Warsaw Optimist Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Warsaw, Indiana
United States
Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club
63F / 17C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 12m 25s
Overall Rank = 28/578
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/45
Pre-race routine:

I got up and ate a light breakfast because I still felt a little full from dinner last night. It was kind of weird since that never happens unless I eat something HUGE.
Drove to the venue and met a lot of people that I had not met before as I was setting up my transition area. It was nice to meet some people during this time to allow my mind to drift away from the anxiety of race set up.
Event warmup:

I rode my bike about 3-4 miles, including the first 2 miles and the last mile or so. Headed back into transition to grab my running gear and take a short run of probably a mile. The distances are estimated because I didn't want to reset my watch for the race. The way I am I would have screwed up and forgot to reset and it would have messed with my head for the bike and runs because I would have been upset.
Swim
  • 07m 18s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was very weedy but this was expected from all the other reports from the past years racers I had heard from.
I chose a wider angle based on a comment from another competitor on Friday. He was fairly accurate. There were a lot of people that seemed to be slower swimmer that came from the earlier waves that I got tangled up with a couple of times.
My goggles got water in the one lens right away and I cleared it about 200 yards because it seemed to be filling more as I went. The same one filled again and I cleared it at the turn around and it seemed okay (kinda) after that.
I have to say that this swim felt pretty horrible!! I never fell into a rhythm and seemed to struggle the entire way. Now, after having time to reflect on the way I performed, I think it was the pace I was trying to swim. I looked at the time from the top swim finisher and realized that the time I got wasn't a bad time. The run into the transition area was included in the swim time and it was about 80-100 yard run so that would have added enough additional time to have messed with my mind for what kind of time I think I should have gotten. (I would like to have the timing mats at the water's edge to give a true time in the water.)
What would you do differently?:

Try to catch a little bit of rhythm and a much better breathing pattern. I was probably too fast at the start but this was a "Pain Management" race.
Transition 1
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

This would have been a little bit better transition if I hadn't dropped my goggles and cap as I entered the transition area. I should have left them on the ground and kept going. It may have cost 3-4 seconds and no placements.
What would you do differently?:

Left my goggles and cap lying on the ground where they fell.
Bike
  • 38m 24s
  • 13.5 miles
  • 21.09 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good bike for me! I tried to hammer the pace throughout but I did have a couple of places where I did let up a little. I could feel the legs starting to scream at me and my HR was starting to get higher than it should, so I backed down a little. there was also just a little bit of a head wind on the way back that caused me to have to slow down some.
Within the first .25 mile there was a fairly large hill that was kind of long. This seemed to get my HR up soon and got me breathing hard before I was able to settle into any kind of pace. Once at the top of the hill the rest of the course had a few rollers in it but was either flat with the last little bit dropping back down to lake level.
The hairpin turns almost got me. I was screaming down the hills and, although I knew it was coming, I was going too fast. I had to use both front and rear brakes to get slowed enough to keep both wheels on the ground. But, it was pretty fun to cruise through that fast.
I came into the the dismount area very fast! The course official that was there yelled "dismount" in a loud, loud voice to make sure I knew it was there. I saw it but I was planning this type of dismount and there was no one to endanger from that fast a ride into the area.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. This was as good a bike as I think I could have expected.
Transition 2
  • 00m 53s
Comments:

I had a little trouble getting my race belt buckled.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 24m
  • 3.5 miles
  • 06m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

As I headed out of transition I tried to remember how much this can hurt. I didn't remember it being this bad. Man it hurts to run that hard after hammering the bike!!
I tried to keep the pace as hard as I could sustain for a short run. The pace was very challenging for me to hold on too. I was struggling to keep my breath for the first mile as my legs adapted to the change over. They felt very heavy and stiff for that mile but after that they felt great.
My pace might have been similar all the way though if not for that big climb with ".75" miles to go. The downhill that followed this climb was much steeper and too long to allow my legs to carry me down without a lot of control.
I had passed several people on the run and was eying someone else to pass with about .5 to go. I pushed the pace as hard as I could but I didn't have enough left to even begin to make up the ground between us once he started his push into the finish area. He was able to get a little further ahead of me rather than me close the gap and pass. With about 100 yards to go I could feel the stitches coming on. They hit me right after I finished as i was walking to get some food and drink. They subsided quickly once the effort was over.
What would you do differently?:

I don't think there was anything I could do. I think I paced as well as I could have and pushed as hard as I could.
Post race
Warm down:

As usual, I didn't do one. I just walked around and got some nutrition in my system.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training! What else is there? I was ready to go from every perspective and even the training was fine. I am just not as fast as some of these guys. Maybe after another year I can reach the podium.

Event comments:

I think the run course might be longer than posted. My Garmin puts it at 3.66 but I know this isn't exact. I would think it would be closer than .16 on a narrow course. My watch put my run pace at 6:48 and the official time makes it 7:02. I think the watch is closer and my speed a little better. After running a HM at a 7:08 pace, I think my watch is closer than the race distance and pacing results.




Last updated: 2011-02-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:18 | 440 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 5/45
Overall: 21/578
Performance: Average
Suit: Neosport
Course: This was an out and back with a pontoon marking the turn around. The line was very clearly marked by smaller orange buoys along the cable.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:08
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:38:24 | 13.5 miles | 21.09 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/45
Overall: 56/578
Performance: Good
Average HR was 161 and my max was 171
Wind: Some
Course: More or less an out and back. There were 3 hairpin turns that were really tight. The first one was at the bottom of a long hill and the others were immediately after that on a flat.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:53
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
00:24.44:00 | 03.5 miles | 06m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 7/45
Overall: 53/578
Performance: Good
Average HR was 163 and max was 169. My miles were 6:46 (163), 6:44 (162) and 6:58 (164)
Course: Mostly flat to small rolling parts except for the 2 large hills. One long up followed by a shorter steep downhill.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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