Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Los Angeles, California
United States
Pacific Sports LLC
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 38m 44s
Overall Rank = 192/669
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/19
Pre-race routine:

Drank water and 5 hour energy (in lieu of coffee) Caught the 5:30 shuttle from downtown to Venice. Was early to T! for setting up.
I ate bread with peanut butter when I left the room at 5.
Event warmup:

I spent way more time in the water before the race. I was in for about 25 min. Just trying to relax - the cold water sends me in a spin. I was freezing. Tried swimming fast then slow and relaxed then fast again. Got out and still had to wait for my wave. I was shivering horribly. A few other participants were actually worried for me but I assured them I would be OK. (wasn't actually sure myself but...) How was it that people were just hanging out sopping wet some of them just in a bathing suit as if it wasn't cold - there I am with white/blue hands and my teeth chattering and body convulsing. Oh well.
Swim
  • 32m 49s
  • 2 meters
  • 36h 27m 47s / 100 meters
Comments:

as awful as my freezing warm up was my swim was my best ever. I ended up out of the water ahead of the 3 women who ended up beating me overall. I never back stroked or got off course. The only difficulty I had was getting into the water and out. The surf was coming in way out and it was belly deep forever. Dolphining wasn't too helpful and both going in and out the current felt like it was pushing me the other way. Especially trying to come in. I couldn't just ride a wave since the under current was just as strong.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I think the long warm up is better so I just get numb to the water and take away the breathless reaction. Getting out into the water wasn't graceful or easy for the pro waves either so, considering I did OK
Transition 1
  • 02m 1s
Comments:

Not only did we have to get onto the bike for T1 we had to pack our bag up to be shuttled back to the finish. They would throw away anything that wasn't packed back into your numbered T1 bag. So that added a bit of time but overall I was faster than most.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 16m 27s
  • 24 miles
  • 18.84 mile/hr
Comments:

I pushed but also worried about having a good run. In retrospect I should have pushed harder on the bike. That is where I lost the race. That said, since I was first out of the 4 of us from T1, I saw those women pass me. Not sure I could hang with them. Maybe. The one woman who peddled on by me was a string bean. Not sure how she can get her bike to move. Oh well. For me it was a good bike but I am going to push myself more next time (in my next OLY race) - my run might suffer a little but I have got to figure out this bike thing. Anyhow, I passed tons of people and wasn't passed much at all - except for the 3 women who beat me.
What would you do differently?:

Burn my legs a bit more.
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

The racks in T2 were low so I fumbled getting my bike under it. But I found my bag they had delivered easily and was fairly quick. Second fastest in my AG.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 45h 58m
  • 6.21 miles
  • 7h 24m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Of course my right calf (front and back) cramped but that is par for the course. I just run through it. But what would it be like not to have it cramp! The hill is a beast for people but it helps me gain time. Nothing but hills to run here so I love to have them in races. Run felt slow but I pushed the last half mile and ran down the woman in my AG that was ahead of me. I must have been running a 5.6 pace at least for the last 50 yards. I was flying and just got her. The fact that I can finish with that much to give makes me think I can burn some of that up earlier on course. It makes me wary to try but... I also like to finish strong.
What would you do differently?:

Run a bit faster than normal for the race and then not finish quite so crazy fast. See if that helps. Also, find out why my right calf tightens up. It isn't really a cramp per se but more of a tightness that feels like swelling or cement.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, drank water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Worried about going to hard on bike and run. I should push more than I think I should and see what happens.

Event comments:

Great race. Well organized and fun course.




Last updated: 2011-06-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:49 | 02 meters | 36h 27m 47s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/19
Overall: 307/669
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Left shoulder rectangle.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Below average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:01
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:16:27 | 24 miles | 18.84 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/19
Overall: 321/669
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Venice/La Brea/Olympic Blvd. with a 2 loop on the Olympic Blvd. part. Fairly flat with subtle hills here and there. LOTS of Fun to ride on LA streets with NO traffic!
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
45:58:00 | 06.21 miles | 7h 24m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/19
Overall: 187/669
Performance: Good
Can't get it off my watch yet.
Course: 2 loops up Grand in Downtown LA.
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5