Bristow Area Triathlon (BRATS) #2 - TriathlonSprint


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Warrenton, Virginia
United States
Bristow Tri and Swim
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 12m 22s
Overall Rank = 11/56
Age Group = 35 to 39
Age Group Rank = 5/13
Pre-race routine:

Got up @ 4AM. Made and drank some coffee. Ate my usual oatmeal with raisins, little scoop of "tastes like butter" and molasses. Made a bagel with peanut butter. Ate half of it on the ride to the site and the other half after getting transition all set up.
Event warmup:

Stretched my arms a little... otherwise nothing. Talked with the guys around me, helped calm my nerves.
Swim
  • 06m 44s
  • 328 yards
  • 02m 03s / 100 yards
Comments:

An hour before race time it was an ambient 56 degrees, I was worried this was going to be a cold swim in my tri shorts. Water was surprisingly warm. My swim was and is my greatest weak spot due to lack of practice at the time of this race. Frankly doing the 300m without taking any breaks surprised me. Only one guy passed me and I paced him for the most part after I let him pass at the wall. Overall I felt pretty good about my performance.
What would you do differently?:

I need more practice, plain and simple. Not sure where I want to be in terms of swim time... but faster for farther.
Transition 1
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

My first every transition... never even practiced one. Had to run out of the pool across a drive and into transition. Honestly I was pretty excited having made it through the swim... Getting my tri top on was a bit dicey. Otherwise tossed cap/goggles, slipped on shoes, glasses, helmet... grab bike and go.
What would you do differently?:

I thought I did pretty well, but there are some areas I can clean up. This whole race was a real learning experience.
Bike
  • 38m 27s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 19.35 mile/hr
Comments:

Decent bike ride, didn't really get my bike legs going until somewhere in the second loop.
What would you do differently?:

Up the pace next time, I had plenty of gas left.
Transition 2
  • 01m 44s
Comments:

Came in an felt nauseous from a gel I had eaten a few miles before coming in. That was the biggest mistake of my race. Otherwise a slow transition, putting on socks and tying laces didn't help speed things up.
What would you do differently?:

Not take that accursed gel.
Run
  • 23m 30s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

My race unraveled in the last few miles of the bike ride... I thought I'd toss in a gel to get me all amped up for the run... wrong! That Clif Shot Mocha had me to the point of feeling like I was going to vomit until mile 2 of the run. After that it was sort of stomach cramp, but I was able to finish stronger than I had been running. Otherwise a very poor run considering I run in the 6:30 to 7:00 range when training.
What would you do differently?:

That gel coming in from the bike was the only bad thing on the whole day of my first ever triathlon. Unfortunate, but I'll learn from it. Truth be told, I didn't need it... a little bit of water in T2 would have been enough.
Post race
Warm down:

I wasn't really tired, crampy or anything. Felt fine except for my stomach issue. Wife and daughter helped me locate a bottle water and a banana that I slowly ate while sitting down for around 15 minutes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall lack of experience of not know how much to push in the early part of the race and then a nutrition error on my part with a gel that made me feel ill.

Event comments:

Enjoyed it, may do their fall race (@ another site) and would like to do this one next year.




Last updated: 2009-07-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:44 | 328 yards | 02m 03s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/13
Overall: 0/56
Performance: Below average
Suit: Tri shorts
Course: Snake pool swim. 12 x 25m distance with lane changes a little over 300m.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:57
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:38:27 | 12.4 miles | 19.35 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/13
Overall: 0/56
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Standard rolling hills course I suppose for this area. Otherwise the course is off a spur from the transition area that you loop around twice.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:44
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:23:30 | 03.11 miles | 07m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/13
Overall: 0/56
Performance: Below average
Course: Not a bad course, wished I didn't have my GI turmoil. I'd like to have the chance to do that one all over again.
Keeping cool Average Drinking
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3