Swim
Comments: My first real triathlon is done and it was fun. 23Rd overall out of 41 and 3rd in my age group out of 15 was a satisfying first time result and I am already thinking about how to improve. In the lead up to leaving Australia I was doing over 20 hours a week of training, mostly swimming with strength work a couple of runs and some stationary cycling. However, in the 3 weeks prior to the event, in Bali I was only able to do about a weeks worth of swimming training and gym work but no running or cycling. I managed to do a short warm up before the swim but it wasn't enough. I started the swim feeling stiff and slow but easily pulled ahead of the pack to be in second place. The swim course was a clockwise circuit of a diamond. I managed to get to halfway without going too far off course but after that there was a lack of markers and I got lost. It cost me about 2 minutes (maybe more) and I was passed by the swimmer in third place who beat me by 20 seconds. What would you do differently?: More training. Transition 1
Comments: My transition to the bike was a bit slow and I need to do some work on it but it was over 3 minutes faster than at the quadrathlon in December 2013. What would you do differently?: My T1 performance needs some work but this was my first triathlon so I went in not knowing much. I can only improve. Bike
Comments: I started the bike leg feeling rotten. I spent quite a bit of time in the first 10Km thinking about how I really should have done the sprint but kept going anyway. Eventually I warmed up and felt good. Shortly after that I passed the 20Km sign. Along the ride course the potholes had been filled with sand. In many places large piles were left on top so riders could see where they were... I couldn't and hit a few. There was also a lot of sand on the sides of the road. Thin racing tyres and sand really don't mix and it was potentially dangerous. The organisers need to find a better way to fill holes next year but the course route was ideal. It alternated between jungle and small villages where all the locals were out on the side of the road cheering. The winding, undulating course was moderately technical and required a bit of thought. I hope the organisers don't change to a free-way ride next year. What would you do differently?: Next time I tackle a triathlon I will have done some cycling training. I think I can take about 15 minutes off. Transition 2
Comments: Transition from bike to run was reasonable and there isn't much I can do to improve it. It was about 40 seconds slower than at the quadrathlon. What would you do differently?: I don't think I can do much to improve this. At best I might be able to take 30 to 50 seconds off with practice and better pre-race preparation. Run
Comments: Nice location but very hot. The run was quite slow but it is my weakest leg and my complete lack of training showed. Water stations were every couple of kilometres but in the heat they needed to be every kilometre. What would you do differently?: Next time I will have trained. I think I can take about 10-15 minutes off. Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster: 1. Training - minimal swim training in the month prior and no run or bike training. In fact I hadn't even been on my road bike for 5 months before the race. 2. Poor road condition in places forced me to keep my speed down at times when I could have gone faster. Event comments: Overall this is a great event. Potholes need to be fixed properly (piles of sand on the road are a serious hazard, especially if you can't see them) and there needs to be more drink stations on the run course. But, the race organisers did the best they could with the resourced they had and the event is in a very remote location. It is primarily intended to be a relaxed, fun event and is not intended to attract athletes looking for high level competition and in the respect it succeeds. Last updated: 2014-04-23 12:00 AM
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ID
http://triathlon.bangka.go.id/?q=node/15
Overall Rank = 23/41
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 3/15
We only arrived for the race the day before but it took so long to travel from the airport at Pankalpinang to Sungailiat that Yanti and I were putting our bikes together at 9pm the night before the race.
All I could do was some stretching at the hotel before pickup on race morning and I completed my bike setup at transition before race start..
Warmup was a short easy swim of about 400m. It should have been longer and harder but I didn't have time.