Meat Pie - TriathlonSprint


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Natchitoches, Louisiana
United States
Run Wild
68F / 20C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 42m 24s
Overall Rank = 77/263
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 2/10
Pre-race routine:

Left town after twins' soccer Saturday morning, two-hour drive up I-49. Checked in hotel then did a little sightseeing (very few sights to see in this sleepy college town) and drove the bike course. Went back to hotel, the boys and Angel swam while I rested and watched football, then picked up packet and ate an early dinner.

Weather turned nasty, thunderstorms and winds, so we kept a close watch on the weather channel. Looked very much like the cold front might make it through by race start, at least that's what we were hoping.

Was in bed for eight, didn't sleep well though. Finally got up before the 4am alarm, ate a bagel with coffee, showered, dressed, got to race site before 6am. Weather was nice, overcast, temps in the upper 60s, little wind, just had to keep praying that the rain was past.
Event warmup:

Racked bike, got marked, had to wait 15 minutes for the chip pickup to open. Did some light jogging, saw Michael Pate, who with his wife was doing the race photography. Got on the bike to see how I would approach the climb up the embankment out of tranisition, rode maybe three or four miles total. Re-racked, made final preparations, hit the portapotty one final time. By then the race had started, so I found my place in line.
Swim
  • 19m 3s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 10s / 100 yards
Comments:

Time trial start, line up by bib numbers (which were assigned by age group), two-second intervals.

Wasn't a bad swim for me, crawled most of the way, only two or three breaststroke breaks, primarily for sighting and navigation. Did meander a little toawrd the oncoming stream of traffic and bump a guy who had done the same coming the other way.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This was only a little slower than CajunMan. Working on it.
Transition 1
  • 01m 3s
Comments:

Very short run from swim. Transition area is on the paved river bank, so you have to climb about thirty feet up the embankment to get to the surface streets immediately after you mount the bike. Many people chose to run their bikes up the embankment and mount at the top. I tested mounting at the botom and riding up, found it to be very doable in a low gear if I kept my feet on top of the shoes, so that was how I approached it.

Problem is I was so focused on getting up the embankment, and getting around the slow/stopped people who were trying to clip in, that I didn't notice the mount line. Mounted a few feet too soon, got hollered at by the official, quickly dismounted and remounted, so the official said "go ahead." Angel was standing there, said they debated giving me a penalty, finally decided they would, but never did. I don't think it would have affected my AG placement anyway, but glad they didn't.
What would you do differently?:

Watch the mount line. Other than that it was a good transition, both my transitions were fastest in my AG.
Bike
  • 56m
  • 20 miles
  • 21.43 mile/hr
Comments:

This is probably the hilliest course I've raced this year, constant rollers and an uphill bias on the way out, which makes it fast coming back.

I could tell from the start that I was flat, haven't been on the bike since CajunMan two weeks ago, but gave it my best shot. Did alright, struggled with some of the hills, maybe pushed too hard going up some of them. Downhills were fun and fast, as was most of the ride back.
What would you do differently?:

Not have to take two weeks off the bike. Local guy, who I beat at CajunMan by 3 minutes, beat me here by a minute, so I think I could shave four minutes off my time here if I was in peak shape.
Transition 2
  • 00m 49s
Comments:

Got out of shoes and rode down the embankment with feet on top of them. Dismount was perfectly uneventful, decent job finding place and racking bike. Running shoes on quickly, grabbed hat, race belt, and gone.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Again, fastest in AG, not more than a couple dozen faster in the whole race.
Run
  • 25m 30s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

Really didn't push very hard, did get to the point where I started to feel a stitch. Knew I was slower than CajunMan and other recent races, like 8:30 for the first mile, but didn't have many people pass me, no more than six or seven, all younger. Picked it up a little at the end but still slow.
What would you do differently?:

Push harder, not be sick the week before.
Post race
Warm down:

Not much, walked through transition, high-fived the brothers, got something to eat. Preliminary results were posted, shocked to see I was second in AG after such a so-so race. Waited around for awards, got a nice long-sleeve Asics top (see pics), much better than a dinky medal.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

OK, excuse time, probably TMI time as well.

Coming out of CajunMan two weeks ago, developed an infection and swollen lymph nodes in the groin area which meant NO biking during that period. Even in this race it was painful to sit and pedal, not to mention the loss of conditioning a two-week layoff brings.

THEN, Tuesday of last week I finally contracted the cold/flu that Angel and Dylan had been exchanging the previous week: fever, congestion, muscle aches, sore throat, yada yada. Finally broke a little Saturday, but I still had residual effects during the race. Definitely felt weakness on the run.

All along this was a "B" race for me, anticlimatic after my "A" race at CajunMan, but still I could have done better than this. Shoulda/coulda been faster, right up there with the AG winner, who beat me by only 26 seconds at CajunMan but by 7 minutes here. All things considered, though, a decent enough outing.

Event comments:

Nice, well-organized race. Could use a water station at the run turnaround, could use more variety of drinks at the finish (just water and beer available), maybe more entertainment there as well. Still not a bad event, course is pretty and challenging, good food at the finish with plenty of meat pies and jambalaya. I will probably do this one as often as my schedule allows it.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-07-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:03 | 880 yards | 02m 10s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/10
Overall: 165/263
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Out-and-back course in Cane River Lake in the middle of town. Shallow water, supposedly you could walk the whole course if you wanted to. Was the coolest water I've swam a triathlon in, kind of nice to not be sweating in the water.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:03
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:56:00 | 20 miles | 21.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/10
Overall: 48/263
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Out and back course, north from downtown, then east around Sibley Lake.Total uphill of 540 feet per BIM.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:49
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:25:30 | 03.1 miles | 08m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/10
Overall: 106/263
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back, up a set of stairs going up the embankment (see picture below), then across the bridge and along the river until the turnaround. Finish stays up going through town on Front Street, comes down the same ramp that the bike course uses to the finish line.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3