Iron Brothers Super Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Grand Prairie, Texas
United States
Ironhead Race Productions
79F / 26C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 26m
Overall Rank = 28/181
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/24
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:35am in time to leave the house a little after 5am. Got to the park around 5:50 and had ample time to pump up tire, get checked-in and set up transition. Had a banana on the road while driving then had some powerbar gels before the race. Set up transition then the usual last-minute wait reduction and I was ready to go.
Event warmup:

I decided to not warm-up as I don't like the feeling of getting in the water then getting out to get cold while at pre-race.
Swim
  • 11m 34s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was fairly happy with my swim and probably went a little off-course but not by much. I probably could have tried a little harder but was content to keep my pace. Finished right around midpack of my age group which is probably my best open water swim result so far. I think I had another 30-seconds there if I could keep my form, especially when reaching with my right hand but again, this is one of my better open water swim performances!. At the start, I realized that it was shallow enough to go about 20-25 meters just jogging as I was faster than the people swimming so I did that before committing to the swim. I didn't have much contact on the swim, just near the turn buoys but I also failed in finding someone to draft.
What would you do differently?:

A little more open water practice to get better at sighting and probably try a little harder to get in someone's draft.

2011 Swim Time: 13:48
2012 Swim Time: 11:34
Delta: improved by 2:14 on the swim from last year!
Transition 1
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

My T1 wasn't crisp on this race. I think the rough surface just takes out that energy to really run to transition as I'm going 'ow-ow-ow' as I run. Struggled a bit with my number and got going.

2011 T1: 1:36
2012 T1: 1:15
Delta: improved by 21 seconds
What would you do differently?:

Run faster after swimming and I think I had another 5-10 seconds potential.
Bike
  • 50m 57s
  • 19 miles
  • 22.37 mile/hr
Comments:

This is where I was a bit disappointed - I bought a little bit of speed by using a rear disk (Zipp 900 tubular on 21mm Vittoria tires) this year but that didn't make up for my lack of bike fitness and ended up over a minute slower than last year. I just couldn't get my HR up as my legs just felt dead - which seems to be a recurring theme for me in the bike these past months.
What would you do differently?:

Train more on the bike. I've gone to a weekly schedule 2 group rides and a trainer session once in a while (sometimes not even very hard) and it is reflecting on my cycling times.

2011 Bike: 49:45
2012 Bike: 50:57
Delta: Slower by 1:12 (sucks) at 5 bpm higher HR average!
Transition 2
  • 00m 50s
Comments:

I struggled with my shoes and I even forgot to unbuckle my helmet strap as I was running. I also ended up with a pebble in my shoe but managed to deal with it without too much blistering.
What would you do differently?:

Be conscious about how I'll execute in T1. I took too long putting on my shoes and probably wasted a good 10 seconds.

2011 T2: 50 sec
2012 T2: 50 sec
Delta: Zero
Run
  • 21m 22s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

I took off at a good pace, but legs felt dead after the bike so I wasn't going as fast as I had originally planned (just under 7:00 was the original plan and ended up at 7:05). It was humid but overcast so wasn't quite as hot as last year. Was able to keep a good cadence (180 spm) which was right on target but didn't really open up the stride.
What would you do differently?:

Try to push a little bit faster at start. Probable had potential to break 21 minutes on this run today if I had some competition to chase.

2011 Run: 21:43
2012 Run: 21:22
Delta: Faster by 21 seconds
Post race
Warm down:

Not much - just walked around and got pizza. There wasn't a massage person today :(

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Harder training on the bike and more speed training on the run (been doing longer and easier runs getting ready for a Fall Marathon - NYC!)

This race had a lot of fast people in it - especially for a small triathlon. I improved by close to 2 minutes from previous year but ended up dropping 4 positions on the overall, along with 1 spot in the AG. I was a good 4+ minutes slower than 3rd place in my AG so I'd have to improve across the board to compete for the podium next year. I think I can drop another minute on the swim and probably 20-30 sec on the run, but biggest improvement may be on the bike and improve by 3 minutes. Overall target will be 1:21:30 next year.

2011 Total Time: 1:27:44
2012 Total Time: 1:26:00
Delta: Faster by 1:44

Event comments:

Organized and well-run so I can't complain. I think a little bit better marking of cracks on the bike course would've been good.




Last updated: 2012-02-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:34 | 547 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/24
Overall: 84/181
Performance: Good
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196655811
Suit: none
Course: 1 500m loop
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 88F / 31C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:15
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:50:57 | 19 miles | 22.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/24
Overall: 23/181
Performance: Below average
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196655817
Wind: Little
Course: 2 loops on the Dam
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 88
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:50
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:21:22 | 03.1 miles | 06m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/24
Overall: 20/181
Performance: Good
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196655823
Course: Confusing loops but fortunately, I learned from last year
Keeping cool Average 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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4