Mountain Lakes Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Guntersville, Alabama
United States
Team Magic
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 26m 39s
Overall Rank = 214/739
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 30/80
Pre-race routine:

Waffle at Waffle House and then on the the site. Got there in plenty of time (the advantage of having the kids at grandma's). Got the bike and markings done.
Event warmup:

Swam a couple times in the lake just to get and stay warmed up. Did some minor stretching just to keep moving.
Swim
  • 10m 8s
  • 600 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

Set a good pace and held it except at the first bouy where there was somewhat of a pileup. Spent a lot of energy moving around slower swimmers (trying not to go over top - which I was successful at). Sighted fine.

The course changed this year and the times were much slower - I think the course was somewhat longer this year than last. I was aiming for 9:00, but given the longer course I may have done just fine. Really hard to know with all the other variables out there.

I have to say it is a nice thing having swimming as the strongest of the three disciplines. It really helped - I had no nerves at all starting off today in my first ever tri. The swim is the one discipline where I know what I can do.
What would you do differently?:

Seed myself higher. I felt like the nut on the highway weaving in and out crossing 4 lanes at a time. I passed 40 people, at least.
Transition 1
  • 02m 13s
Comments:

First time through this, and it was not a good experience. The time itself was fine considering my equipment is suited for lightning fast transitions. While I was jogging out with the bike my bike was either hit or I just lost it and it fell over. On the drive side. Repercussions to come.
What would you do differently?:

Not drop my bike.
Bike
  • 46m 7s
  • 16.2 miles
  • 21.08 mile/hr
Comments:

Upon mounting found that I threw my chain. Wonderful. It took 1:10 to get that back on and I took off. I subsequently found that my rear derailleur was hosed. I only had 5 of my 9 gears in back. The dropped bike really screwed things up.

Spin out is at 23-24 mph (i.e. just enough gear to keep me going) with my reduced gearing. I end up doing my best Lance imitation and go the whole time at 90-120rpm. I'm not used to that, for sure, though I have (thank goodness) done a good bit of interval training with high spin work. Course was nice, though. Official average speed - 20.8mph. The time I am counting after subtracting the mechanical time - 21.6mph (I'm racing myself, so this is my story and I'm sticking to it). This would put me at 17 or so and in the top 20% of my AG. I think I left a good bit on the table. 22 was very achievable. I certainly did evil things to my legs by having to ride the way I did.

Considering what I had to to to get to the finish line, I can't help but be pleased with the effort.
What would you do differently?:

NOT DROP BIKE. This would have given me a bit more freedom to push the bike. As it was a spun out in a lot of spots.
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

Good time. Room for improvement, but nothing structurally wrong here.
What would you do differently?:

N/A
Run
  • 26m 59s
  • 3 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, I finished! Ran 26:59, so I officially beat a 9 minute mile by :01. Woohoo!

Seriously, though, my legs were just toast. The bike leg really stressed muscles that I hadn't used like that before. During a race isn't a time to try and keep cadence over 100 for 16 miles. I really didn't realize what damage had been done until I was going on the run. I really didn't have too much difficulty finishing the bike in good order. Given the circumstances, though, I can't really be too unhappy with the run. Serious HTFU here.

I typically run 8 minute miles, so it isn't like I am smoking the course in any case. The run is the discipline where I know what I can't do.


What would you do differently?:

Ummm - not drop bike and subsequently torch legs?
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a water and sat down. Got up briefly and grabbed another water and sat back down. After 10 minutes recovering I wandered around with my wife and stayed long enough to see that I wasn't winning a new bike (sniff). Then took off.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think I've beaten that to death by now, but damaging the bike was a distinct limiter.

Event comments:

The race was very well run. The bike course was well controlled and it seemed the organizers had their stuff together. I'll be back next year.




Last updated: 2009-08-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:08 | 600 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/80
Overall: 80/739
Performance: Good
Suit: N/A
Course: Rectangular Out and Back
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:13
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:46:07 | 16.2 miles | 21.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 24/80
Overall: 80/739
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: +-30 feet total over the course. Couple small rollers, but otherwise very flat. Particularly when considering the terrain typical of Guntersville.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 100
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:26:59 | 03 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 52/80
Overall: 80/739
Performance: Average
Course: Flat running trail. Very nice and scenic on the edge of the lake.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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] 5