Long Beach Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Long Beach, California
United States
Pacific Sports LLC
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 17m 9s
Overall Rank = 216/841
Age Group = 35 - 39
Age Group Rank = 29/94
Pre-race routine:

I went down to the race expo the day before in the rain and took a quick look at the LA River as I crossed over the Queensway Bridge to the Queen Mary where it was held. I remember thinking to myself, "Why does the water look so choppy, its not that windy?" It has rained hard for the first time in Los Angeles, hell, since forever, seems like.

The race expo was a virtual whirlwind. Very efficient. 15 minutes max.

Race morning, Peedra and I and her sleep-farmer of a teenage son (hereinafter referred to as "Spratt") arose at 4:45 or so. This is a good thing as I have been trying to get the Spratt interested in getting off of his teenaged Snackwells Doritos and String Cheese eating a$$ and into some kind of sport.

The normal pre-race night of no sleep for me. I had been real good the night before and packed everything I needed including my bike into the car.

No real nutrition unless you count Starbucks.

The Downtown Marina and the Queen Mary area is a familiar haunt for me. I virtually grew up there as a kid.
Event warmup:

A quick dousing in the tainted water. Very quick. Don't drink ANY of that......
Swim
  • 14m 13s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

Cigar soup, Cambell's broth of stogie. The water, the color of tobacco only strewn with puffy chartruese green algae that looked like waterlogged nuclear rice crispies dumped into an ocean sized bowl of Yoohoo. With every catch and pull, up came a new handfull of goodies from the rainswollen LA River grab bag. A doll head, a plastic bag, a milk carton and a pack of cigarettes, orange peels, lettuce leaves, burrito wrappers.... All suspended in cockroach insectile colored, brown/orange translucent first-flush prime Los Angeles stormwater effluent. LA river stew, we'll call this. Squalid.

Standing on the beach waiting for the siren announcing the start of the first wave, noticing the way the filthy frothy green meandering drift of LA River stew along the shoreline undulates lazily up and down the sands of Long Beach, seemingly infinite in both directions, my mind is easy. No creature, sea monster, or predator of any kind would entertain even the notion of braving this tainted sea of garbage for the unsatisfying respite of a few nearly fat free triathletes. I think I even saw the creature from the black lagoon walk away muttering "f*ck this...." under his breath.

Beyond this water quality issue, it is a great morning. I was fearful that it would still be raining on race day. Nope. A great day, beautiful. All the better to bring this vile ocean witch's brew of a swim course into sharp focus in contrast.

I take a moment away from this scene and wonder how solid my immune system is just now. No telling what kind of genetically mutated, radio active, spetznaz, ass-kciking, type "A" viral colonies are teeming in this water.

Uneventful swim. I had a bit of a hard time breathing. I was focusing mostly on drinking NONE of this stuff.

Oh yeah.... I forgot to start my watch... again..... as usual.
What would you do differently?:

I need to drill for speed. I've just got to learn to swim faster.
Transition 1
  • 04m 2s
Comments:

Horrible T1. It just wasn't my day. The run up the beach from the swim exit was fine. I managed to get my wetsuit off of my upper body and not get my fist full of goggles, earplugs and swim cap stuck in the sleeve. This is good. Then it all fell apart.
What would you do differently?:

I need to practice strapping into my already mounted shoes. This is a goal for my next race.
Bike
  • 32m 15s
  • 11 miles
  • 20.47 mile/hr
Comments:

This is my best subject. I spent almost the entire time in aero. I was passed a few times but for the most part, this is where I take over. Can I just tell you that I absolutely LOVE my new bike. I recommend it so highly. The only thing that could have been better is a quicker start and a quicker dismount.

This bike course is a blast.


What would you do differently?:

I would start more aggressively. I shouted at folks this time as I was interested in bettering my time from last year and knew this was my only real chance. I could probably have been a bit more assertive.
Transition 2
  • 02m 21s
Comments:

I thought this was okay, but looking at the results, it clearly was not. I shuld be able to T2 in 1:30 max. I was 1:38 last year and it was my second race ever. Boooooo.
What would you do differently?:

I would train for the run with no socks. The entire delay was with the socks.
Run
  • 24m 17s
  • 3 miles
  • 08m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

The run course takes you out over the breakwater that encloses the downtown marina and separates it from the now garbage spewing mouth of the LA River.

Good christ! If I thought the water was bad at the swim course, you can't even get ready for how bad it is in the channel between the Queen Mary and the Shoreline Marina. Wow! This is a floatilla of a junkyard, literally. I think there was a thin candy crust over the thing. Yikes!

Not a bad run. But not great. I decided I would try to open my stride up and keep my cadence this time. It resulted in an improvement over last year but I still saw plenty of the people I passed on the bike blow by me on the run as if I were reclining in a chaise longue. Nonetheless, this was an above average run for me.
What would you do differently?:

Learn how to run. I dawdle. I don't run.
Post race
Warm down:

T3. I call it. I want a quick T3. I'm not going to win any awards, My goal is to get a sub 4 minute T3 which entails cheering on as many people as I can as I make my way back to transition and pack my stuff and get outta there. My goal is to be home sipping coffee and watching cartoons by 9:30. 9:53. Missed it by that much......


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just the few things I mentioned above. I'll focus on my running again this of-season. Off season seems a long ways away though.

Event comments:

Pacific Sports does a fine job. There are minor pecadillos as in any race, but they are minor. Not worth a mention (ahem, race result format is a little weak). The traffic control was fantastic as it was last year. The control of mother nature was also commendable as it was last year. The first flush rain event I cannot, in good concience, blame on the race director. These guys do a fine job.

Success! the young Spratt is now encouraged, having watched a few youngsters his age or less cross the finish line before me, despite the fact that their wave started later, to train for a sprint tri. If for no other reason than to prove that he can kick his mom's boyfriend's a$$! I feel good about this.

The swim course was fowled badly by what amounts to poor luck, but this was still a wonderfully organized event in my opinion. I recommend it to all.




Profile Album


Last updated: 2007-08-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:13 | 880 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 48/94
Overall: 0/841
Performance: Average
Suit: Full
Course: Point to point. Walk a half mile down the beach from the transition area and swim longshore back. Quite a distance from the swim exit to T1.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:02
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
00:32:15 | 11 miles | 20.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 16/94
Overall: 0/841
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: I love this course. Its the Long Beach Grand Prix plus a trip over the bridge to the Queen Mary and back, twice. Very scenic. Superb traffic conrol on virtualy completely closed roads. A dream. really.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:21
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:24:17 | 03 miles | 08m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 40/94
Overall: 0/841
Performance: Average
Course: A short leg south out of transition to a turnaround then back north to the marina and a quick out to the Harbor Master's and back to the finsh chute in front of T1.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
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? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4