Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon - Sprint - TriathlonSprint


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Los Angeles, California
United States
Pacific Sports LLC
68F / 20C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 34m 30s
Overall Rank = 84/474
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 8/35
Pre-race routine:

swim out in the waves the Friday before, drive the bike course
pasta dinner Saturday night
Event warmup:

jog, chit chat with my family and rack mates
Swim
  • 20m 9s
  • 704 yards
  • 02m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

I spent 2 months training for the swim. It beat me up. I was horible, how did 200 people do worse than me? Glad I had a wetsuit. I was thinking, "if I drown, my body will float and be easy to find :)"
What would you do differently?:

Swim practice... and entering big surf with tough current.
Transition 1
  • 01m 33s
Comments:

After being trashed by the swim, I had the sense to jog and get going. My T1 time was competitive. Many were walking and wasting time in T1.
What would you do differently?:

more practice getting into shoes on bike
Bike
  • 44m 45s
  • 14.1 miles
  • 18.91 mile/hr
Comments:

I was trashed by the swim and toughed it out. I felt normal, hard push, but HRM displayed about 5 bpm higher than normal.
I rode a regular road bike with no aerobars. Aerobars or a Tri bike will give a significant boost.
It was fabulous riding the streets of LA, cops guarding the intersections. Great fun!
The sprinters caught up to the slow olympic riders, and that was a pain. However, there was tons of room on the road. Many failed to follow race guidelines and were right, left center, instead of right.

Near the end, many guys and gals were in the way as you entered the lane, I had to ask some to move right so I could pass on the left. I know some are not racing, but oh well...
What would you do differently?:

Aerobars
Transition 2
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

T2 was at the top of a parking 2 level parking structure at Staples center. Some people going up the steep ramp were not geared right. Then, three guys were in my way at the dismount area going slow and in the way (these were the slower Olympic racers). I had a tough time finding my rack spot and the volunteers were a little slow to find it. I lost a bit of time here. Too bad.

But then again, the same thing happened to Greg Bennett I think and he lost 25 seconds here too.

I am glad I put a bright orange scarf on my bag. It helped me spot the bag.
What would you do differently?:

Hard to say... look for the correct number and your bag; don't rely on the map.
Run
  • 25m 14s
  • 3.3 miles
  • 07m 39s  min/mile
Comments:

The swim damage finally caught up to me...
I started cramping in both hamstrings 1.5 miles from the finish. I didn't stop or walk, but I was not racing anymore.
I felt slow from the start.

What would you do differently?:

Avoid using legs in the swim, stretch calves approaching shore.
Post race
Warm down:

The traffic was so bad my wife and kids didn' see my finish. I spent an hour looking for them. Then I forgot my T2 bag.
I snacked but couldn't eat for a few hours, then got sick the next few days.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

swim damage

Event comments:

It was my first race! I had a blast! Can't wait for my next one.
Back to the pool...




Last updated: 2009-10-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:09 | 704 yards | 02m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/35
Overall: 269/474
Performance: Bad
Suit: 2XU C:1
Course: Water was calm all month until race morning... conditions: strong current, gale force winds, 8 foot waves (face) really beat back many competitors. Only the strongest swimmers plowed through and made it in 11 minutes. Some abandoned the swim and still crossed the timing carpet. Big surf came in sets of on 8ft. face wave followed by a 4ft. wave seconds later. There were so many that the race order it still messed up. Lifeguards had to rescue too many competitors and ordered others out before they drowned themselves.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: High
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:44:45 | 14.1 miles | 18.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/35
Overall: 74/474
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: South Venice Blvd. to Fairfax and a right on Olympic. slow deceptive continual uphill until the last 5 miles. The last five miles contained rolling hills, a few small hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:54
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:25:14 | 03.3 miles | 07m 39s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/35
Overall: 66/474
Performance: Below average
Average HRM 158
Course: easy until the uphill at 3rd street, It only lasted two blocks though. Once again, great to run on a closed street. The downhill run was great.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5