Cascade Lake Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Hampstead, Maryland
United States
Piranha Sports
63F / 17C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 36m 10s
Overall Rank = 122/361
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 26/39
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30. Had a banana and some water. Hit the bathroom and out the door by 5:15 for the 50 minute drive.
Event warmup:

Set up transition Dr Pete reminded me about my swim cap which I had to run back to the car for. Ran to the restroom again. Put on wetsuit, listened to the national anthem and headed for the swim start.
Swim
  • 13m 2s
  • 545 yards
  • 02m 23s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my first race of the year and only second open water start. I'm still not used to the big mass start and tend t stay back. I don't freak out or anything I just am not aggressive enough to mix it up. The first buoy was about 150 yards out and I'm sure my time here was pretty slow. After rounding that buoy I would guess it was about 250-300 straight across the lake. I did well here after the wave had thinned out. Good pace and breathing felt good. Rounded the last buoy and headed to shore feeling strong.
There was a long run to T1 which probably added 90-120 seconds to the swim.
What would you do differently?:

Just get experience with big wave starts to gain a comfort level with being in the mix.
Transition 1
  • 03m 5s
Comments:

Sucked sucked sucked......decided at the last minute to wear socks. Was worried about making sure my Garmin was linked up. Just too many things going on making the transition more complicated than it should be. Daremo even made a comment to keep it simple. I'll listen next time.
What would you do differently?:

Practice transitions a little. Keep things simple. Shoes, helmet,race belt and then off!!
Bike
  • 53m 12s
  • 15 miles
  • 16.92 mile/hr
Comments:

I was very worried about the bike. I don't have a lot of riding experience and this course looked pretty hilly (and it rained a little just before the race). I made the decision before the race to always stay in the saddle no matter what. I've cooked my hamstrings in other races by coming out of the saddle on hills. Magically, I passed A LOT of people on the hills (only to be passed back by some going downhill) and thought maybe I was pushing too hard. Was able to maintain a good pace on the few straightaways and downhill sections. Was very pleased with my ride.
What would you do differently?:

Develop better bike handling skills so I'm not as tentative on the fast downhills. Tentative = scared. :)
Transition 2
  • 02m 35s
Comments:

Another slow time. Too busy messing with my Garmin and talking to the guy next to me. My Under Armour running shoes are a little difficult to get on quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Simple simple simple!!!
Run
  • 24m 17s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

I was very worried coming off the tough bike because I have done a total of zero brick workouts this year. On top of that I ran a tough trail race last weekend that took a lot out of me.
I felt GREAT coming off the bike ad through the whole run. I can't explain it so I won't even try.
There is a really tough hill at the end of the race which kind of sucked.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Just need to work on getting faster. Are brick workouts overrated? I don't think so just had a good day.
Post race
Warm down:

Got a drink and sandwich and headed back down the hill to wait for Dr Pete who started 3 waces after mine. Had a great time cheering on the runners that were struggling with the last hill. I later found out it was called Anaeorbic Hill. Nice!
Hung out with Dr. Pete and then packed up and went home.

Event comments:

The only complaint about the venue is that the transition area was higher than everything else so everytime you came into the area you were coming up hill.
Overall, an awesome race. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. There weren't many spectators out on the course but that was okay. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the race.
My goal going into a race is try and finish in the top 50% (a true MOP) and under 1:45. I was in the top third of this race and almost 9 minutes under goal. If I wasn't in the largest and most competitive AG I could have a chance of placing with some serious training. I could have easily cut 2-3 minutes off of my time with faster transitions and a better swim starts.




Last updated: 2009-05-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:02 | 545 yards | 02m 23s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 161/361
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3
Course: Spring fed lake. Water was clear enough to see thrashing bodies and some lake grass floating around.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:05
Performance:
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:53:12 | 15 miles | 16.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 100/361
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Very few flat spots. You were either going up hill or down.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:35
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:24:17 | 03.1 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 113/361
Performance: Good
Let me start off with saying "there is no way that was 5K". Garmin had me at around 3 miles. See, if I hadn't brought the Garmin I would be bragging about my 5K PR.
Course: Run out of T2 and down a steep hill. Complete 2 loops on the road and then head back up the hill to the finish line.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4