat of BT (and his son) as we were walking our bikes and equipment back to our cars. We've raced in 5 or 6 triathlons together, but never met face to face until now -- nice to meet you, Clyde!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Experience. I need to know when it's time to push the run harder.

Event comments:

It was nice to finally put together a complete race in which I felt good about my swim, bike, and run. I improved my time in this year's race but more than 10 minutes over last year's race. I still have plenty of room for more improvement, but I seem to be heading in the right direction.




Last updated: 2013-02-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:11 | 1320 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 13/35
Overall: 0/404
Performance: Good
Suit: XTerra ProX3
Course: Counter-clockwise loop around a peninsula. Deep-water start. Exited at a boat ramp.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:33
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:48:23 | 16 miles | 19.67 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/35
Overall: 0/404
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Mostly rolling hills. There are a couple of sharp turns that are a bit tricky to maneuver, especially after a high-speed descent. There's a steep uphill at about mile 11 that slows things down a bit.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 84
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:21
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:39:55 | 05 miles | 07m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/35
Overall: 0/404
Performance: Good
Course: Out-and-back course. Mostly gentle rolling hills and shady. There are a couple of spots where the hills get a little steeper and the sun beats down a little more intensely.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4