Hemet Tinsel Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Hemet, California
United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 59m 23s
Overall Rank = 84/1000
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 13/52
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:30am and grabbed some Gatorade and a bagel w/peanut butter and banana and drove the 70 miles to the race. Light traffic and great weather.
Event warmup:

Did a bit of jogging around while I set up transition. Vicki and I had set up a bit late, so there was only 1 rack left, and it filled fast and was at the back. Bad spot! It was obvious they didn't have enough racks to accomodate the amount of people that had entered (they were expecting 700 and got 1000), so Vicki had the bright idea to take my floor rack from the car and set it up in the transition in a good spot. I asked the R.D. and he said "no problem". So, we were set up right by the entrance/exit! Awesome!
Hit the porta pottie twice, drank some more Gatorade. This was a REVERSE TRIATHLON with the run first and swim last.
Swim
  • 01m 30s
  • 109 yards
  • 01m 22s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was at the end of the race. We had to walk on the pool deck, and then jump in feet first. I didn't bother to wear goggles since it was just 100 meters. I drafted off a girl for about 25 meters of the swim, then overtook her and had to dodge about 10 people hanging on the back wall of the pool, and then elbowed some people to go under the rope and swim to the finish. VERY SHORT swim, but a beautiful pool.
What would you do differently?:

Jump in the pool closer to the center rope to cut off some of the distance.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

First T was from run to bike. It went well. Quickly off with the running shoes and on with the bike shoes, on with the helmet, and I was off. Probably about 1 minute total.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really except remember to remove my race belt.
Bike
  • 32m
  • 12 miles
  • 22.50 mile/hr
Comments:

I was holding 23-24 mph on the flats, and a bit slower on the very subtle hills, and ended up with an avg. over 22mph for the bike. I hammmered almost the entire way. Lots of drafting going on by others. A large lead pack had about 10 people all sucking wheel.
I passed one guy around mile 8 and he geared up quickly and jumped on my wheel and stayed on my tail for about 2 miles. Some yelled at him for drafting (even though this was not a USAT race, hence no rules), and he either backed off or I dropped him. Of course I'd like to think the latter, but who knows. Ha, ha. In the last mile I exchanged leads with some roadie types, and beat them into transition. Woo hoo!
It's funny...halfway through the bike, I had passed several people, and then I'd come up on someone that was moving pretty slow, and I'd think "how the hell did they get so far in front of me that I'm just catching them now?". It was a mass start, so unless they can run really fast, maybe they were on a relay team, or maybe my 7:10 miles on the run WERE slow!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I didn't want to "cheat" by drafting, though it could have helped, but I definitely passed alot more than passed me.
Transition 2
  • 00m 20s
Comments:

Zoomed in, off with the helmet, glasses, shoes, race belt, socks, and dash to the pool. Very fast.
Run
  • 23m
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

I've never started a triathlon by running, so it was new. Took me a few minutes to get my rhythm. You tend to want to blast out of the gates at the start, so I had to keep my speed in check to maintain my pace for the 5K. I was right about MOP at the finish I'd say. Passed some, got passed by others. I was pushing it a bit, but saved a touch for the bike/swim.
What would you do differently?:

More running training...my speed is constantly improving. I've been working on running technique and increasing my cadence for several months and it's been paying off with faster splits on longer runs.
Post race
Warm down:

Showered off and grabbed a banana and water. Got my gear together and packed it in the car. Checked out the DeSoto booth and bought some tri-shorts (too small for me!), so I sent them back for an exchange today.
Hung out for the awards because Vicki got 3rd in her AG!!! Woot, Woot!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think my inexperience, being in this sport less than a year has been my limiter, but I improve my times with every race, as well as my placing. 13th out of over 50 in my AG is acceptable for now. I see myself improving with each year.

Event comments:

A fairly bare-bones operation. Not a ton of volunteers, one aid station (at the transition), and no schwag, but for $50, a great deal. Nice long sleeve tee, a fantastic course (scenic too), and a good vibe to the race. Having a tri in December was a nice novelty. The folks running the race had a great attitude as well. I'll be back for '06.




Last updated: 2005-12-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:01:30 | 109 yards | 01m 22s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 0/1000
Performance: Good
Suit: tri-shorts
Course: 100 meters in a pool. Down and back. Very quick!
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 85F / 29C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:32:00 | 12 miles | 22.50 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 0/1000
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: A very fast and almost flat wide open road that left West Valley High School on surface streets and then onto a 2-lane parkway. We had basically half a highway to ourselves. It was wide open, sunny, and beautiful with little wind.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:20
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:23:00 | 03.1 miles | 07m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 0/1000
Performance: Good
Course: A very flat, fast course through the residential area around the high school.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4