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Strawberry Fields Triathlon - Sprint Course - TriathlonSprint


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Oxnard Shores, California
United States
Athlete Services LLC.
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 11m 1s
Overall Rank = 32/335
Age Group = M50-54
Age Group Rank = 3/17
Pre-race routine:

Up way early for the drive from Palm Springs, at the packet line a little early. Coffee, cookies. Racked. No issues.
Event warmup:

Ran about a half a mile to make sure the legs were working, suited-up, went to the pre-race briefing, swam to the first turn buoy.
Swim
  • 13m 8s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 57s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim felt better than the clock says. I had my stroke right away, anticipated the current to the first turn, and swam through traffic well. I was 1/4 of the way back overall, but there were some fish in my ag. Shrug. I need more time in the pool, or to find slower competitors;)

I swam hard, and was happy that I was in decent shape for the loooong run over the beach to the mat. At the gun, I started at the very back, and felt like I passed people the entire time in the water and running to the mat.
What would you do differently?:

Not much other than train a lot more.
Transition 1
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

My t1 was about 52 overall, so not all that bad.I felt a little clumsy at the rack, but worked to run hard between the timing mats. I used a trick Steve Fleck told me, to scoop some water into my suit once I hit the shore, and rather than most races this year, the suit didn't stick. Studying the splits, it's clear that the margin in the swim and in transition goes to strong runners. My run fitness is better than ever, and I seemed to pass people running in t1 and t2, but I'm looking forward to being even faster.
What would you do differently?:

Refine dealing with equipment, run faster.
Bike
  • 30m 4s
  • 11.5 miles
  • 22.95 mile/hr
Comments:

I put everything into the bike leg. I had a good flying mount, and immediately spun up to about 26 mph. I got passed exactly once by the top woman (9 oa), who I hung with for half the course, but I eventually lost contact with her. She was a real lesson in power and efficiency, and I made a point of complementing her bike leg when we finished.

What I figured out this season is that since my bike is my strongest leg, I lose a lot of time if I pace myself, at all, by people who pass me. So this time, I just put the hammer down, and made anyone who tried to chase me suffer.

My run is coming along, so I gambled that I could spend myself on the bike, and still survive.

I nailed cornering, and constantly reeled in swimmers. It was a really fun sufferfest, and I was really impressed with many of the athletes on the road.

BUT, despite my best efforts, I *lost* my ag bike split to an acquaintance who beat me by 9.2s on his way to 2nd in our ag. This is the very first time I can see the value in a set of 808s like he bought since the last time we raced ;)
What would you do differently?:

I'm getting race wheels for next season, and will clean up my cockpit with parts already on order.
Transition 2
  • 02m 1s
Comments:

Just like t1, this felt a little sloppy, but wasn't a disaster. approx 72 overall.
Run
  • 24m 11s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

What a coincidence that my run rank is my ag rank! The legs worked, and I reeled in and passed the two people who slipped by right out of transition, but at the chute, two young guys tore by, and I let them go.

I'm pretty sure the course was mismeasured based on people's times this year and last.

The run felt good, with a solid effort. This is the first race where I could feel the results from my running club, and where I felt like I knew what I was doing.

What would you do differently?:

Keep up the training.
Post race
Warm down:

Eating two pounds of strawberries! (Award for a podium spot: another pound of yummy strawberries!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The numbers are pretty clear that my swim is my weakest spot relative to the rest of the field, followed by a run that's a notch or two behind my bike leg. This is all a matter of time, since I joined a new masters class (10k y/wk), and am seeing constant improvement in my run.

Event comments:

Like most SoCal tris, this was excellent. Perhaps because they had solid USAT officials, I didn't see any of the problems with drafting I've seen earlier this season.

If I want to move up the podium in LA-area races I have work to do! The guy who won the ag had a great swim and solid run. The guy just behind him is a great runner, who ran track in college.

results: http://www.geminitiming.com/posts/strawberry-fields-sprint-triathlo...




Last updated: 2011-06-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:08 | 440 yards | 02m 57s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/17
Overall: 85/335
Performance: Good
Suit: 19 Pipeline
Course: Two right turns; out, over, and back to shore.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:37
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:30:04 | 11.5 miles | 22.95 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/17
Overall: 21/335
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: A rectangle with an extra out and back leg.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:01
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:24:11 | 03.1 miles | 07m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 49/335
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5]
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] 5

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2011-07-17 9:56 PM

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Expert
703
500100100
Palm Springs, California
Subject: Strawberry Fields Triathlon - Sprint Course
I forgot to mention, I got to see a lot of my buddies from the Central Coast. I got to meet BTer Fastyellow right after he turned in his blistering 2:02 oly. My friend who encouraged me to sign up and I finished with similar times. The Go For It! guys from Atascadero had a large tent. All in all, a terrific morning!

Edited by Pacific John 2011-07-17 10:00 PM


2011-07-18 9:46 AM
in reply to: #3600920

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Master
2356
20001001001002525
Westlake Village , Ca.
Subject: RE: Strawberry Fields Triathlon - Sprint Course
Great race John and nice meeting you. Thanks for the kind words....keep up the good work. I'll keep an eye out on your race schedule to see if we do some more of the same races.
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