Rumpass in Bumpass International - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Bumpass, Virginia
United States
Set-up, Inc
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 39m 42s
Overall Rank = 172/382
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 27/60
Pre-race routine:

Shave and breakfast of cereal, tea with honey and banana. Car was packed night before. Left house at 6.25 a.m. for the drive. At half a peanut butter and hone sandwich around 7.45 and another half around 8.45. Also ate an egg in the car. 1 Gu at 9:45. My wave was second and went at 10.04 a.m.
Event warmup:

Rode 20 minutes about 5.4 miles. Saw three or four turns on the bike course and about half of the run course. Set bike in proper gear for uphill start.

Just before 10.00, I swam about 200 meters and mostly stretched shoulders with some hand extension drills.
Swim
  • 23m 48s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 27s / 100 yards
Comments:

Getting around the first buoy in the pack was a cluster. I made it and got out with about half a dozen people...but we were thrashing each other even though we had gapped the pack.
There was some mild difficulty sighting. On the first long stretch it was hard to see the yellow turn buoy and the orange guide markers were off course. The waves meant I had to lift up very high.

Fourth in my wave for the swim.
What would you do differently?:

As I approached the second turn to go into the longest stretch, I saw a handful of caps from my wave about 15 meters ahead. They had made the turn. I let them go. After the turn I should have looked for them and made chase. Instead I just fell into a groove and tried not to burn up my legs.

I didn't really push any aspect of the swim after the first 75 meters or so until the last 100 meters. I could have done more without risk of blowing up.
Transition 1
  • 02m 17s
Comments:

Wetsuit was stuck at my knees and had trouble getting it off. Left T1 without my Clif Bloks. I opened them before the swim because it is a pain to open them while riding. But, since they were open I didn't want them in my pocket during the swim. Result: Forgotten.
I did run through the whole T1 with the bike and all the way down a several dozen yard long ally of grass to the road. This was slower than the people around me but was steady and I actually ran.
35/60 on the time.
What would you do differently?:

Run a little faster with the bike. I can catch my breath on the bike at 14 mph instead of on foot in T1 at 2 mph.

Go back to taping nutrition to bike frame!
Bike
  • 1h 15m 18s
  • 24 miles
  • 19.12 mile/hr
Comments:

I used the big and the little chain ring although about 90 percent was in big chain ring. I went through all the gears and switched often to try to keep cadence above 85.
On the uphills, especially into the wind, my cadence would plummet from something steady in the 80s to about 65. To get back up to speed was extremely hard. I stayed in aero position nearly the whole way and stood up to climb 3-4 times. I sat up to drink. I drank one bottle of Gatorade and about 1/3 bottle of water. Took fluids every 20 minutes.
Maximum speed of 32.9 mph.
On the second lap of the bike I started to see my age group start to pass me regularly and guys in their 40s. This is the segment of the race that will determine whether or not the final time is any good. I need to keep working here.

What would you do differently?:

Work on steady uphill riding. Bring nutrition with me. Perhaps focus a couple of 5 minute periods where I could drop the hammer before falling back to regular pace.
My goal upon arrival was to average 22mph. I wasn't close. The course allowed for it, the wind took some out of me, but mainly I wasn't strong enough. Need more intervals on the bike. Also, need to lose 15 pounds to make my power ratio respectable.
Transition 2
  • 02m 23s
Comments:

I felt brisk through the T2. No extra movements. Shoes went on...I grabbed Shot Bloks, hat on and out the gate.
50/60 on this transition. This is ridiculous. I thought it was quick...but I was nearly last in the age group.
Run
  • 56m 7s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt extremely slow and every time I seemed to get into a groove, I would find myself grinding uphill with extremely short strides again.
At some point, I need to just go for it and see what happens when running. Maybe I could run 8 minute miles?
The last 300 meters were strong. Leading into the woods and out into the grassy runway toward the finish shoot I was able to accelerate and find a good stride.
What would you do differently?:

Try to negative split the first two miles. Also, the first time that I lose the pace, i.e. mile 4 here, I made a big effort to get back into the groove. That was mostly a head game that I could do throughout the whole run course. Stronger mental focus.
Post race
Warm down:

Mild stretching; plate of pasta and some Oreos with Gatorade. 5 bottles of water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I haven't run enough lately. Also, the mental focus wasn't there -- i.e. the difference between 22 and 20 mph is focusing on speed or the difference between 8:00 and 8:45 run splits.

Event comments:

Everyone was friendly, the Set Up people know what they are doing. The sign-in process could have been faster but it was not a major problem. There was parking, portajohns, food and lots of signage. The course is designed for an awesome bike split.
Rankings in race report are for age group. Overall for men, the rankings were 27th in swim, 167 T1, 238 bike, 308 T2, and 260 on the run out of 382.




Last updated: 2009-12-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:48 | 1640 yards | 01m 27s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/60
Overall: 60/382
Performance: Good
The third segment of the swim was the longest. I started to catch the first wave before the second buoy and as a result, they were lined up basically single file for me to follow all the way across the long segment to the third turn. I caught some good drafts here...I sat on each person for about one or one and half strokes to rest and then would power past them looking for the next mark. Coming around the third turn, I was kicked hard in the right solar plexus by someone doing breast stroke while trying to sight. I involuntarily yelled but nothing came out because a wave smashed my face. Probably took 20-30 seconds to get myself moving ahead again.
Suit: Ironman Instinct -- No sleaves.
Course: 30 meters right hand turn, 400 meter right hand turn, 800 meters right hand turn, 300 meters right hand turn, 30 meters to finish. The turn floats stayed in place but the sighting buoys drifted all over the place.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:17
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:15:18 | 24 miles | 19.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 35/60
Overall: 60/382
Performance: Average
Beautiful roads, gentle rolling hills, long sight lines and just a wonderful day to be on a bike. The pleasant small rolling hills on the bike magically transformed into mega climbs for the run. And, the occasional gusts on the bike course turned into a gentle refreshing breeze on the run.
Wind: Some
Course: Two laps with two right hand turns and the rest left hand. Each intersection was marked and protected by a state trooper and a volunteer with flags. Roads in good shape -- no excess sand or gravel and few pock marks. Mostly asphalt although some concrete. The former vibrated water bottles a bit. Ave. cadendce note is my estimate. I watched it closely but it doesn't record an average.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 82
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:23
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:56:07 | 06.21 miles | 09m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 43/60
Overall: 60/382
Performance: Average
17:27 to mile 2 8:46 to mile 3 9:35 to mile 4 9:12 to mile 5 11:10 to mile 6.2
Course: 200 meters through woods on trail then 2 loops that each had about 200 meters of gravel road and 3 miles of nicely paved, rolling 2-lane road. One lane was closed to traffic. Police escorts helped with traffic. 3 water/Heed stations.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
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] 5