Urban Dirt Off-Road Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
Red Rock Company
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 14m 39s
Overall Rank = 98/139
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 18/25
Pre-race routine:

Got up and ate a bowl of oatmeal and drank some pre-race Cytomax. I got to transition plenty early. A couple of days before the race, it was announced that Lance Armstrong himself would be racing in this event, so we expected a lot of people to come out to watch him.
Event warmup:

None. Everybody was hanging out in transition waiting for Lance's arrival and he showed up just before transition closed. L.A. got set up in transition while everybody else was out at the pre-race meeting. The pre-race meeting wrapped up, they played the national anthem and the first wave of athletes (Pros and young men) were off.
Swim
  • 18m 3s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 12s / 100 yards
Comments:

Not a bad swim for me. I wasn't fast by any means (Lance swam a 10:24) but I felt good the whole time and my sighting was good too.
Transition 1
  • 03m 9s
Comments:

I did a better job getting my wetsuit off this time, however, the transition area was set up on a sand volleyball court, so after getting out of the wetsuit, I had to spray off my feet with a spare waterbottle and then get on my socks and shoes. This took an extra minute. My T1 rank was 72/137 overall.
What would you do differently?:

Some people brought buckets to simply dip their feet into. This might be faster. I should also have spread out my entire gigantic towel. I'm sure people wouldn't have minded having more sand coverage.
Bike
  • 1h 20m 31s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 9.24 mile/hr
Comments:

I had no idea what to expect for time on this mountain bike course. I was riding my 26" steel frame Gary Fisher from 2001. It had been a really long time since I really rode it off road. I thought I might average 15 mph. Turns out, I was wrong...really wrong. First lap was brutal. I had some poor gearing choices on a few of the climbs and ended up having to walk it up the hill since the course was crowded and I couldn't find a good spot to get back on the bike. I was worried about lap 2 when I hit the canal portion that is nice and flat. Fortunately, the 2nd loop was much better. Gearing choices were better and I was able to ride up every hill. My mounts and dismounts were clean the whole time right up until the last time through the storm culvert. I unclipped on the right and swung my leg over my top bar. I dont' know if I never unclipped on the left or accidentially re-clipped, but when I went to step off the left pedal, it didnt' happen. I went down on my left shin and a few people behind me had to quickly go around. I got back up fast and ran throught the culvert on the way back to transition.
What would you do differently?:

I'd love to have a 29er for starters, but the real problem was my lack of mountain bike riding. I was happy with my aggressiveness for having not done any off road riding though. I rode down the first big drop in where several people were walking down it. I should probably also get out of the saddle a few times and push it up the hills a bit harder. My time: 1:20:31. Lance's time: 46:02. I saw Lance 3 times out there on the course. First time was running through the storm culvert the first time, 2nd time he blew past me on a climb and finally, I saw him on the opposite side of the canal as he was finishing up his 2nd lap and I was still working on my 1st.
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

Not a bad transition overall. I wasted a few seconds talking to the lady next to me. she passed me on the bike course but when I came into T2, she was on her cell phone. I guess she broke her rear derailleur and had to DNF. 75/138
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try to take my feet out of my shoes and leave them on the bike, but with all the sand, I didn't want to get my socks covered before I put my running shoes on.
Run
  • 31m 14s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

I haven't done much trail running in addition to no mountain biking, so this was a little rough. I was always running and only slowed down to less than a jog on the technical descents through rocks. As I was on the way to the finish line a spectator told me to catch and pass the guy in front of me, so I turned it on a bit without looking like I was sprinting and passed him. Hit the slip and slide finish too. This was a fun and challenging course. Might have been nice to have some water of my own out there. Lance ran an 18:21, holding off local pro Lewis Elliot by over 4 minutes overall.
What would you do differently?:

Get in some trail running experience!
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of off-road training and general physical conditioning.

Event comments:

A very fun race overall. This was a good reminder that a sprint can be pretty hard too.

Photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2437779780277.2137680.1125...

Garmin Data at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120549363
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120549355






Last updated: 2011-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:03 | 820 yards | 02m 12s / 100yards
Age Group: 16/25
Overall: 92/139
Performance: Good
Suit: XTERRA Sleeveless
Course: 750m rectangle starting from the North boat dock at Tempe Town Lake.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:09
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:20:31 | 12.4 miles | 9.24 mile/hr
Age Group: 19/25
Overall: 104/139
Performance: Average
2 laps around Papago park. Dismount required when going across the canal bridge and at the storm culvert.
Wind: Some
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:31:14 | 03.1 miles | 10m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/25
Overall: 99/139
Performance: Average
Course: First half was trail run through Papago Park and the 2nd half was along the sidewalks on the perimeter of the park.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]