Tri Key West Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Key West, Florida
United States
Stay Fit Studio
69F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 57m 15s
Overall Rank = 126/232
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 7/24
Pre-race routine:

Nothing fancy- stayed downtown Key West (on Duval Street), so we drove to the Marriott, parked the car, and unloaded to go stake out my transition spot. I had my normal breafast snack items (I'm not a big pre-race freak when it comes to food...just enough to fuel, but I don't get crazy with it).My wave went off at 7:30, so we got there around 6:35. I didn't want too much time waiting around, but wanted 'just' enough to get a good spot and get on the trolly to the race start 1 mile down the Gulf. I did, however, end up not having space on my assigned rack, but the volunteer told me a could set up against the wall (transition was in the Marriott parking garage and I was almost up to the 2nd floor). The wall spot was a blessing in disguise as I ended up with plenty of my own space. A few others followed suit and set up in a similar fashion.
Event warmup:

The trolly dropped us off at the Ibis Bay dock, which proved to be the perfect place to get in my wetsuit. I also changed my timing chip from the plastic band they gave us to my ankle road ID. Glad I did. Heard folks who lost theirs during the race b/c the plastic band snapped. They were letting us swim to the floating dock for the start about 500 yards down the way (but not required...some folks just walked down the sidewalk to the dock where they had 'helpers' get you down a wire grate when your wave was called). I'm really glad I took this opportunity because the water was a little cooler than I anticipated.
Swim
  • 28m 20s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had a very good swim. 2nd in my AG, 7th in my Genter, and 74th overall. There were points where the water was 2-3 feet deep with lots of sea grass and my hand was hitting the ground. Kind of annoying, but they mentioned it in the pre-race briefing and told us to just keep swimming....at times, I couldn't even pull all the way through w/o digging into the mushy bottom. I was still able to site straight, keeping my breathing and arm rotation under control . I caught the 2 waves in front of me and ended up in a 'limbo' area where there weren't any other swimmers around me. Never felt crowded or smashed in the channel.
What would you do differently?:

Gone out faster. I made the poor assumption that were would be some faster swimmers in my wave (25-29 and 30-34 F went out together). I hung towards the left middle of the pack and got caught up in the start. I also was unsure of the swim exit, so I had to take a quick pause as closed in on the beach to see exactly where I needed to go.
Transition 1
  • 03m 17s
Comments:

3 words- WET SUIT STRIPPERS. Awesome! They had my suit off in like 10 seconds and I was on my way. 1/3 mile beach run pretty much sucked for us non-runners...but it was nice to do it and not have to worry about undressing myself at the same time. Once I hit the pavement, it was back to the parking garage and up to the 2nd floor where my bike was racked against the wall. Transition was pretty clear b/c I was quick out of the water, so the rest was pretty uneventful. I ran out with my shoes on my bike and got into my shoes once I hit the straight away on A1A. Good call b/c folks were slipping coming out of the garage running with their bikes.
What would you do differently?:

It was my first saltwater swim and I learned later on that I probably should have taken more time and really rinsed off my face. I felt like I had salt in my contacts the rest of the day.
Bike
  • 1h 19m 53s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.66 mile/hr
Comments:

Road was bumpy in places (mostly on A1A) and some large potholes as well. There were also reflectors that bridged the road from the shoulder, and they seemed like they could throw you off your bike if you hit them the wrong way. Overall, though, flat bike. There was quite a bit of wind on portions of the Naval Air Station. Had a granola bar, a gu, and a bottle of nuun, then munched on my piece of gum I taped to my aero bars earlier that morning.
What would you do differently?:

Push a bit harder in the middle miles. I lost some of my concentration and wasn't paying attention to my Garmin/HR data. I did catch up a bit in the last 5 miles or so, but I think I could've gone faster on this VERY flat course.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Fast time considering I had to go up 2 levels of the parking garage. That coveted rack spot against the wall was helpful. Didn't encounter too much congestion. Again, lots of volunteers directing racers and the sprint distance traffic.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I don't think. Fastest T2 time in my AG.
Run
  • 1h 04m 42s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

My running is where I need the most work. The course was flat, the volunteers were plentiful and positive with their cheers and clapping, but I was miserable. I felt fueled and hydrated, but I just need to work to move my butt a heck of a lot faster. The course did cross A1A and Roosevelt, but police were there and stopped traffice both ways for the racers.
What would you do differently?:

Train more off the bike.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing really. Got my medal, my transition stuff, and we headed back to our room in Key West. They had good food and snacks and apparently a good post-race party on the beach, but we didn't stick around.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My running ability (lack of).

Event comments:

For a 1st year race, a huge well-done goes to the directors. Great job! Kinks weren't visible to racers (or at least to me). I'll be back in 2011...running 9 minute miles next time around.




Last updated: 2010-12-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:20 | 1640 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/24
Overall: 74/232
Performance: Good
Suit: Vortex Sleeveless Wetsuit
Course: Point to point in the Gulf channel from Ibis Bay floating dock to the Marriott beach....not exactly sure of the width, maybe 40 yards, but I think the distance was spot on. Spectators could see their swimmer the whole way, walking on a sidewalk that was parallel to the channel the entire way (I could actually hear my parents cheering me on most of the way- an unanticipated bonus).
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:17
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:19:53 | 24.85 miles | 18.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/24
Overall: 116/232
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind
Course: Out on A1A towards the Naval Air Station. 2 loops there (with an intersection of Sprint and Olympic racers which was seemless each time I came through), back on A1A to College Road, right on the bike/walker path towards the Marriott. A couple of technical U Turns on the Naval Air Station, but there was plenty of volunteers reminding us to slow down.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
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
01:04:42 | 06.21 miles | 10m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 14/24
Overall: 81/232
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back on the Atlantic on Roosevelt Blvd. Water and poweraid just about every mile. Mentally tough because while beautiful to run along the ocean, the view never changed. And the sprint racers got to turn around at 1.5 miles.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4