Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
The Columbia Triathlon Association Inc.
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 23m 32s
Overall Rank = 101/1090
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 21/219
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4am. Bagel PB and coffee. The usual. Rob arrived bang on 0445 and then we picked up Geoff and were at the park at 0500. Local races - just great ! Mooched around transition for a while then headed over to the MMTC tent for some smack talk before the start.
Event warmup:

Nothing - but this is my usual race warm up ....
Swim
  • 23m 27s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

Thought I was going well but this was a spectacular swim for me. Fullsuit obviously made a difference but this time I was more assertive at the start and lined up in the fornt row on the RHS (I'm a LHS breather and that way I could see the buoys easily and the majority of the field). I went off quickly to get away from any contact and then settled into a great long stroked tempo. Turned buoys well and went round a few earlier waves across the top and down the back straight. In hindsight though I wonder whether I swam this whole leg too fast.
What would you do differently?:

Possibly slow down a bit - if only I knew for certain that one mins more on the swim equals two mins less on the bike or run. Tactics, tactics ..
Transition 1
  • 02m 25s
Comments:

About average for me. Took wetsuit off down to the waist running up from the swim exit. Got stuck a bit on the heels but the main problem I had was with the aero helmet. Should have practised putting that on in a hurry with the sunglasses. Tip : helmet first, sunglasses afterwards. Didn't have the shoes clipped in but I don't think I lose very much here (and I passed two people on Rte 108 who were putting their feet into their shoes - of course they rhen blew past me but that's a different story)
What would you do differently?:

Practise, practise. Repeat the mantra : helmet first, then sunglasses.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 41s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 21.63 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a strange bike leg. I was concerned at my high HR coming out of the swim (over 160 - Z5 for me) and so I didn't want to push early on. Never really got into a rhythym all the way round. Didn't feel I was pedalling in circles, never really cranked the power. Strange because this is all coming out in retrospect. Bike leg summed up by opening a gel packet all over my hands and having to live with a very sticky pair of aerobars for the rest of the ride. Back hurt as well - is my set up too aggressive (and yet I've ridden the E-man course with this set up without these problems). I think I've got a split a couple of minutes faster in me.
What would you do differently?:

Swim pace ?
Transition 2
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

Great 'textbook' flying dismount despite the volunteers shouting at me to slow down from 200 yards away from the dismount line (was there one ?)

Then managed to stuff my bike through the transition rack so that it faced tghe wrong way. Not sure what I was thinking here ...
What would you do differently?:

Not much - could have shaved a few seconds off by racking the bike correctly.
Run
  • 45m 56s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 24s  min/mile
Comments:

Hmmm. I'm not sure I'll ever learn to pace myself on a competitive run. I know there was more left in the tank again. But at the start I felt like I was hanging on to a 7:40 pace. Managed to latch onto another runner and stayed with him until at the top of the neighbourhood loop. Then left for home.

Splits :
Mile 1 - 7:22 (150)
Mile 2 - 7:37 (151)
Mile 3 - 7:52 (151)
Mile 4 - 7:45 (152)
Mile 5 - 7:10 (154)
Mile 6 - 7:13 (157)
Mile .2 - 6:09 (163)
What would you do differently?:

Run harder.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing. Nada.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Pacing. Tactics.

Event comments:

My second Columbia race. This one was to exorcise the demons of last year (puncture on bike, helmet trouble - see last's years race report). My objective was to place in the Top30 of the M40-44 AG and I did that. So I'm pleased. But in hindisght I think I made a tactical mistake in going too hard in the swim and then being unfocussed for a lot of the bike leg. My lack of road racing pedigree really continues to hurt me as I just don't know how hard to push myself and what I'm capable off. Perhaps I'm not capable of going faster : I'm just not sure at the moment.

But overall I'm pleased with this performance - I've been training hard since the New Year and it is paying off.

This course is really tough, but probably plays to my strengths as a lighter racer. CTA generally put on a great race. Nothing flash but just a well-run, well-supported regional triathlon.

Two gripes : (i) Swim buoy markings didn't work. Either you do the same as the Nation's Tri and mark them with the distances or not at all. I didn't see the letters and had no idea anyway what they corresponded to; (ii) Port-a-potties - need to make sure they are all unlocked before transition opens : some near the finish were permanently engaged (either that or a lot of people were reading the paper for a long time ...)

Now that Andrew Yoder character ... boy he flies.

Next stop ... Eagleman.




Last updated: 2010-10-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:27 | 1640 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/219
Overall: 128/1090
Performance: Good
Suit: XTERRA Vector Pro X2
Course: Anticlockwise rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:25
Performance: Average
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
01:10:41 | 25.48 miles | 21.63 mile/hr
Age Group: 24/219
Overall: 118/1090
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: A lasso
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:05
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Bad
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:45:56 | 06.21 miles | 07m 24s  min/mile
Age Group: 26/219
Overall: 147/1090
Performance: Average
Course: Around the lake and into the neighbourhood. Hilly.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4