Ottawa Riverkeeper - TriathlonOlympic


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Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
Somersault Events
18C / 64F
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 03m 49s
Overall Rank = 88/105
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 9/10
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4am. Raining but radar said it would finish very soon. Breakfast: banana, bagel with peanut butter, energy drink. Loaded up and drove to race site (rain stopped) by 5:45 am (1st racer to arrive). Meet Christine, President of Somersault and helped her setup the body marking table. Then helped the race crew to setup barriers around T-zone (which they appreciated). Others started to arrive and fill racks so I retrieved my stuff from the car and setup as well.
Event warmup:

Decided to take it easy. Very relaxed. Chatted with other and took my time putting on my wetsuit. Headed down to the beach and met a 20ish ex-competative swimmer coming out (no wetsuit). Chatted about the waves and chop then went for a warmup swim (solo). Boats were trying to relocate bouys that were blowing off course. Exited water and waited for pre-race briefing.
Swim
  • 40m 14s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 41s / 100 meters
Comments:

Well where do I start to explain how bad this swim went. The waves and wind were coming toward shore. As much trouble I had with breathing, my real big problem was setting on course. I wasted huge amounts of time correcting my path and actually starting swimming backwards into the on-coming swimming at one point. There was nothing to sight and the height of the wave prevented me from just peeking while swimming. I had to practically stop and look over the waves to find the buoys. Added to this was my goggles fogging up so badly that I would have to stop, tread water and dip them, then replace (probably 6-8 times); all the while getting slapped in the face with waves and choking. I could only do 4-6 stokes before readjusting my course so I did a lot of breast stroke which killed my legs. Upside of being almost last was no crowds and I only got kicked/knocked a couple time.
What would you do differently?:

Wish I knew?
Well, 1st off is to figure out how to stop my goggles from fogging.
Transition 1
  • 06m
Comments:

Mechanics were all correct except the goggles and cap that I had pulling into my wetsuit sleeve (as recommended by Hellard) fell out as I ran through T1 and I had to run back to get them.
The big problem getting my heels out of my suit was from breast-stroke killed legs. My calves both cramped when trying to pull feel out and I just didn't have the strenght that I normally had in training. So I used my hands to pry it off.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been much faster if I was not soooo tried.
I had clipped my glasses in my bintobox to put them on while riding (worked in training) but with my tried arms I dropped them on the road and had to stop and run back to get them.
Bike
  • 84m 10s
  • 40 kms
  • 28.51 km/hr
Comments:

Good ride. Made up some of the time I lost in swim but it cost me.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been faster if I was not so spent from the swim and without the wind.
Oh, next time put glasses on in T1 so you don't drop them on the road.
Transition 2
  • 06m
Comments:

Big problem was that both hams cramped as soon as I jumped off the bike. Very stiff painful run into T2. The T-zone was a parking lot and hard on bare feet (noticed during T1) so I unclipped rather than stepping out of shoe like I had practiced in training. Had trouble getting shoes on with cramping hams and painful deltoids.
What would you do differently?:

Wish I knew.
Run
  • 59m 26s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 56s  min/km
Comments:

Finished strong.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Jumped into the river.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Waves, wind and slow transitions.

Event comments:

Meet my goal for my 1st tri. Did me best and finished strong. It was a very good day. Thanks be to Him who gives me strength.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-11-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:14 | 1500 meters | 02m 41s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/10
Overall: 89/105
Performance: Bad
My swim time included my long transition ~6min to the bike (see T1 comments)
Suit: Richard Browne full wetsuit
Course: Nice wide beach start of 105 racers. 3x 500m triangluar loops exiting water and running around a point on the beach (nice sand), then back into the water. Great court and great for spectators.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 21C / 70F Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Bad Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 06:00
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:84:10 | 40 kms | 28.51 km/hr
Age Group: 9/10
Overall: 88/105
Performance: Good
Going out was riding into the wind (17kph) and knocked my speed to ~25kph. Made up time coming back ~35kph but it cost me in muscle reserve. Deltoids were just screaming because I would not take the time to stretch them and my groin acted up during the 3rd lap. Then everything started to work again in the 4th and I starting passing many people. This gave me such a rush that I hammered it all the way on the 4th.
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: 4x10km loops. Nice flat wide course along river parkway.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 06:00
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:59:26 | 10 kms | 05m 56s  min/km
Age Group: 9/10
Overall: 80/105
Performance: Good
My run time includes my T2 (~6min) so my real 10k time was ~53. I consider this a great time given how spent I was and that it took me at least 2k before my leg started to work again. I pushed it hard in the last loop while thinking about the determination my 8yr daughter puts out when she finishes a race. I also passed lots of people.
Course: Finishes with a brutal 20m run throught the sand to the finish line.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5