Topeka TinMan Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Topeka, Kansas
United States
Ultramax Nation
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 00m 50s
Overall Rank = 4/212
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/15
Pre-race routine:

stayed up late at a neighborhood block party the night before, then loaded car and went to bed. My training log looks like a taper for this race but that is the result of getting sick a week out, got over the cold about 2 days out so was well rested. Breakfast was Grapenuts, had an apple, a banana, and 2 bottles of water in the car on the way to the race. Got to race sight ~5:45 and drove last half of bike course in then walked around transition a few time to figure out flow through transition area since maps were not available beforehand. Got pretty good transition spot, racked according to age group, then more and more people kept showing up, racks got way too full, then started collapsing due to overload and the hill. Lotta people moved their bikes to the fencing, some duct tape was applied to the racks, and everything was okay again. I expected 300 people total, there was probably 600-700 between the short, long, and du. Seemed like everyone came out to see how much better Ultramax is at running an event than KLM.
Event warmup:

Brief ride, short jog to follow exit maze from T2 onto running trail, then pretty long swim.
Swim
  • 12m 1s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 24s / 100 meters
Comments:

First off: Swim was wetsuit legal, I figure a gain of about 10s per 100 with my wetsuit but decided to leave the wetsuit behind, I was sweating standing still in the shade before the start, I might have gained a minute with the wetsuit on the swim but likely would have lost several times that due to overheating on the bike and run.

I had a very solid swim, started easy on the inside next to James we went shoulder to shoulder, literally a few times, until the first turn bouy then lost contact. There were lots of people to swim around from the first two waves, managed to sight them and avoid pretty well. Could have swam straighter and definitely noticed my head position is much too high, sinking my legs, probably why I gain so much time with a wetsuit. All in all had a smooth and consistent stroke the whole way, very comfortable swim.

Swim time across the field were very slow, I expected to swim 1:45-1:50 per 100m, the fasted guys officially barely cracked 2min per 100m compared to my 2:25. We had a steep run out of the water to transitio then basically half way around the outside of transition so it was "flow through". So the run added some time but the swim was probably somewhat long too.
What would you do differently?:

Swimming is becoming frustrating, I'm way more confident and consistent than in the past but not much faster. I was 2:32 behind first overall in this race, there's an easy 1:30 - 2:00 on this swim, no increase in fitness needed, "just" better form. Long way of saying I need to swim faster. But still, a good for me swim given where I'm at now.
Transition 1
  • 00m 40s
Comments:

2nd overall for T1. Was relieved to see the racks still standing when i got to my bike. Took sweet time getting feet into shoes and up to speed, didn't notice until I actually strapped in my feet and accelerated. Either need to accelerate much more with feet on shoes or hurry up and get feet into shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Get up to speed sooner, keep my head in the game.
Bike
  • 28m 17s
  • 10.6 miles
  • 22.49 mile/hr
Comments:

A solid effort on the bike. Lots of mountain bikes on the course. Seemed like every gal was riding a pink trimmed bike.

HR stayed in lower to mid 160 for first 6 or 7 miles until I got to the smooth, flat, tailwind road where I could modulate a steady effort, dropped down to mid 150's for awhile then crept back up towards transition.

Cadence was lower than normal but power was higher. I've noticed that above mid 90's rpm I don't push the pace, if I shift and drop cadence into the 80's I'll accelerate to get cadence around 90 rpm. I've been doing that more and think it was a pretty comfortable compromise.

What would you do differently?:

not much
Transition 2
  • 00m 36s
Comments:

3rd overall T2. Pulled feet out of shoes somewhat early but was downhillish into T2 so maintained speed well and I didn't want to be unprepared. Forgot to remove Garmin from bike before T2.
What would you do differently?:

not much, I think it took a half a second to pop the Garmin from handlebars then dropped into back pocket on the run.
Run
  • 19m 15s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 13s  min/mile
Comments:

Very glad I previewed the route/maze out of transition and onto the running trail, there was an athlete ahead of me that hadn't and was practically stopping at each corner. Shouted out some turns to try and help then squeezed by.

Mainly tried to maintain focus on a fast turnover. It doesn't feel fast but I know it is. I get bored during the run and just want to sprint off and be done but need to focus back on fast turnover and the rest will take care of itself. The guys at the aid station/turn around did an awesome job of throwing water, thoroughly soaked me. The rolling hills were brutal, kept breaking up whatever rhythm I could establish. I was 6th or 7th at the turnaround but didn't know who was in my starting wave and who had started 6 minutes earlier. Ended up telling myself it didn't matter, nobody was within a couple hundred meters of me and I wasn't going to run any faster or slower if I knew where I was overall anyway.
What would you do differently?:

not much, stay more mentally focused on form and stride rate.
Post race
Warm down:

food, beverage, shade, some cheering, and some BSing. Took a plunge in a cold endless pool.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

the swim

Event comments:

A very nice race with lots of volunteers and I think the entire town of Topeka was out to see what was going on. Standard Ultramax first year event glitches though, nothing major and everything was ironed out before the start of the race. I don't think the swim to T1 chute was finalized until 30 minutes before the gun went off. Sometimes the best layout isn't apparent until you physically set it up. It looked like the number of athletes overwhelmed the physical transition space.




Last updated: 2010-01-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:01 | 500 meters | 02m 24s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/15
Overall: 35/212
Performance: Good
Suit: none
Course: Treading water start with 1 hand on the dock, bouys on RIGHT not left
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:40
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:28:17 | 10.6 miles | 22.49 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/15
Overall: 4/212
Performance: Good
244W, 84 rpm, 161bpm
Wind: Some
Course: 1 rectangular loop, some good roads, some not so good. Steady wind out of the South. Pretty dang rolling the first half. Drank 40 oz water, had another bottle on the bike, just in case, but was pretty well hydrated at the start of the race.
Road:   Cadence: 84
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:19:15 | 03.1 miles | 06m 13s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/15
Overall: 6/212
Performance: Good
163 bpm
Course: out and back, concrete path, rolling hills were relentless
Keeping cool 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? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4