Ballantyne Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Charlotte, North Carolina
United States
Set-UpEvents
89F / 32C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 26m 27s
Overall Rank = 156/205
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 25/31
Pre-race routine:

Got to the race site at 5:30am (early morning for my wife and 3YO daughter), but I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushed seeing as this was my first tri. Everything went very well getting my bike racked and setting up my transition area. The race start was a 7am start but because of the pool swim and staggered start, I didn't start until 8:37:45. I had a long time to wait but it was fun watching the other contestants, seeing some old friends and chatting with some new ones from BT!
Event warmup:

Ate a turkey sausge mcmuffin at home before we left and then ate a protein bar about 2 hours before I had to jump in the pool. I drank alot of water so I hit the bathroom mutliple times before the swim. Started stretching out real good about 30 minutes before my swim and I was ready to go!
Swim
  • 07m 19s
  • 300 yards
  • 02m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was warned about these types of pool swims and I experienced everything! Initially when I submitted by 100/yd time I was swimming around 2:30, but I put in 2:45 just to be safe. This turned out to be costly as after the first lap , I ran into my first bottleneck. I wound up passing 1 person during lap 2, then passing 2 people (at the same time) on lap 4. After those passes I was completely winded and mustered up what energy I had left to pass a 4th person at the wall. Overall I thought I swam pretty good considering all the people I had to pass, but I wass completely exhausted when I got out! There was about a 50yd run to the transition area before the swim cut off, so essentially I swam a little faster than the clock indicated. Now I know what everyone means when they say you may be a little "disoriented" when you get out of the pool!
What would you do differently?:

Avoid pools swims? No....just make sure I don't underestimate my abilities in the swim and really nail down my 100/yd time before the cut off time!
Transition 1
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

Not a bad transition considering I could barely breathe when I got to the transition area (there was about a 50 yd run from the pool). Really the only issue I had was getting my tri-top on....it got stuck over my wet skin. Other than that it was a decent transition for my first one!
What would you do differently?:

Body Glide so my shirt goes on a little easier. Dry my feet a little better so my socks aren't wet when I put on my shoes.
Bike
  • 47m 55s
  • 12.7 miles
  • 15.90 mile/hr
Comments:

I thought I would be OK on the bike, but literally 5 minutes in I was getting passed left and right! I looked back to see if I was dragging any kind of weight....did I have a flat....are my wheels square? I was pretty winded after the swim so it took me about 3 miles to get into a good rhythmn, but after that I felt much better. Ate some Gu around Mile 2 and made sure I drank water at the very beginning and every 10 minutes or so after that.
What would you do differently?:

I just need to get more experience on the open road. I am riding an older Schwinn Varsity road bike which is pretty heavy, but I still need to owrk on cadence and hills. The one hill on Marvin Rd. pretty much killed me, but I made it! Gear shifting was awful as I would get stuck in between gears and completely throw off my cadence. I think weith more time on the road, I will get better!
Transition 2
  • 00m 54s
Comments:

Easier transition as I was ready to get off the bike and start running!
What would you do differently?:

Not much here, maybe grab some gum I had laid out, but I ran off and forgot it. Otherwise very happy with this transition.
Run
  • 28m 39s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

After that first 1/2 mile or so my legs came back and I was ready to race. I started out picking people ahead of me and would pick them off one by one. I would up passing about 6 or 7 people on the run and really felt energized about this! Walked through the water stops and even enjoyed a shower from a local kid with a garden hose! Overall great run for me considering all I had done before it!
What would you do differently?:

Really push it at the end! Coming through the finish area, I slowed up a bit to really enjoy the surroundings! I heard my name over the loud speaker and was grinning from ear to ear. I probably could have shaved off another minute had I really sprinted to the finish, but hey it was my first triathlon and I wanted to take it all in!
Post race
Warm down:

Chocolate milk...stretching and lunch with my family (Protein Power Plate) at Zoe's Cafe in Charlotte!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Probably just the fact that this was my first tri and I didn't want to go all out in the beginning and feel miserable at the end.

Event comments:

Good race experience for my first time!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2010-03-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:19 | 300 yards | 02m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 27/31
Overall: 166/205
Performance: Average
Suit: None
Course: Pool swim
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 87F / 31C Current:
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:42
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:47:55 | 12.7 miles | 15.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 28/31
Overall: 175/205
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: Loop course around the Ballantye area.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Bad Hills: Bad
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:54
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:28:39 | 03.1 miles | 09m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/31
Overall: 132/205
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back
Keeping cool Good 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? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4