Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
The Columbia Triathlon Association Inc.
Precipitation
Total Time = 3h 05m 40s
Overall Rank = 921/1583
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 114/181
Pre-race routine:

Woke up early and had some toast with peanut butter. Completed the rest of my morning "routine" and was out the door.
Event warmup:

Waited in traffic and then parked on Centennial Lane outside the park. One mile walk to T1, less than 10 minutes to setup, potty break and to the swim start about 10 minutes before my wave started.
Hung out with Christy. Saw CJ just before getting into the water.
Swim
  • 31m 10s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 05s / 100 meters
Comments:

Felt good on the swim. Stroke was good and breathing was right on. The problem I had was sighting. I had tinted goggles and had problems seeing the bouys. I just followed the guy in front of me at first. That was a mistake. Got to the first turn and I was probably 30-40 meters wide of the buoy. My guess is that added about 45-60 seconds to the swim. After the first turn felt pretty good. I still cut about 4 minutes off my previous 2 olympic distance swims.
What would you do differently?:

Bring extra goggles to be able to sight better.
Transition 1
  • 03m 50s
Comments:

Felt good with T1. The transition area this year was very tight. I made the decision before the race to stop after I got out of the water to remove my suit and carry with me into T1. With the mud and cramped area I figured this would be easier. It worked well because a lot of the other guys were struggling with their suits while others were trying to get by with their bikes.
Once i got to my bike it was sock, shoe, sock, shoe, helmet, race belt and out. My spot just was not very good so it cost me some time.
What would you do differently?:

Consider not wearing socks. With everything wet and muddy socks might have been more trouble than they were worth.
Bike
  • 1h 30m 31s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 16.89 mile/hr
Comments:

A little diappointed with my ride. I wanted to be under 90 minutes and was very close. With the wet conditions I was overly cautious which probably cost me at least 5 minutes. I must have been really tense on the ride because my back became very tight (which never happens) and my neck, shoulders and hands have been sore since the race.
Overall, my fitness and nutrition was good. With dryer conditions or more experience in wet conditions I could have easily put up a better time.
I have no regrets about being cautious, especially seeing the dude that crashed hard on the back part of the course.
What would you do differently?:

More experience in wet condiitons.
Transition 2
  • 02m 48s
Comments:

Saw Ethan in T2 and spent a few seconds chatting, then missed my rack and had to back up. Those 2 events probably cost me 30-45 seconds. Oh well.

Racked the bike, shoes off, shoes on, helmet off and then start the run.
What would you do differently?:

Know which row I'm in. :)
I would still have stopped and talked with Ethan. It's not like I was up for an award.
Run
  • 57m 23s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out well but was feeling it in my quads. The first 2 miles went well and I had a thought that I might be able to break 3:00. Then I hit Gatorade hill and then the cramping started creeping in. Slowed way down,and kind of shuffled through the next 3 miles through the neighborhood. Finished the last mile pretty well.
What would you do differently?:

I always blow up on the run in Olympic races. I know I have the run fitness to put up the times I need. I either am not getting nutrition right or just don't have the mental toughness to push through the pain to keep going. It's something I need to figure out (I think I have it figured out but it's the answer I don't like).
Post race
Warm down:

Tricia was in the chute to congratulate me and give me my medal which was AWESOME!! Ran into a bunch of BTers (Josh & Becky, James & Erin, Shane, Christy and Amy)and talked about our race day.
I mentioned in my blog that I really enjoy the community of the local BTers in this area.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Me. It's all in my head.

Event comments:

This is my second time doing Columbia (first time in 2007) and I beat my last time by 20 minutes. I'm making progress in my tri career but know I can do much better.
The race was fun though the parking was a mess this year.

Thanks also to all the volunteers out there, especially BTers Amy, George, Melissa and Tricia.




Last updated: 2009-10-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:10 | 1500 meters | 02m 05s / 100meters
Age Group: 110/181
Overall: 923/1583
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder: Average
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:50
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:30:31 | 25.48 miles | 16.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 134/181
Overall: 967/1583
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course:
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:48
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:57:23 | 06.21 miles | 09m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 115/181
Overall: 853/1583
Performance: Bad
Course:
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4