Scenic Mountain Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Richwood, West Virginia
United States
Richwood Area Chamber of Commerce
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 50m 40s
Overall Rank = 6/95
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 3/
Pre-race routine:

Was up from 1:45-4am due to people in the room next to us yelling and screaming and slamming doors. Got up at 6 so we'd have time to pre-drive course. Ate raisin bran and 1/2 a plain bagel from the continnental breakfast b/c we forgot to get breakfast stuff. Gross. 50min drive to race site. bike had shifting problems chain jumped off cassette and between cassette and wheel. Took 20min to fix and then didn't have time to drive course. Had digestive distress
Event warmup:

ate 300 calories (sharkies, waffle) 1hr before start time. did a 15min jog/run around campground about 50min before start time. got back, bathroom again. then got wetsuit and did about 4min of swim warm up. it was now 20min before start. stood w/ wife and dog for about 5 min in suit then did another 3-5min swim. Felt ok (didn't last).

Race then didn't start for another 1 hour 15min. I was hungry, thirsty and irritated by start time. I took a gel that I was saving for the race about 20min before actual start time and drank some of the dogs water (now about 10:45 instead of 9:30).

got in water for another quick 1min warm up.
Swim
  • 10m 43s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 13s / 100 yards
Comments:

I didn't hear the guy yell "go" and neither did about 1/2 the field. so I lost valuable positing to the buoy line. probably cost me 10-15sec trying to get back to where i was supposed to be. So annoying. + of course had to swim over the tops of those that insist on being in the front even though they're way off the leaders

not sure of rank yet but probably 5-6 out of the water
What would you do differently?:

GET THAT LINE RIGHT I would have saved myself and others a beating had I been right on the buoy line (but again I wasn't ready for the start it takes you by surprise).

I faded hard too, and went into sprint mode- not alternate breathing. that's ok for a 1/2 mile swim but for a 1.5k swim that's not going to fly. I need to pace myself more off the gun
Transition 1
  • 01m
Comments:

typical, except you have to stick your wetsuit in a garbage bag or there's potential you won't get it back. same handicap for everyone though. I had great rack position.
What would you do differently?:

I need to stick to the plan of stepping on my suit to get it off. stop trying to bend over to pull it off
Bike
  • 55m
  • 17.1 miles
  • 18.65 mile/hr
Comments:

Didn't have enough hydration, which was surprising, but probably because of the late start. razor bottle wasn't enough. took 2 gels one at 20min and one at 40min. it's a very depressing course because I usually average 20-21mph+ on even a slightly rolling course, but this one kills you. 14, 15, 17mph a lot of the time. Then kensington is about 2-2.5k at the 14 mile mark.

Had to yell at couple of guys for drafting, both drafting me and drafting around me. which was wild because I think I got off the bike in 7th place.
What would you do differently?:

I would push harder. I mean, my legs were pretty gone, but I think I could have pushed it more into the red on the major climb. Not knowing the course played big time into this failure. Had I known I had a 2-3k rest coming I could have pushed harder, especially considering then I could just get right off and start running.
Transition 2
  • 00m 25s
Comments:

There's not really a T2 at this race, but I'm filling this in anyways
Run
  • 42m 40s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 06m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

I needed water. I took 2 gels on the run and that was barely enough. I think my body was ok, but brain wanted more (psychologically). It was pretty hot at the end climbing back out the mountain.


I did chase down a guy, pass him in the first 1/3 mile, then he passed me back almost immediately. But I stayed on him, probably 10 yards back, and at the turn around I torched him. I think I finished a solid 3/4-1.5min in front of him. I'll confirm that when results come out.

Couldn't chase down the 5th place finisher though, my legs said no way. Too bad too b/c he was in my age cat and I think I could have caught him had I not had such a bad 2 weeks and raced so much over the last 2 weeks

about 3/4 cup of water consumed during the run, 4 dixie cups handed to me but I spilled a lot and dumped some on my head.
What would you do differently?:

suffer more in the middle man! I always get to the last mile and regret I didn't put more in in the middle- you have the endurance and the speed! Use it!!!
Post race
Warm down:

got to finish, downed a sierra mist and 2 water bottles. Walked around with wife and dog. got another soda after about 15min. Then about 30-40min later I got food at the cookout- hamburger, chicken sandwich, baked beans, coleslaw, fruit salad, pasta salad and a dr. pepper

we left at 2:45 to drive home and I ate a ton of food on the way home, and drank 8/10 of a gallon of water. horrible headache by the time I got home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

recovery. I wasn't recovered from the moving into the new place...and the tempo run...and the bike race...and the 10k...and the hard OW swim...and the 3.5 hour ride the week before. any of those things alone i would have been fine but the accumulation of everything + no sleep the night before set me up for exactly the race I had. It's 3 days later and I still am exhausted.

Event comments:

The post-race BBQ is pretty good. However, not sure I like a triathlon without a T2- and the bike course certainly wasn't for me. The most irritating thing was how late the race started, but also the results took a really long time to be announced- like 3 hours after my finish.

It was a fine experience but not sure I'd do it again- if you're a cyclist looking to dabble in triathlon than this is the race for you. If you're a triathlete who's either used to flat TT riding or you're a swimmer- this race isn't going to suit you.




Last updated: 2011-07-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:43 | 880 yards | 01m 13s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/95
Performance: Average
at turn around sub 5min, faded HARD by end
Suit: full
Course: out and back along a bouy line. simple.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:00
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
00:55:00 | 17.1 miles | 18.65 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/95
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: 2 miles of downhill, then constant steady climbing (1-9% grade), with sporadic downs, until mile 14 where you climb kennsington mountain. it's about 2-2.5k long.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:25
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:42:40 | 06.2 miles | 06m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/95
Performance: Average
Course: 3.1 miles down, 650ft, then 3.1miles up 650ft. last 3/4 mile is on crushed large gravel and it's rough (so between 2.2 and approx. 3.7 it's rocky)
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3