TryCharleston Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
United States
Setup Events
81F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 19m 1s
Overall Rank = 169/395ish
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 29/39
Pre-race routine:

Alarm goes off at 3:30 blaring "Eye of the Tiger". I am big into music so it really sets my mood. Had 2 Ensures and a English muffin covered in Peanut Butter. Double checked my gear. Threw on the headphones and chilled in bed until we left the hotel around 4:30. Got to the race site and realized I was actually 2nd person into the transition area (seriously). Racked the bike and just sat back and did some people watching (well that and multiple porto potty breaks).
Event warmup:

100 meter swim to test out the goggles and wetsuit.
Swim
  • 44m 26s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 18s / 100 meters
Comments:

I finished so in my book that's a win.
What would you do differently?:

Need to get more agressive and not stop every time I bump someone else. Also need to work on my sighting.
Transition 1
  • 02m 39s
Comments:

Stripped out of my wetsuit. Helmet, shades, racebelt, and shoes on. Ate half a clif bar.
What would you do differently?:

Not waste time. I think I initially got caught looking around at the folks around me.
Bike
  • 3h 15m 21s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.20 mile/hr
Comments:

The first part of the bike was very strong. I haven't moved up to aero bars yet, so I take the people passing me on tri bikes with a grain of salt. Kept reminding myself to ride my race. I was avg 21 mph for the first half and that is very fast for the type of riding I am used to with all the hills I train on. My hamstrings were very tight and in agony for the first 15 miles. I did a lot of riding out of the saddle to stretch them. Def did the trick. Around the halfway point, we had to turn around. At this point, the wind picked up and my speed slowed down. 19, 18, 17, and finally settled around 16 mph for the last 10 miles. This seemed like an eternity. Went from a sub 3 hr bike to a 3:15 (which is still a PR for me). Nutrition consisted of 700 cal perpeteum bottle over 2 hr span and 2 bottles of heed. From my computer, the route measured almost 1 mile long.
What would you do differently?:

Keep logging miles, add aero bars.
Transition 2
  • 01m 52s
Comments:

Little bit better here. Felt good. Had a little water. Pulled socks off, threw the Nike 3.0's on. Decided against the sunscreen as still overcast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 14m 45s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

As soon as I got started I realized it wasn't going to be overcast any longer. First mile was around 9 mins. At this pace, I was still good for a sub 6 finish. Next 2 miles were in the 8 min/miles range. At this point the leaders were coming in and I noticed a few walking. What was that about. A mile later the heat hit me. I decided to start run/walking with 1 min intervals on the walk. I was passing a lot of people that dusted me on the bike (always a good feeling). Never really got passed on run. Each mile consisted of cup of water over head, ingest a cup of water and heed. Later miles I hit the flat cokes. Also tried to keep on top of Electrolyte pills. The last out and back thru the barren industrial park portion of the run was a death march. I saw a lot of people walking. By this point I knew I could finish so I tried to pick up the pace. Sub 6 was def gone, so I set new goal of sub 6:20 and hit it.
What would you do differently?:

Go a little harder on the run. Not leave anything in the tank. Still felt good though.
Post race
Warm down:

Beer and watching for B-Rooke to finish

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This was my first HIM, so my goal was just to finish. Never really doubted I could do the distance cause I put in the training, but anyone who races knows the doubt I mean. Moving forward, I just need to continue to log bike miles and sharpen my run. I also need to work on my swim, but at this point, I think it is what it is. Still, for just being in the sport for a year I def feel very good about where I am at.

Event comments:

Great race. Very well organized. Only complaint was post race food. I wanted a banana or some cookies, but all I saw was gumbo and shrimp for $8 bucks. Otherwise, will def do race again.




Last updated: 2010-02-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:44:26 | 1931 meters | 02m 18s / 100meters
Age Group: 34/39
Overall: 0/395ish
Performance: Average
Lined up at lake beach for swim start. Each wave proceeded to deep water start, staggered every 3 minutes. Right before swim started they played Eminem "Lose Yourself" over the loud speaker so again, being music lover, this set my mood just right. The swim was out to bouy, turn right, swim to 2nd bouy, turn right, back to start bouy. Lather, rinse and repeat for 2 laps total. My wave was AG mens 39 and under so it was a fairly large group. The faster swimmers left me so after a few minutes I was relatively alone and doing well. Kept HR down and spotted off of bouy ahead and people to my side. About half way to the first turn the faster swimmers for the next wave caught up and I was back in the jumble. This would be a recurring theme. Around this time, a kayak cut in front of my path to assist another swimmer. I swam dead into the back of the thing and was knocked a little loopy. Still have a pretty good goose egg on my forehead. I finished the first lap at around 19 minutes. This is pretty good for me, considering only my third open water swim. For 2k I usually avg around 2 min/100 in the pool. At the start of the second lap I got caught up in another wave start (unsure which one). Made the second lap fairly uneventfully.
Suit: 2XU
Course: Course is an inverted triangle. 2 laps. Can swim any route long as you go around outside of 3 bouys.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:39
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:15:21 | 56 miles | 17.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 33/39
Overall: 0/395ish
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: Part state hwy, part back roads out through state park. Latter portion roads were not in good shape. Very flat course.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:14:45 | 13.1 miles | 10m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/39
Overall: 0/395ish
Performance: Average
Course: Out six miles, turn around, take a left after 3 miles, turn around, back home.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4