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Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Chatanooga, Tennessee
United States
Team Magic, Inc.
HOTF / 0C
Total Time = 2h 19m 9s
Overall Rank = 21/970
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 5/124
Pre-race routine:

The usual, performed in an RV instead of at home or hotel room.
Event warmup:

Basically nothing. I took a few laps around the football field at the swim start. My feet were still sore from the day before (being a tourist), so I mostly just lay in the field while waiting for my start.
Swim
  • 23m 50s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 27s / 100 yards
Comments:

My start time was screwed up. I had put 23 minutes (knowing it is a downstream swim), but somehow ended up amongst people people who put goodness-knows-what -- I saw all sorts of amazing stuff on this swim: side stroke, elementary back stroke, strokes that I could not identify. I was fighting my way through packs of frog-kicking breastrokers, panicky swimmers who kicked like a mother when they felt you near, and once a group of what must have been 15 'swimmers' who were just sitting there treading water, apparently talking to each other (???). I've got NOTHING against these people. I'm not happy that I was placed amongst them.

I must have passed at least 100 people on this swim, maybe much more. I started as number 617 and was getting out of the water with people in the 200s, 300s, and 400s. I have no idea how much time I lost having to fight the packs. Not a whole lot, but some. Needless to say, drafting was not an option on this swim. On the upside, for one race I got to pretend that I'm a fast swimmer! 'Pretend' being the key term, there.
Transition 1
  • 02m 46s
Comments:

I got caught behind a pack of people walking to T1, which is a fair distance. Other than that, it was OK. Not great, but decent.
Bike
  • 1h 06m 26s
  • 26.1 miles
  • 23.57 mile/hr
Comments:

Hilly but fair course. I was pretty much constantly on the left-hand side of the road. I did try to pull back right when there was room. But there were very few chances to do so. It was pretty much wall-to-wall cyclists on the right and me on the left. I think I passed a few hundred cyclists, and got passed by nobody. I will say this: there were only about 3 or 4 times when I had to ease up for a second or two because of a cyclist who was blocking. (I saw nary a bike marshal on the site -- I guess they were patrolling the 'real' race up ahead.) The vast majority if cyclists were riding correctly, leaving enough room to pass on their left, holding their line, etc. That was nice to see.

The format of the results make it hard to determine overall and AG placement of splits, and I'm too tired to figure it out, but this was a top-ten split including pros (actually I beat one of the pros), so I'm happy with it. And now that I look, easy to verify top AG bike split. I'll take it.
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

That's better. I didn't get held up at all. Not tops, but one of the faster T2s. I had a crappy position on the rack for T2. Not sure if I messed up the path, or if it's just inevitable that your rack position can affect how far you have to run -- I had to run most of the way down a rack (100 bikes or so) and then back. Oh well. It was fine.
Run
  • 45m 1s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 15s  min/mile
Comments:

Yes, this is a tough course. Yes, it was hot. But still, ouch. Taking conditions into account, I guess the run reflects my current run fitness, and that's a little scary. I ran it faster two years ago when, supposedly, I was much slower.

OTOH, I was 5th in AG on the run so maybe not awful? Top pro went 40:01, which is frighteningly slow for a pro. So maybe my frighteningly slow old-guy AG time is OK. Maybe.
Post race
Event comments:

The race is very very well run. Swim start was much better organized than the last time I did the race (2010). Now if they could clear up the start order (mine was far from the only one screwed up), I'd give them an A+.

As I look back over the splits, this was actually a pretty typical Oly for me, even though it didn't feel that way. The swim felt fast b/c I was passing so many people, but in fact it was just average, and as it happens in Olys, a strong bike and run just isn't enough to make up for a mediocre swim.

I got '2nd' in AG, but only because the top three masters overall were M40-44. Actually AG placement was 5th.




Last updated: 2012-03-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:50 | 1640 yards | 01m 27s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/124
Overall: 0/970
Performance:
Suit:
Course: River, with some downstream push.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:46
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:06:26 | 26.1 miles | 23.57 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/124
Overall: 0/970
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:45:01 | 06.21 miles | 07m 15s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/124
Overall: 0/970
Performance:
Course: Hot. Stairs. Hills. Hot.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2012-07-08 8:32 PM

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Champion
7595
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Columbia, South Carolina
Subject: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon


2012-07-08 8:56 PM
in reply to: #4300413

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Master
3058
200010002525
South Alabama
Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon

Good job Michael-great description of the run course   Really nice splits across the board.

Randy

2012-07-08 8:57 PM
in reply to: #4300413

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Master
3205
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ann arbor, michigan
Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon
Within 5 minutes of the top pros time? I would say that is better than OK. Nice job.
2012-07-09 7:12 AM
in reply to: #4300413

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Master
2177
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Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon
Excellent and inspiring, Michael!
2012-07-09 8:42 AM
in reply to: #4300413

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Master
1411
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Lexington, KY
Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon
Congrats Michael, Chattanooga usually has a tough field.  Very nice bike split!  (And glad you were able to avoid a frog kick to the head.)
2012-07-09 10:44 PM
in reply to: #4300413

Extreme Veteran
844
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Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon
great race man! saw some interesting strokes myself.. I'm MOP swimmer and ended up with 976 for a number.. I think I was one of the last 100 people in the water.. ugh.. able to swim around most, but as you experienced I pretty much lived in the left lane for the ride (and i'm no where near as fast as you). just sucked starting the run that much later...


2012-07-10 9:31 AM
in reply to: #4300413

Member
149
10025
Hudson Valley Region
Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon

Impressive swim time given the obstacle course you had to go through!  Sounds like you interrupted an aquarobics class :-)

Way to go!

2012-07-11 11:34 AM
in reply to: #4300413

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New user
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Subject: RE: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon

swim was no fun - allll the crowd! 

by the time I set into an even pace it was time to get out of water  

great people attending this event. Got passed by from right side  couple of times though instead of from left side. 

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