San Diego Triathlon Classic - TriathlonOlympic


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San Diego, California
United States
Moment Sporting Events
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 58m 35s
Overall Rank = 454/736
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 6/15
Pre-race routine:

out of bed before 4 and downstairs for dressing and making breakfast, quick meditation. Out the door with oatmeal and peanut butter toast to go. Decaf tea and water.
Event warmup:

jogged to car because I forgot my long sleeve jacket in case I wanted it for the bike. When I got to the car I realized I'd left my interior light on. Glad I went back otherwise I might have had a dead battery by the time I got back after the race.

I jogged a bit more and then stopped by a streetlight to stretch. My sciatic nerve is acting up. It's very tight and was wondering how it would do throughout the race. See the run report for more info.

Ended up racking my bike next to a work acquaintance that I seem to see at the local tris. She's very nice, so good to have a friendly face. Most of the women are nice, every so often you get a sourpuss.

There was a roving military brass band, about a four piece I think, that was in transition. That was very cool.
They also played the national anthem. I was just floating on my back while they played the SSB and then realized I should at least look for a flag, but I didn't see one. It was a very nice touch.

Got into the water and had a nice young 30ish guy help me with my wetsuit. I was having problems getting it zipped up and he apparently saw me and offered to help. It was caught in my tri top.

Saw BJ right before the swim start and it was nice to see a friendly face.
Swim
  • 33m 3s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 12s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a good swim for me. I'm not so fast, but I was very consistent and picked it up a bit at the end. I was able to pass some other pink caps and since we were the 2nd wave and the elites were first, no passing action of the previous wave. I did get passed by the faster guys behind us though, even though they were the over 50 crowd.

At one point I think a boat must have come through because there were some mild waves and a wake.
What would you do differently?:

Learn to swim faster!
Transition 1
  • 03m 41s
Comments:

It was a bit of a trot to transition, but I could tell from the bike racks that I was in pretty good position. I had a bit of a hard time getting my bike seat off the rack, but I was able to get out and onto the road fairly quickly. Didn't even think about being cold so didn't wear the long sleeve shirt I had gone back to the car to get.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe just get my sh*t together quicker, but I felt like I was...oh, I just remembered I couldn't get my helmet fastened. It took me probably 20 or 30 seconds to get it snapped. This is my first race with my new helmet that I happened to get for a 40% discount a few weeks ago. It's a pearlish white and is quite stylish -- a specialized.
Bike
  • 1h 25m 24s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.46 mile/hr
Comments:

Nice ride. I averaged 17 something which is pretty good considering I was really cranking it up that hill two times. I was able to stay in my big chain ring and really hammer on the flats and especially downhill. I got my feet out of my shoes way too early again, so I put it back in. Thankfully just the right side. Then I took them out and did the flying dismount.

Oh, lost another water bottle. I swear, I hit a bump on some of these pothole laden streets and they just launch off the back. Thankfully they had water bottles opened at one point and I grabbed one and poured it into my aero bottle which is velcro attached on the front.
What would you do differently?:

Even though I lost a couple of minutes stopping to help that woman, I wouldn't change a thing. I didn't wear my Garmin on purpose and just rode how I felt. I didn't trash my legs but was able to make up some of my times on the downhill portions. This was a fun course.
Transition 2
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

I think this is my first transition under 2 minutes. I'll have to check. Doing the flying dismount definitely really helps cut down the time. I didn't even have to use the bathroom, which is a modern miracle.
What would you do differently?:

I don't think anything, except get my pedal stroke a little more efficient so I can get up the hills a bit quicker. But, it's a work in progress. Gotta have something to improve on.
Run
  • 54m 30s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

Again, no Garmin, so just ran how I felt. Another guy was running behind me around mile 3 to 4 and I could hear him back there breathing and his footsteps. He passed me and I figured, let me stay with him for a while. So I did and then passed him and then we ended up running in together. He actually sprinted in ahead of me, which I told him he would. He was a German guy named Gary. I heard them announce him ahead of me as I was coming into the chute. I could tell I'd ran hard because I didn't have a whole lot left to give at the finish line. I usually have a decent sprint to the finish, but not today. My back, right buttock, hip and down behind my knee was just aching from the sciatic stuff. I think I tweaked it doing some yoga this week.
What would you do differently?:

I was pleased with my performance. It's not a PR for a 10K, but I've not tapered for this race and have been in the midst of marathon training, so hey, not too bad.


