Nathan Tempe Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
The Red Rock Company, Inc.
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 41m 15s
Overall Rank = 161/560
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 24/84
Pre-race routine:

Woke up early after a poor night's sleep (3am). Gathered my gear (bike was checked in the night before) and headed to transition about 4:30. Met up with Pilon and others and chatted things up while inflating tires and prepping our gear. Had my normal breakfast of a Clif Bar, Banana and G2 in the morning, then a PowerBar Gel pack about 30 minutes before the race with a 5hr energy.
Event warmup:

Did some stretching of my back, neck, shoulders and legs to relieve the muscles and tension. Was in the water a couple of minutes before our wave start and swam to the start line to get my stroke in tune.
Swim
  • 34m 42s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

Swam better than the splash n dash a few days before, but still slower than I anticipated by 3-4 minutes. Early scrum was challenging, and I made contact with more people than usual fighting for position. Finally found some clean water about 250m in, and kept it most of the way to the finish. My concentration was much better, as I counted cadence with my pull and tried to stay focused.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure - if I start further back, I might have to deal with going around people, but I would avoid the scrum early on. If I stay up front, I deal with the fighting but remain closer to clean water earlier on.
Transition 1
  • 01m 27s
Comments:

Easy T1, except I was messing with my GPS watch to get it working. Scrapped the idea when I got to my bike and decided just to race without checking my time, HR, etc. Went through transition pretty quickly and got onto my bike and moving at the mount line.
What would you do differently?:

Forget about the GPS - if it is not working, let it go.
Bike
  • 1h 09m 40s
  • 24.64 miles
  • 21.22 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good ride for me - although I could not see my speed (cyclometer also bonked out on me at the start), I kept a good cadence and rhythm and moved along well. Fought some headwind at one point of the loop, but managed through it, and climbed out of the saddle when necessary to keep my speed going. I kept pace with my nutrition, knowing I would need it for the run as the heat was rising. Took a salt tab about 2/3 into the bike, and had a Clif Shot Block as well, along with a bottle of electrolytes.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing with my performance. I spun when necessary, pushed when I felt like it, and kept a good pace throughout.
Transition 2
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

A good T2 - having left my shoes on my bike. Ran through transition and stopped to put on socks for the run, which did not seem to slow me down much.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - would like to get this under 1:00, but I am not going to be critical over :22 at this point - I have bigger areas to improve upon.
Run
  • 54m 4s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

The heat was settling in as we started the race 45 minutes late. The run was quite hot with very little shade. Water stations were positioned well and of great assistance. Pilon caught up with me about a mile into the run and we ran together at an 8min/mi pace, then a 8:15/mi pace, then a 8:30/mi pace. Legs were beginning to cramp but I ignored them and pressed on, and Steve fell off with about 1.5mi to go due to leg pain. I managed a sub-9 min/mi pace for the whole run, but have to figure my pace for the last couple miles was closer to 10 min/mi.
What would you do differently?:

Just keep pushing. The heat should not affect me for a 10K, and I cannot let it.
Post race
Warm down:

Water and Perform, then some more fluid at the ONE tent. Hung out with ONE members, then loaded my gear and headed home to relax.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My swim still needs to be faster as an average, and my run needs to et back to where it was early in the season.

Event comments:

Red Rock continues to put on good races, and just needs to figure out the starts a bit better. This is at least the second RR race where start has been delayed 30 minutes or more. But they still run an awesome race.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-01-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:42 | 1500 meters | 02m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 0/560
Performance: Average
My GPS watch did not start when I prompted it, so my HR data was all non-existent this race.
Suit: Tri suit
Course: Counter clockwise rectangle, single loop
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:27
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:09:40 | 24.64 miles | 21.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 0/560
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: 2 loop urban course with several turns and turnaround points. A couple of false flats, but nothing too crazy or difficult.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:22
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:54:04 | 06.2 miles | 08m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 0/560
Performance: Average
Course: 2 loop course around Tempe Town Lake
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4