Pittsburgh Triathlon - International Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
United States
Piranha Sports, LLC
68F / 20C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 28m 36s
Overall Rank = 83/358
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 13/48
Swim
  • 23m 27s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

Got in near the middle of the pack and tried to navigate toward the front, but there were too many bodies already there. Spent a lot of energy trying to stay near the buoy treading until the start. Went out pretty hard expecting to get some separation from the pack which didn't really happen until the end of the upstream leg. Wetsuits probably helped some weaker swimmers keep up keeping it congested. Swimmers were generally stronger this year. Found I was able to maintain the aggressive pace I started at, so I just kept it up. Doing the Search for Monongy 1.2 mile swim a couple of weeks before was great for fine tuning my perceived exertion. Had some navigational difficulty on the return leg. There was a long gap between buoys on either side of the Ft. Duquesne Bridge. I swam toward the nearest one I could see which was a boundary for the first leg. Probably added 50-100 yards to my swim before I figured it out. Had some serious contact at the beginning and rounding the last buoy. Did a good job swimming upstream this year toward the exit so I didn't miss it, though I had to sight every other stroke to stay on target.
What would you do differently?:

Sight better. Should have walked the entire course instead of just checking out the exit. However, buoys were only put out close to race time, so there wasn't much opportunity to do that and hit the port-a-potty!
Wear wetsuit for Olympic distance if it's legal?
Transition 1
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Passed a couple of people on the uphill jog to transition. Don't they know it's a race?!
Transition area was muddy so had to run a little slow on the grass. Helmet and sunglasses on and bike unracked. Ran to the mount line and did a reasonable facsimile of a flying mount. Pedaled with feet on shoes, got some momentum, and slipped feet in. Never did get the left shoes fastened quite right. Never do something standing still you can do at 20 MPH! Or in my case 5 MPH.
What would you do differently?:

Get a little more speed before putting feet in shoes. Overall good though. 8th fastest T1 out of 358.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 8s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.39 mile/hr
Comments:

Passed a fair number of cyclists on the uphill and was passed by some too. Had a blast flying downhill pushing the 11-tooth gear. Had difficulty on the false flats finding the right gear / cadence combo. Pushed hard the whole time. Passed a couple of people on tri bikes in the turnaround due to better handling.
What would you do differently?:

Work on slight uphills like on Corrigan in South Park.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Dismount line snuck up on me. Only had time to get one foot out of a shoe before I had to stop. Got the other foot out rather quickly and ran to T2. Should have done that earlier.
What would you do differently?:

Pick a landmark for removing feet from shoes and stick to it.
Run
  • 50m 1s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 03s  min/mile
Comments:

Legs felt dead and heavy from the first steps off the bike and never got all that much better. Felt like I was going very slowly (like 9:00 pace). Ended up being 8:04 pace, so not as bad as I thought, but a little disappointing given what I was able to do on Bricks in training (7:15-7:45).
What would you do differently?:

Not volunteer the day before and stand for 8 hours. Maybe throw in a couple more longer Bricks leading up to taper.
Post race
Warm down:

Laid down on the ground in the small spot of shade and cooled down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Running legs, aero equipment, mental lapses.

Event comments:

This was so much better than the Sprint last year. I was better prepared and felt competitive.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-01-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:27 | 1640 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 5/48
Overall: 63/358
Performance: Good
1:26 / 100 yard pace
Suit: Orca Trisuit
Course: Medium upriver, short cross river, longer downriver, short cross river rectangle. Current was very fast at about 19KCFS. Debris in the water from rain. Concerns about sewage overflow due to heavy rains.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 79F / 26C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:52
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:13:08 | 24.85 miles | 20.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/48
Overall: 108/358
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Up and down the I279 HOV lane twice. Course was better swept this year and less congested due to the Sprint being on Saturday.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:06
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:50:01 | 06.21 miles | 08m 03s  min/mile
Age Group: 23/48
Overall: 137/358
Performance: Average
Course: Long out and back on mostly shaded riverfront trail.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4