North Shore Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Waialua, Hawaii
United States
Hawaii Swim
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 03m 41s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 5/23
Pre-race routine:

Wake-up at 3am.
PB&J on a Honey Wheat Bagle
20oz Starbucks Coffee
Get to race 1.5 hours early.
Event warmup:

Ummm... I went poop 3 times. (See Starbucks above)
My stomach was in knots from nerves and caffeine -> had to pop a chewable pepto-bismo wafer 30 minutes before the race. =)
Swim
  • 12m 54s
  • 400 meters
  • 03m 13s / 100 meters
Comments:

Oh boy, where to start. About 1-2 minutes before the start, I kicked my left pinky toe on the reef. All I could think about was: "Oh boy, I did just do what Fxobert did last year". Hmmm.. wiggled my toe, not broken, but still hurts like hell. Oh well... I'm sure that will go away. =)

I was DELIGHTED with the first half of the swim. My line was slightly outside, not crowded, got a solid draft, and I didn't get kicked/grabbed/slapped at all! It was probably the best 200m stretch of my swimming career. I was crushing dreams.

Coming back in... not so much luck. Between guys to my right shepherding me to the left, and trying to swim AROUND shallow reef (mostly by going to the left)... I ended up in the MIDDLE of the women's wave going the wrong way! Needless to say... I ran into TWO different women and yet I saw tons of guys even further off course into their line. Between swimming around reef, not having enough room to pull my arms down (talk about forcing high elbows), and trying to not hit any more women... I swam breast stroke the rest of the way. Oh... I was so disappointed, but plenty of time to catch-up.
What would you do differently?:

Ummm.. swim on the outside? Or during high-tide.
Transition 1
  • 00m 58s
Comments:

So I was a little upset... and I just couldn't get my helmet strap on. To add insult to injury, there seemed to be a few thorns stuck in my feet. No matter, a quick dip of my feet in the water basin and I'm off.
What would you do differently?:

Well, get a helmet without a buckle? I always mess that up. Nerves and racing heart I suppose. Oh... and maybe a nice carpeted transition area. Heh. Right.
Bike
  • 29m 6s
  • 10 miles
  • 20.62 mile/hr
Comments:

Flying squirrel mount on to bike and strap into shoes after 50 meters. Not a perfect 10, but a solid 8. I felt pretty darn good, passed about 5 people in the first minute, but one thing was annoying me... those darn thorns. In particular, there seemed to be one in my left foot or my left pinky toe... hard to tell, but it was annoying and hurt a bit. Hmmm... same toe I hit on the reef? Yeah, that thought never dawned on me... cause I hate thorns!

Road was a mix of smooth and rough. I don't mind that. It makes it a bit fun to find the smooth parts of the road during the rough sections. Sometimes you ride the paint, sometimes where car wheels have smoothed things out. Point being, it gives me something to move my mind away from race pains; a game inside of work.

I've had way too many near crashes recently on my bike, and honestly I've ridden it only a few times in the last month -> I took all the corners real slow. I hate that... but I just didn't feel confident about my handling skills and my back tire which has a small gash in it from a previous ride.

I borrowed a set of clip-on bars(Free is good)from a work friend. They worked very well, of course i'm far too stretched out, but I loved them. No wrist fatigue and I can stay in them 90% of the time. Nothing better than passing nice tri-bikes... of course, one day I'll own one and get passed my dudes on 10 yr old road bikes.

Feet out of pedals, 9 out of 10 on the dismount. Now i'm barefoot again, its time for a trip to the mecca of thorns, T2.
What would you do differently?:

Given my current skills? Not a thing.

Bike more? Not be a scaredy cat on corners. =)
Transition 2
  • 00m 36s
Comments:

I figured, less time in T2, less thorns. So. I went fast.

Had a little trouble getting my shoes on... my left foot seemed to be a little sore.
What would you do differently?:

Again, carpeted transition.
Run
  • 20m 4s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 28s  min/mile
Comments:

Started the run. Felt great. Not breathing hard? Check. Heart Rate under control? Check. Legs not feel like gummy? Check. This should be great!

OUCH! My left foot is KILLING me. Should I stop and pick out that pesky thorn? Nope, I'd probably need tweezers... I better just run on the inside of my foot. Funky running is better than no running.

Run was great. Didn't push the ending too hard, cause there was no one ahead to pass within my clutch. I'm one of the lame dudes that sprints the end to pass that last guy... but I'm not punishing myself with a sprint just to look good. Photos can't tell how fast you are going.
What would you do differently?:

The sun was pretty brutal on the return leg. Sunglasses? Nope, not worth it. I can't breath with them on. Okay... that sounds wierd. Whatever, I'm wierd I guess.
Post race
Warm down:

Grab a muffin and a cup of OJ. Time to seek revenge on that thorn.

Wait a minute. Why is there a bunch of curdled blood on the outside of my left shoe? And why is my shoe literally filled with a small "pool" of blood inside?

Oh... no thorn in site. It was the reef!

Well... I'm a nurse and i've worked the first aid tent before. My hospital sponsors a few races with ER nurses... there must be a tent? Nope. A first aid kit then... should be no prob. Well, there was a kit... but basically it had a few small gauze packages, bandaids, neosporin, and that's all. No betadine, no iodine, no kerlex rolls, no ace-wraps, no ice pack, no pain killers.

Cleaned the wound with water and gauze... won't stop bleeding... hurts like hell... I can see fat tissue. Hmmm... what's the plan? Wrap it up tight, put it back in the shoe, limp to the car, and head back to town.

The ER doc picked out numerous chunks of reef and sand. 3 different people did 6 sessions of wound irrigations, xrays, 5 stitches, and antibiotics. I love Straub hospital.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I still haven't showered since the race. That is bad.

Ask the ER staff about the look on my face: Pure Bliss. I put together a good effort, and a good story for my workmates on Monday. =)

Event comments:

How to rate the race?

Well, everyone was friendly.
Good food.
Maybe a few more portapotties.
Nice scenery.
What can you do about the swim? Not much.
Aikes. Maybe supply a full first aid kit. Seriously.

And then I checked my results hoping for top 50%. 5 out of 23 in my AG.

Booyah!




Last updated: 2009-06-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:54 | 400 meters | 03m 13s / 100meters
Age Group: 14/23
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Suit: Orca Tri Shorts
Course: Out and back. Small channel. Low Tide was at 6:37am, -.17ft. The reef was way too shallow at places and hard to navigate.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:58
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:29:06 | 10 miles | 20.62 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/23
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Out towards Wailua High School and back.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:20:04 | 03.1 miles | 06m 28s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/23
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: Head out towards Kaena Point and turn around after 1.5 miles. Flat. Dead Flat. Well, maybe a baby bump or two. Super bright sun in your eyes on the way back. No sunglasses = bad = HTFU and finish the race.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: 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