Virginia Run Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Centreville, Virginia
United States
Fins Wheels Feet Racing
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 22m 29s
Overall Rank = 213/388
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

The night before I packed my tri bag and gathered all my stuff I needed to take and had it ready by the door. Set out my tri clothes by the shower so I was ready to go in the am.

Woke up at 4am on race day; showered/shaved and made a small breakfast of McCann's Irish Oatmeal, banana, and a coffee. Dressed and left the apartment by 5am and arrived at the race site by 5:45am.
Event warmup:

It was a short race so I only stretched for about 10 minutes after a very short jog. While the special olympic swimmers were starting, I took a quick trip to the mens room to empty my bladder.....drinking a lot of coffee/water pre-race is a bad idea if you forgot to go!
Swim
  • 06m 6s
  • 250 meters
  • 02m 26s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim was pretty rough given the fact it was a TT format in a pool. Those who had the faster swim times went first, those who were slower went later.

I started at a very fast pace and quickly ran into the person in front of me. I ended up passing a couple of people, then got my goggles kicked off rounding another turn leaving me to swim a length with water in my eyes. After stopping at a turn to fix the goggles, I let two people pass and followed them the rest of the way in.
What would you do differently?:

Not much I can do to improve a very short pool swim other than to improve my own time and start sooner in the lineup. Being that the swim is in TT format, I am pretty much guaranteed to finish in the time I have listed on my race profile due to the difficulties passing. I will list myself as a 5 minute 250m instead of a 6 minute as that is probably closer to my speed.
Transition 1
  • 03m 37s
Comments:

The T1 time was a bit long, but I am more than happy with the result for being my first triathlon in over 5 years. The run from the pool to the parking lot rack was pure hell as there was gravel and small pebbles everywhere, and of course my rack was at the very end.

I toweled off very quickly and threw my HR monitor and bike shirt on, then socks and shoes and helmet.
What would you do differently?:

I need proper road bike shoes and not lace ups, and I need to learn to keep my shoes mounted on the bike and ready to go. I also should probably go without socks as i am sure I am adding another 20-30 seconds to my T1 time by putting them on. I am not a FOP'er however, so until I get near that point I will not worry too much about it.
Bike
  • 42m 14s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 17.66 mile/hr
Comments:

All in all I had a very comfortable bike. The first time on the loop I took it slightly easier as I did not know what to expect as I did not scout it out beforehand. The second time on the loop I let loose however and felt good pushing myself through the course.
What would you do differently?:

Scout out the bike course before race day.
Transition 2
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

Dismount, rack, and shoe change all went very smoothly. After I grabbed my race belt I started to run the WRONG WAY out of T2 however and had to turn around and head back up the transition area and around to get out.
What would you do differently?:

Learn BEFOREHAND where the run segment begins, and do not assume T1 and T2 exits are in the same area.
Run
  • 28m 59s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

The transition from bike to run was very difficult as I had pushed myself on the 2nd loop of the bike segment. My legs did not want to move for at least half of the 5k, and the 2nd half of the 5k was still rough but manageable.
What would you do differently?:

Not kill myself near the end of the bike segment, do more brick workouts before the race.
Post race
Warm down:

I got my breath for about 2 minutes, grabbed a bottle of water and half of an orange and went to a nearby bleacher and stretched for about 10 minutes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

All in all I performed better than expected. My bike and run times were faster than training and the 5k's I ran in april. The swim was difficult due to the crowds, but not much I can do about that.

Event comments:

All in all this race is very good for a first timer, or someone who is just trying to get back into triathlon after a long break. This is also a great first event of the season.




Last updated: 2010-02-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:06 | 250 meters | 02m 26s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/388
Performance: Below average
Suit: Skin Suit
Course: It was an outdoor pool swim. There was five lanes we had to swim up and back again.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:37
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:42:14 | 12.43 miles | 17.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/388
Performance: Good
My heart was beating like a drum the entire bike, constantly in the 75-90% area...which was to be expected.
Wind: Little
Course: Two loops on area roads that were mostly flat with one very small hill near the turn around point. Some of the roads were in pretty rough shape with cracks and potholes, so I had to pay extra attention to avoid them.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 89
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:35
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:28:59 | 03.11 miles | 09m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/388
Performance: Below average
Course: It was an out and back on a nearby city street. Mostly flat with one gradual incline after the turn around.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4