Santa Barbara Triathlon - Long Course - TriathlonLong Course


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Santa Barbara, California
United States
Santa Barbara Triathlon
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Routine? This is my first race, I had no "routine".
My family and I (Dana my wife and two daughters) got to Santa Barbara early Friday afternoon. I wanted to make sure we were there early-ish to pick up my packet, get my bike checked, and get settled in as soon as possible, hoping my nerves would be minimal. I walked my bike to the event site picked up my packet and gave my bike to get checked. While my bike was getting looked at, I peaked at the swim course. Augh! I immediately freaked out! The distance looked much longer than I trained for, in Orange County. This may get ugly.
the Bike was ok, I rode back to the hotel in a "rookie daze", thinking how big the swim looked.
It was time to unpack, layout my rental wet suit and number my borrowed bike. I "carbbed up" with a nice pasta dinner with family and friends, then went to sleep.
Event warmup:

I woke up at 2am, 3am, 4am, and 530. Didn't sleep well at all. I ate half of what I planned to eat, my stomach was in knots. Got dressed and headed out to the site. It was nice to be so close to the event. I got there at about 615, by that time I felt like I was a little late. I was. The racks were crowded with bikes, no spots for my Trek. Next year, I'll be here earlier. Finally, someone noticed I was starting to panic and scooted his bike a couple inches to the left, I thankfully squeezed in. I was happy to have a spot. I put on my wetsuit, taking in the atmosphere, the music, high fived a couple other 1st timers. "How Cool is This!" There was a guy next to me who ripped his wet suit while putting it on! Glad that wasn't me. I left transition to take pics with the fam and head to the starting line.
I stretched a little bit on shore, then got in the water to swim (why not, that's what everyone else was doing). Not too far though, I was the in the second wave, and didn't want to miss my start.
Swim
  • 31m 4s
  • 1760 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water was warm. I was surprised, everyone I spoke to leading up to the race said to prepare for the cold water. Nope, warm. I was really nervous standing at the start line. There were some guys apologizing in advance for possibly kicking me once we're in the water. Something I wanted to avoid when I signed up for this. The whole group swim thing freaks me out.
Just seconds till start, I was really nervous. I knew ahead of time I wasn't going to "Banzai" into the water, I didn't want to chance my goggles popping off or leaking...I wear contacts, a leak would've been really annoying during the swim. (Not sure why I didn't practice with the goggles, that ultimately cost me time.)
Time to start! I jogged to the water (like my 10 yr daughter would), let the experienced guys go ahead, waived to my wife/kids and swam. Once I got my face in the water, I turned on like a light switch. I was more comfortable than expected. I swam into a pack of swimmers, it got pretty physical at first, lots of bumping and arm locking. It turns out, this didn't bother me at all! Then after about 20 yards, I swam a solid burst and separated myself from the cluster. I quickly got a decent rhythm and was breathing well, I didn't want to go too fast, based on what I saw yesterday, the course seemed huge to me, so I wanted to make sure I could finish strong. Again, this was my first competitive open water swim. I didn't want to go crazy early, so I paced a little slower than training. Even with that, I started passing people and it felt great! I was surprised how bad some of these swimmers were at sighting, I was more pleased that I was swimming straight! I drafted some other straight swimmers, which was fun. I made the buoys, turned left and into the beach I went. I got out of the water feeling good. It turns out, the distance was accurate. I Lost my cap in the swim, ripped my goggles off (no leak during the swim, phew!) and ran to T1
What would you do differently?:

Next race, I'm definitely going to be more aggressive, and not worry about goggles. I should've trusted my training and SWAM my pace!
Transition 1
  • 02m 37s
Comments:

Bad transition. I didn't wear my shirt under my wetsuit, not sure why I decided against that. Wetsuit came off easy, I put my helmet on, sunglasses and socks, my shoes were on the bike, ready to go! Oops! Forgot to put my shirt on! RE-DO! Got on my bike, the gear was too low for the start. Ugh. Chalk this up to a great learning experience.
What would you do differently?:

Most of it. I can be much faster.
Bike
  • 1h 54m 13s
  • 34 miles
  • 17.86 mile/hr
Comments:

Bike was good. I rode the course the week before, so I knew what I was up against. The last hill, Toro Canyon was a pain, but got through it ok. I beat my 2 hour goal by a couple of minutes, so that was good. The nice thing about not being a fast rider, is I got to see all the cool carbon fiber bikes pass me like I was standing still! I know I have a lot of work to do in order to be better on the bike. Finding a good bike will be next on my list. I borrowed a buddy's 8 yr old Trek, it held up nice, no flat tires. I Never stopped. I charged up the first 2 hills and actually passed a few on the third, Toro.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, I rode as hard as I think I could. I will ride more.
Transition 2
  • 02m 16s
Comments:

I took my feet out of my shoes and rode in, almost like a pro! My legs hit the ground and responded nicely. I could definitely be faster in this Transition. I went down the wrong bike rack coming in from the ride. That didnt help.
Run
  • 1h 26m 45s
  • 10 miles
  • 08m 41s  min/mile
Comments:

Running out of transition felt ok. My family was there cheering my on, which was great, I had to make sure I looked strong with great form and a stride! That was just for looks, once I got out of sight, I realized my legs may be giving this whole "triathlon thing" a second thought. Good news , my legs started to loosen up about 2 miles in, bad news, here comes a hill. Ugh. I started to get a muscle cramp above my right "love handle". I didnt know I had a muscle there, until it started screaming at me. I immediately thought this was way too early for this to happen. It was uphill for most of the way up to the turning point. I just kept telling myself to get to 5 miles, the rest is down hill. I ran through the love handle pain, thank god it stopped. I got to the 5 mile mark, where I was offered a beer from one of the many nice, volunteers. He lied, it was water. Punk. I used the downhill the best I could, once I got to the last flat 2 miles, it started to get hot, I was passed by 5 people, I know this because I thought counting them would make me go faster. Nope, I just kept counting. Last mile there was a lady screaming her head off at me, telling my to keep going. She was impressively loud, I kept going and went faster to the finish. My family was there to hug me at the end, what a great moment!
What would you do differently?:

I know with more training, I'll be able to knock off some minutes from this run. I walked through more water stands then I'd like to admit and a few times in between. I know I can do an 8 min mile.
Post race
Warm down:

I ate some oranges and pasta, and returned to the bike rack to stretch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The Hill? I'll be ready next year!

Event comments:

I was very happy to finish 3 min faster than my 4 hr goal! If I had raced Clydesdale (Im 215 lbs), I would have finished 4th in the group! Thats great for my ego.
This was a lot of fun for my first Triathlon. I learned a ton. I loved the atmosphere, seeing the other racers and how they interact with each other, I constantly thought, "I wanna be like them!" I cant wait to do this race again with more experience, a little less lbs, a newer bike (suggestions would be great) and a more competitive mindset.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2011-08-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:04 | 1760 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit: Zoot Rental
Course: I thought it was choppy
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:37
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
01:54:13 | 34 miles | 17.86 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: 3 quick steep hills.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills: Average
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:16
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:26:45 | 10 miles | 08m 41s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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