USAT National Championships - TriathlonOlympic


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Tuscaloosa, Alabama
United States
1000F / 538C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 35m 43s
Overall Rank = 708/1118
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 46/69
Pre-race routine:

Drove 11 hours to Tuscaloosa. Checked in to hotel after picking up race packet and racking bike. Noticed that it was a little warm. Drank 8 Gatorades while driving down to the race venue.
Event warmup:

Got up around 4:30am. Granola bar and another Gatorade. Practiced walk-through of transitions to bike and run. Felt pretty good about the prospects for the day.
Swim
  • 32m 9s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 57s / 100 yards
Comments:

Upon jumping into the water, knew it was going to be a rough day. Water felt like a hot tub. There was a gentle current that kept pulling me downstream. First 200 yds was great: good breathing, no worries, no stress. Rest of the swim was usual, inefficient thrashing.
What would you do differently?:

focus on swimming in the off-season.
Transition 1
  • 02m 3s
Comments:

Decent T1 given that my rack was at the far end of the swim-in. Had put body glide on the heels prior to swim and that helped with getting feet into shoes on the bike during the ramp up. Fumbled with my helmet a little bit which cost some time.
What would you do differently?:

was fine with this effort.
Bike
  • 1h 07m 32s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 22.08 mile/hr
Comments:

had practiced this course on the Computrainer multiple times so was familiar with where to shift into high gear and where to ease up. For some reason just never really found my legs on this ride. Was nowhere near my training times on the CT.
What would you do differently?:

Ride the course more than once a week.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

Very good T2 for me. No problems.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 52m 44s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

Wheels really fell off here. Just wilted in the heat like a stick of butter. Couldn't get my legs to go any faster. Hills were a killer. Ran with 2-bottle Fuel Belt and ran out of drink at mile 4. At mile 5 was passed by a guy with a '45' on his calf and I pushed really hard to pass him and stay in front. Was fearful that I was so far back, and envisioned that the guy in front of me had just put me in last place. Put everything I had into the last mile. Paid for it dearly (and am still paying for it now, almost 4 days later)
What would you do differently?:

find a way to train in the heat.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed finish line and went directly to med-tent; collapsed on the floor. They picked me up and placed me on a cot where I drank as much water/Gatorade as I could. Promptly threw it up on the medical attendant. Was cramping severely, couldn't move anything without feeling like knives were cutting into me. Then got really, really cold. Medical staff was great. Took care of me until I could walk again. Went to results station and saw my dismal performance and felt even worse. Collected last bike in the rack and walked the half-mile uphill to my car. That was a treat. Went back to hotel, collapsed into the bed and tried to sleep for while. Went to early dinner, then slept as much as possible and made the 12 hour drive home. One recommendation: do not go to races alone. Take someone with you. I really needed someone else to drive me home after that race. I hate to admit that, but it's true. 12 hours in the car after that experience was less than pleasant.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Would be able to make a lot of excuses: starting new job one month before race, sickness two weeks before, lower-back strain the week before, 11 hour car ride day before the race, not used to the heat, yada, yada, yada. Reality is that I just didn't put as much effort into my training for this race as I should have, and that I'm really just not that good. Only positive of the experience was that I left absolutely everything I had out on that course (or threw it up in the med tent). 'A' for effort, 'D' for performance.

Event comments:

Nationals is always a great show. Goody bag was not as good as in years past. Will probably not do this race again until I can either modify my expectations for myself or have the late-season motivation to train for it properly.




Last updated: 2010-07-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:09 | 1640 yards | 01m 57s / 100yards
Age Group: 54/69
Overall: 708/1118
Performance: Average
Suit: none
Course: Big rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 88F / 31C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:03
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:07:32 | 24.85 miles | 22.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 32/69
Overall: 707/1118
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: double loop with a couple of out and backs.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Bad Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:44 | 06.21 miles | 08m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 46/69
Overall: 708/1118
Performance: Bad
Course: big loop with several unexpected hills.
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3