St. Patrick's Day Triathlon - Triathlon


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Keller, Texas
United States
Dallas Athletes
42F / 6C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 11m 57s
Overall Rank = 51/444
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 6/34
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:45. Breakfast of oatmeal, peanut butter and blueberries. Coffee.

Easy walk after setting up transition. It was cold, so I then spent most of the morning in the natatorium.

Took a gel about 10 minutes before the scheduled start. The event started about 30' later than scheduled.
Swim
  • 05m 44s
  • 300 meters
  • 01m 55s / 100 meters
Comments:

This felt a lot harder (and faster) than my time indicates. It's also significantly slower than my training swims. Of course, going out way too fast was disastrous.
What would you do differently?:

Not go out so fast. Not sure why I did that - must have been the adrenaline rush.
Transition 1
  • 03m 21s
Comments:

With it being 42*, I took my time in transition to get on socks, a jacket, and gloves. Even so, it was a bit difficult with my body being wet.
Bike
  • 40m 6s
  • 12 miles
  • 17.96 mile/hr
Comments:

I was disappointed with my time, which was about identical to my time two years ago on a road bike. I think the cold and the wind played a factor. My legs felt tired pretty much from the beginning of the ride.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know. I'm not sure why the ride was as weak as it was. Might be because I'm in the middle of a hard build cycle. Or maybe I'm just not very bike fit right now. Maybe the time change. Who knows?
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Run
  • 21m 15s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 51s  min/mile
Comments:

Made negative splits. I felt like I could push it harder, and did. Maybe I could have gone harder earlier, but I followed the race plan for the run. A tri 5k PR, and I'm very happy with it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This was the sole bright spot of the race. Mabye I should just stick to running?
Post race
Warm down:

Ha

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not really sure. This race was in the midst of a hard build cycle. Coach said to treat it like a workout. I gave my best effort, but it pretty much stunk. Also, going out too hard on the swim.

Event comments:

It's hard to be objective about the quality of the race when my poor performance overshadows it. I really wish this had not been on DST weekend. I was pretty tired in the morning, and then the race started 30 minutes late.

Aside from the tardiness, things were pretty well organized. Post-race food and drink were just getting started when I finished my race. I wasn't particularly impressed, but had I stuck around, probably would have been more welcome.

The appeal of this race is that it is very early in the season, and the course is fairly beginner friendly. It's also local to Dallas/Fort Worth, being more convenient to the Fort Worth side of the Metroplex. Weather will always be a wild variable. The pool swim is both good and bad. It's nice for beginners, but can be crowded.

I'm not sure I'll do this race again, but not because of how the race was operated. I'd almost rather wait another month to be more fit, to avoid the time change, and to chance the weather being a lot better.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2017-02-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:05:44 | 300 meters | 01m 55s / 100meters
Age Group: 7/34
Overall: 0/444
Performance: Below average
Hmm, turns out I started out WAY too fast (1:30/100).
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:21
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:40:06 | 12 miles | 17.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/34
Overall: 0/444
Performance: Below average
Splits every 5 miles 1 - 16:20 2 - 15:26 3 - 8:18 HR - avg 169, max 175 (optical)
Wind: Some
Course: My Garmin and the official course distance differed by 3/10 of a mile. Some little hills, with a breeze out of the northeast (most of which is uphill). Two loops.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:21:15 | 03.1 miles | 06m 51s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/34
Overall: 0/444
Performance: Good
Mile 1 - 7:06 Mile 2 - 7:02 Mile 3 - 6:40 .1 - 6:04 pace HR - avg 177, max 197 (!)
Course: Out and back on a park running path
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3