Stawberry Fields Triath....errr Duathlon - Duathlon


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Oxnard, California
United States
USATri
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 15m 28s
Overall Rank = 413/687
Age Group = Clydes
Age Group Rank = 28/44
Pre-race routine:

This race starts at 9..... something that over the course of the morning would prove to be more of a detriment than a benefit.... Woke at at 10 to 6, out the door by 6, Starbucks stop, and head up PCH to Oxnard from L.A. Ocean was FLAT as a pancake the entire 30 miles of coastline.....
Event warmup:

20 minute run. Head through the dunes to the ocean... Whoa.... the ONLY place in California that the waves are breaking. And there is a sandbar about 200 yards out. So the waves break big (about 4 feet) outside, then reform to break 2-3 inside, making a solid 400 yard surf zone. Ugh.

The surf zone wasn't the problem though, they were doable. I got in to acclimate to the water temp and looked down, you could see the longshore current creating a wake around my legs. Even walking in it was tough.

Not too sure about this swim. Even I am nervous about it, and I am pretty good in the water. But there are a lot of newbies and first timers. This won't be good. I will admit that the thought of DNS entered my head. It was that gnarly. When I went out for a practice swim, I could have made it through the second break, but it would have taken about all I had to give, I knew it would not only be tough, but potentially impossible (and dangerous).

They moved the first wave, the junior elites, up the beach about 100 yards and sent them off. They all angled for the buoy. Bad move. After 15 minutes, none had yet made the buoy, most were now about 1/2 mile SOUTH of the buoy and not even out of the surf zone. I believe only three made it.

Second wave, elite girls. they change the course to swimming IN the surf zone around lifeguards. The guards can't hold their position, it's a clusterfu**, but the girls get through it.

Eventually, they simply cancel the swim and create a du, first leg a 400 yard run through the ankle to shin to knee to waist deep water, depending on the surf, and then up the beach. Fu** Start the tri at the very point where I start to suck.

Our wave went off almost an hour after scheduled time due to the delays.

I could be disappointed. Or angry. Or dejected. Or quit. But a corny saying went through my head, "we don't get to choose what happens to us, only how we react." OK, this was a C race anyway, just to get my feet wet. Well, they got wet. It was also an opportunity to work on my limiters, the bike and run. For that reason I left the full wetsuit on. Many people took them off or pushed them down half way. Figured I'd get a good T1 practice out of it, if nothing else.
Run
  • 06m 29s
  • 0.5 miles
  • 12m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Ugh. My running sucks. I mean, really really. I always wondered if my running would suck even more if you flooded the run course with 1 to 3 feet of water. Guess what? It surely does.
What would you do differently?:

Jryals put it more succinctly and perfectly than I ever could = SWIM
Transition 1
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

This actually went well. I had counted the racks to my bike from the entrance and went right to it. As I was running by, people that were ahead of me were sitting down, drying their feet with towels... wtf??

I got the suit off, helmet on at same time, into bike shoes, and then off, did velcro on shoes after I got on the bike.

Happy with this, 10th in AG, best performance of the day :^)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 36m 59s
  • 11.5 miles
  • 18.66 mile/hr
Comments:

This was an OK bike for me. Last season I ended at 17.75 mph. This season I started at 18.66. So yes, the spin classes and rides have helped some. of course, its not enough. Never is, is it?

Passed a lot of people, got passed by a few, for the most part solid riders... errr, except for that older guy on the 30# mountain bike in tennies pointed out at angles and his windbreaker flailing behind him... wtf?

Saw lots of flats, and came upon an accident invloving Brian Fong, one of the bigwigs in our tri club. Didn't know it was him at the time, but 3-4 people had stopped and could hear the ambulance, so on I went. There was lots of traffic, and the intersections were being closed down as we came through. It got a little hairy, came through one where an Escalade had turned and was waiting to go through my intersecion, he was only 2-3 feet from the bike course.

I think because of the late start there was a lot more traffic. And people were getting pissed. At one point, one guy in a pickup truck going the other way yelled something to the effect of "faggot." Hmmm. Not sure what to make of it. Was it my tight white tri top? The sexy black revealing tri shorts? Aren't people weird?

Only drank twice during the ride, not enough

What would you do differently?:

Performance wise, nothing. Much more base needed.
Transition 2
  • 01m 55s
Comments:

This was a bit of a cluster. I got off the bike well, ran straight to my station, got shoes off, but had some problems getting running shoes on. I go sockless, and have insoles, that bunched up in the right shoe, so there were two folds, one under my heel, one under my toes. Tried to fix, said forget it, tried to fix it out of T2, said forget it, never did fix it, right foot got kinda numb by the end. I figured for 3 miles it couldn't do that much damage. It didn't

33d, blech
What would you do differently?:

Figure out how to put on shoes without screwing it up
Run
  • 28m 20s
  • 3 miles
  • 09m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

All right, well this is my worst event, but I did best AG wise here than the other two, so go figure. Felt pretty strong, passed a few, got passed by a lot. Near the turnaround saw my buddy Owen, goal was to not let him pass me.

I need better goals

Few minutes later, near what I thought was the end, he passed me. He started 6 minutes behind me, but was running what turned out to be 7:20 miles. I thought the end was near, and I was surprised at how good I felt. Saw a couple friends near the end (that I though .. duh) and started to sprint. Saw the finishing balloon, kinda confused as to how we were going to get to it, it's facing the other way. And people are coming the other way. And coming from around a bend. Crap.

Pays to go to the pre race meeting, or at least look at the course. Sucks to think you're near finished and have 1/2 mile to go (my watch was acting up, no idea on the time, that's my excuse). The people I passed passed me right back.

9:20 something on the run. Better than my 10+ minutes from my first tri ever last year (and that was only two miles)
What would you do differently?:

Much more base
Post race
Warm down:

walk around, eat pizza, chat, etc.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not enough base, no swimming

Event comments:

This is a pretty good race, I have issues with pre race organization, but not a big deal.

I don't blame the RD for canceling the swim. Frankly, as I said, was a thought that went through my mind. He has to do what's best and safest for everyone. I'm bummed for people if it was their first tri, but in reality, they probably never would have done another after that swim.

It's really amazing to me, with a swim, I am near enough to the middle to dream about being competetive someday with a couple more years of base. Without the swim, I am pitiful. I know they are my limiters, but it's very discouraging to see where I end up. It's close to the DFL category, and even though it's better than DNF and DNS.... it still sucks.




Last updated: 2006-02-06 12:00 AM
Running
00:06:29 | 00.5 miles | 12m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/44
Overall: 0/687
Performance: Bad
Course: Out 150 feet or so to lifeguard staning in water, 400 yard run up beach, 400 yard sand run
Keeping cool Drinking
T1
Time: 01:45
Overall: Good
Run with bike? Good
Jump on bike? Good
Getting up to speed and into shoes: Good
Biking
00:36:59 | 11.5 miles | 18.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 31/44
Overall: 347/687
Performance:
Wind: Some
Course: Pretty much a square with one little in and out on the far side. Except for about a 1/4 mile, there was a head or cross wind, since the even started so late. Earlier, there would have been less wind.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:55
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:28:20 | 03 miles | 09m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 28/44
Overall: 479/687
Performance: Below average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4