Beaver Lake Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Sammamish, Washington
United States
BLT
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 36m 11s
Overall Rank = 173/417
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 1/13
Pre-race routine:

My friend Jennifer picked me up, and had a grande Americano for me in the car, yay! We got there really early, so I racked my bike at the end near the fencing so I could leave my bag on the side and not be in the way. I knew since I was in wave 11 (of 13) there wouldn't be a lot of people there when I got in anyway so it would be a nonissue. Walked around and saw some friends, got body marked, hit the porta potties.
Event warmup:

Jogged for 5 or 6 minutes....then got into my wetsuit.
Swim
  • 08m 17s
  • 402 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

Started off to the side and was just getting into the groove when this thought went through my head, "wow, this has been the most pleasant triathlon swim ever, no collisions or other issues with people" and then WHAM! A fist right to the temple so hard that I sucked in a ton of water and coughed up a bunch. I didn't stop swimming, though, and kept on going. I sighted a lot more often and didn't get nearly as off course as I have in the past few races.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster!
(Last year's swim was 10:10---much improvement there!!)
Transition 1
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

It was a pretty long run from the water to my bike so the time is long....I did ok getting the top of the wetsuit off but had a little bit of trouble removing the legs...finally I got my act together and was out of T1 in no time. Ran with the bike really well.
What would you do differently?:

Wetsuit removal--get faster.

Bike
  • 47m 58s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 17.26 mile/hr
Comments:

I've been riding this hill a lot this summer, so no part of it was suprising or shocking to me. I knew when to push it and when to ease off. I made it from bottom to top in 17 min, pretty fast, considering training it's usually 18 or 19 min. I flew down the hills and pushed the big ring on the flats. As we were heading back to the transition area after the big uphill, a guy passed me and said, "You are so swift!" That comment kept me going, that was so nice to hear, considering he'd most likely been behind me for 10 or more miles!
What would you do differently?:

It was a good ride for me, I think the only thing I'd change is add more fitness and less weight!
(Last year's time 49:55, a 2 minute improvement)
Transition 2
  • 00m 58s
Comments:

Flew into T1 and back out--less than a minute, even though the timing mat was far from my bike! (Last year, T2 was 2:05, egad!)
Run
  • 36m 44s
  • 4.3 miles
  • 08m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

I went out pretty fast, then intentionally slowed the pace down a bit...picked it up at the end. Passed quite a few people, was also passed a few times...but that's how it goes! I passed two guys who asked me how I was doing and I said, "can't complain!"...they were amazed and said "you are kidding, you can't complain about this??" I replied, "I choose to do this, and am having a great time!"
What would you do differently?:

Maybe hold a faster pace throughout the race. Had some weird shortness of breath around 3 miles, almost like asthma, but it resolved when I got my mind focused on other stuff.

(Last year's run, 38:56, over 2 minutes' improvement!)
Post race
Warm down:

Saw my family cheering for me at the finish, so had some water and found them. Talked to some friends, had some coffee. By the time I got to the food table, most everything was gone.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just me...always need to lose more weight to gain time in this race. The hills favor lightweights!!

Event comments:

I can foresee doing this race every year. Besides being in my own backyard, it was well-organized, had a ton of volunteers and the other racers were really nice. I missed the awards ceremony since the kids and hubby were all annoying and whining to leave....but no big deal. At least I defended my title from last year and have not been defeated as an Athena this season! I would have placed 4th in my AG, as well.... :)




Last updated: 2009-07-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:17 | 402 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/13
Overall: 198/417
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot full
Course: Triangle counterclockwise.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:14
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:47:58 | 13.8 miles | 17.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/13
Overall: 202/417
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Rolling hills that lead to a big, fast downhill, then some flat highway riding that lead to a big uphill, the "Beaver Lake Hill" that I write about so often! Once up the hill, it is rolling hills until you get back to transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:58
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:36:44 | 04.3 miles | 08m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/13
Overall: 232/417
Performance: Good
Mile 1 - 8:59 Mile 2 - 8:44 Mile 3 - 8:54 Mile 4 - 8:17 .3 mile - 9:11
Course: Around Beaver Lake, through residential neighborhoods.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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] 5