Post race
Warm down:

Ate some oranges and part of a banana and drank part of a water bottle. chatted with some acquaintances and then went back to transition to pack up a bit. Got my Garmin and then went out back on the course for a 5 mile run, to make up for missing my marathon training run today. I figure an olympic tri and then an additional 5 miles almost equals an easy 15 mile run. I just tucked my race bib into my shorts in the back and ran the course. I ended up chatting with some of the back of packers and even helped a woman who was near tears to finish. I ran the last mile and a half with Chris from L.A. and I think she was grateful. She was almost ready to stop. I remember when I did my first olympic and at mile 4 thought I wouldn't be able to finish and a woman from Tucson did the same thing for me. It was nice to pay it back. I told Chris about that experience and said to just pay it forward. I also chatted with some others struggling a bit on the run, but they were walking a bit too much for me to stop. I was at a slow 10 mile pace and my back and legs were really hurting, but I managed to get my extra 5 in! Yea me!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My back,hip, leg and not tapering. Being in the midst of marathon training.

Event comments:

Very well organized race. Good food although I didn't eat much of it. There was apparentley a beer garden and wine but I didn't partake. After my post race run, I checked the results and packed up my gear to head home for the 45 minute drive.

104 out of 244 women from what I can tell.




Last updated: 2010-06-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:03 | 1500 meters | 02m 12s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/736
Performance: Good
Suit: blue 70
Course: Rectangular clockwise. Got off to a nice start, not much congestion. Passed a few in my wave (all women 45+ relays and Athenas) to get going. Had a lot of open water. It seemed that so many of the people were outside and I was sticking fairly close to the buoys. I continued to swim very consistently, no freak out moments, and then the guys wave behind us caught up, or at least some of them. They sped by and I tried to draft a bit and keep up as I could. At the turnaround buoy I was just swimming and a woman was behind me, I think I kicked her but certainly wasn't trying to. She said "ow, and oh." I have to say my thought was toughen up buttercup. Is that mean? I mean...it's a triathlon and I've been swum over and had my goggles knocked off, etc. Thankfully not this time. I've also learned to steer clear of the breast strokers because their kicks often land in the stomach. Now, that's an ouch. I had some guy totally feel me up swimming past me about 3/4 of the way through. I almost asked him if it was good for him. I think there was a bit more resistance on the way back after the turnaround with the water. The tide may have been coming in or something. This swim was in the bay and they gave us a disclaimer notice yesterday when we signed the waiver that said there may be contaminants in the bay due to the previous military activity here in the channel, but most of it was probably on the bottom and in deep water. I didn't come out glowing radiation or anything.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:41
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:25:24 | 24.85 miles | 17.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/736
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Very nice course through city streets and then a neighborhood and then onto the Navy Sub Base. I've never been out there so it was cool. You could see the docking places for the subs and the city's skyline across the bay, but it was shrouded in fog so you could only make out the outlines of the buildings. There were lots of birds down there in the water and I could hear sea lions. I do believe the Mantees told them to cheer for me (us). There's a winding switchback road that goes up and up that we do twice. I was fairly slow on it, but that's my challenge to work on for CDA --- hills. I did ride my tri bike and it doesn't have a compact crank. The rest of the course is rolling and then there's a great downhill. I was able to get down into aero and book. I saw a woman on the side of the road stopped and asked her if she needed anything. She asked if I knew how to put a chain back on because hers had come off. Since this was a nice training race/day for me, I figured, what the hell, stop and see if you can help her. She was probably even in my age group. Boy am I nice. Insert cheesy grin. She had really grinded the chain in between the two cassettes and while I was able to move it some I couldn't get it out of there either. I gave it about a minute to a minute and a half I'd say, hearing the bikes whirr past me. I realized I wasn't going to be able to do it, so I apologized to her and wished her luck. She thanked me for stopping to try. She must have gotten it fixed because she wasn't there on the second lap. I didn't see her the rest of the race. On the second lap going downhill, I was probably going at least 30 mph and down in aero and this guy, scoots by me on the right, just as I was moving to get over more to the right. He didn't say a word--no warning. I didn't say anything but was just thankful we didn't go down. Soon afterwards a motorcycle with who I think were race officials zoomed by. I looked over at them and pointed to the guy. The "official" on the motorcycle just nodded his head, so I'm thinking the guy probably got a penalty for that. It was really a bonehead move. There are so many guys and some women who don't say an effin' thing when they pass. I wasn't passed too, too much, but my God -- a real pet peeve.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:57
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:54:30 | 06.21 miles | 08m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/736
Performance: Good
Course: Lots of loops. Some on sidewalk (not a fan) and some on packed dirt. There was one short section on some softer sand that I managed to avoid on the second loop.
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? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4