Hickory Knob InternationalTriathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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McCormick, South Carolina
United States
Set-Up, Inc
50F / 10C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 46m 58s
Overall Rank = 50/171
Age Group = M 20-24
Age Group Rank = 1/3
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4 to drive over to McCormick (3 hr drive). I got home from work too late on Friday to drive over that night, but it really was not that bad of a time as I was surprisingly awake. Lets just call it pre-race energy. Had a pb/j sandwich, energy bar, banana and coffee on the drive over. Nothing too eventful, aside from disgustingly cold temperatures.
Event warmup:

Trying to stay warm, ha. Really, just packet pickup and setup transition. Reunited with my old teammates and wished them luck. They were racing in the collegiate division, AG for me. Headed down to the water, which was wonderful because a) it was warmer than the air temperature so I didn't mind the deep water start and b) the levels were a good 10-15 ft higher than last year so the run to transition was not nearly as crazy.
Swim
  • 28m 14s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 53s / 100 meters
Comments:

Got in the water for a wave start. For some reason, I was grouped with the Clydes and Masters, but it was not a big deal. The only issue it caused was making it difficult to find a decent person to draft off of. Drafted well for about 200m till I wanted to pick up the pace. I proceeded to just stay on my own for a while, found another fish but lost him in the chaos of buoy rounding. About halfway through I began to catch some collegiate swimmers (who started in the wave before me, with a 4:00 lead). All in all good swim.
What would you do differently?:

Push harder? The run time up the hill was included in the swim time, so my swim goal was off by a minute. Plus, not have "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey stuck in my head. Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Mariah, but that b!tch was squealing in my head for the entire race.....
Transition 1
  • 00m 55s
Comments:

8/171 in T1 time, one of my best ever. Running up the hill was not nearly as bad as it was last year, I was blasting by people that were just crawling to get to the top. Couldn't really feel my feet once I got to my bike, so had to take a moment to situate myself. Wetsuit was slightly difficult to get off, but no worries.
What would you do differently?:

Move faster? Practice transitions with freezing cold hands and feet: I need to get used to putting on and taking off things when I cant feel my fingers.
Bike
  • 1h 27m 54s
  • 28 miles
  • 19.11 mile/hr
Comments:

Started off and almost immediately wrecked due to people stopping at the mount line to get on the bike. My language was colorful as I did a flying mount in the grass as there was no room on the road. Whatever, shake it off. Mariah was still with me, so I knew it would be a long ride, so just clam down and get to it. Then, another derailment at mile 1.5. Prior to the race start, the director stated that the 1.5 turnaround was for the sprint run, not bike. Well, lo and behold, someone right in front of me decides to stop and shimmy around the traffic cone to turn around. I almost rear ended them, and thus more colorful language. Ok, so the guy could have been confused, or was dropping out. But a)pay attention to the race director when they are giving important tips and directions regarding the course and b) if you want to stop and turnaround to go home, do it as a safe place and make sure someone isn't flying up to you.

Bulk of the ride was fine. Terrible road conditions, but I just took it easy. I wasn't looking for a crazy pace or anything, and wanted to save my legs for the run (which in my opinion is difficult). Nothing too eventful, took gels at mile 3 and mile 22, so I never felt low on energy, just physically hungry.
What would you do differently?:

Push harder? Spend more time in the saddle? By the time I got off the bike, my a$$ hurt something fierce and my shoulders and back were very tight.
Transition 2
  • 00m 54s
Comments:

20/171 overall. Again a good transition. Coming off the bike, I could not feel my feet. So upon dismounting (flying) I could not tell when my feet actually hit the ground to start running. Had a bit of a trip up but got into it and continued business as usual. Took FOREVER to get my shoes on since I, of course, could not feel my hands and feet.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing that was in my control
Run
  • 49m 2s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

Met Caroline right off the bike and asked if she wanted to pace with me for a bit to get HR back to normal. She agreed, and we actually ended up running the whole distance together. Without her, I would have not gone as fast. At mile 3 my knee was killing me (I was running on shoes I have had since January). We continued to talk which helped to take my mind off the pain (and Mariah! It was a win-win!). Didn't take in any nutrition at all, as it was not necessary (too cold to sweat a significant amount). From mile 4 to finish, no words were exchanged minus the occasional "1 mile left" or "lets kill this hill". We sprinted down the finishers chute together, which was a lot of fun.
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing. Yea, I could have pushed harder, but having Caroline there made the run very enjoyable when I normally dread this run course.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some BBQ and hopped it the car with the heat on full blast. Ice for the knee and sitting around in the cold rain for awards. I probably shouldnt have stayed, all I got was a cheap hat. SetUp really needs to work on their awards....

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My heart was not in this one. I remember telling my parents that I was simply not looking forward to this event like I do others. They still were encouraging and cheered me on as I raced by, but really I did not "race" this event. I was not looking forward to the most difficult course I do all year, but I knew it needed to be done. The weather did not help either.

However, I did improve my time significantly from last year. Course PR by 12 minutes, the only thing I did not improve upon was the bike (almost identical times from last year). The entire point of this event was to act as a benchmark for my performance, and I feel it was a good indicator of how much improvement I have made in the last year and how far I have come since I started all this training almost 3 years ago. I will be back again next year for another PR, believe it! And hopefully, Mariah will not accompany me the next time....

Event comments:

SetUp Events puts on very professional races, and I would recommend anyone to go out and race in their series. Yea, some of the AG prizes are subpar, but hey, were not out there to win a trophy for everything we do, right? I will be back again next year :)




Last updated: 2009-08-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:14 | 1500 meters | 01m 53s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 37/171
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy Synergy
Course: Triangle out and back in a lake that tastes like gasoline....
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:55
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:27:54 | 28 miles | 19.11 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 63/171
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Large loop of the area, steep climbs in the first 5 miles then steep rollers for the rest.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:54
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:49:02 | 06.21 miles | 07m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 71/171
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back, with one killer hill at mile 2
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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] 4