Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon - TriathlonOther


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San Francisco, California
United States
IMG
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 53m 17s
Overall Rank = 464/1493
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 85/208
Pre-race routine:

Woke up on time, rested, ready to go. Ate peanut butter on bread 2 hours before race. Had a Zipvit gel 15 minutes before the race started.
Event warmup:

Warm-up was basically not available. Crammed on a ferry boat with all the other racers. Although, standing 10 feet from Andy Potts and the other top triathlete's on the boat was enough to get the blood pumping!!
Swim
  • 28m 27s
  • 2640 yards
  • 01m 05s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water was cold, but not terrible. I had on a full wetsuit, neoprene cap with silicone ear plugs, and neoprene booties. Glad I had them all on. I was one of the first off the boat (get yourself close to the doors before the start!), which meant I had little to work through, but also almost no one to draft off of.
What would you do differently?:

Next time, go straight, even if alone. I was strong enough to have gone straight and could have saved 5 minutes.
Transition 1
  • 06m 54s
Comments:

The transition included a 1/2 mile run. I came out of the water, peeled my wetsuit to my waist, and ran to T1. Most age groupers stopped at the water exit, found their bag, took off their wetsuit, and put on running shoes. I am glad I didn't spend the time to do so. Was 24th in my age group out of 204.
What would you do differently?:

Transition went very well, might have been able to run a little faster on the 1/2 mile though.
Bike
  • 1h 06m 13s
  • 18 miles
  • 16.31 mile/hr
Comments:

I rented a bike (Trek 2.3) with a triple ring up front. I only had one ride on it before the race. Regardless, the bike course was very difficult due to my lack of training.
What would you do differently?:

Spend time on a bike trainer... a lot of time. I focused my training on the run and swim, as I thought those would be the biggest challenge. Turned out the bike was the hardest (although possibly because I was so prepared for the swim and run).
Transition 2
  • 02m 38s
Comments:

I didn't go very hard through T2. It was well laid out, but I was feeling the effects of the bike hills already. I was 134 out of 208 in my age group.
What would you do differently?:

I got stuck behind a few people in the chute. Next time I should pay more attention to coming into the bike finish, as it might be worth a little more effort to get in front of other people going down the transition chute.
Run
  • 1h 09m 7s
  • 8 miles
  • 08m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

At the top of the first large hill, just past the golden gate, My right quad locked up into a ball... took a minute to elbow it a few times to get it to let go. I did not have much left after the bike. The bike leg took more out of me than I thought it would. The course was not as bad as I thought it would be.
What would you do differently?:

Train the bike... the bike really hurt the rest of my race.
Post race
Warm down:

10 minutes of walking, and massage.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of bike training, plain and simple. More training = better results!

Event comments:

The race venue was unbelievable. Truly the experience of a lifetime. If I ever have the chance to do it again, I will be spending a lot of time on the bike getting ready :)




Last updated: 2010-06-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:27 | 2640 yards | 01m 05s / 100yards
Age Group: 24/208
Overall: 154/1493
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: All the age-groupers went towards shore directly, then turned right toward the finish. The elite's went straight line.
Start type: Dive Plus: Shot
Water temp: 55F / 13C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:06:13 | 18 miles | 16.31 mile/hr
Age Group: 124/208
Overall: 750/1493
Performance: Bad
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: The hills were brutal. I was highly unprepared for the length and steepness. Other than the hills, the course was gorgeous. 1450 feet of total elevation.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 83
Turns: Below average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:38
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
01:09:07 | 08 miles | 08m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 98/208
Overall: 577/1493
Performance: Average
Course: Course was mainly dirt or sand. Started with 1.5 miles of flat and ended with 1.5 miles of flat. The other 5 miles was on a sand beach, or up and down big hills. Total of 550 feet of elevation gain.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5