American Triple-T Ohio - Race #4: Little Smokies Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Portsmouth, Ohio
United States
HFP Racing
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 8h 27m 16s
Overall Rank = 379/387
Age Group = XL3
Age Group Rank = 2/2
Pre-race routine:

Slept while Chris drove to the race. Prepped transition, ate the food I brought, that's about it.
Event warmup:

Put on my wetsuit.
Swim
  • 29m 36s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 24s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim felt fine. Had a little tightness in the shoulders and upper arms near the end, but nothing too terrible. Great swim conditions.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. My swim could be faster, but my swim training has been low this season so far.
Transition 1
  • 03m 20s
Comments:

No point in being a hurry today. I knew it was going to be a long day and survival was my primary goal. Probably should have applied sunscreen here, but was too wet and just went for it. Took my time making sure I had everything and walked to the start.
What would you do differently?:

Bring an extra towel, dry off quick, apply sunscreen.
Bike
  • 4h 20m 59s
  • 56 miles
  • 12.87 mile/hr
Comments:

Tried to keep a nice comfortable pace, but it was impossible on the hills to keep moving and not have the HR spike the whole time. After the first lap, my legs were shot. No idea how I managed to keep moving and make it up the hills the second time through. The very last hill on the second loop, I made it halfway up and had to unclip and walk the last 50 feet, but I'll take it. Was close to falling over if I didn't. Time from Garmin, Chip time did not register entering T2.
What would you do differently?:

More hill training. Unfortunately there is just nowhere around here to train on hills remotely like these.
Transition 2
  • 06m 50s
Comments:

Nice and slow again. Walked the bike in, took my time getting everything together, grabbed my belt, applied a lot of sunscreen and took off on the run.

Time estimated, no official chip time for T2.
Run
  • 3h 27m 30s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 15m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Miserable. First lap I jogged on some of the flats and most of the downhills, walked every uphill. There was no point in trying to run uphill. Second lap involved a lot more walking, but I was able to run the last 1/3 mile to the finish line, so that felt good. HFP did a great job with the aid stations on the run, so I was able to keep from seriously overheating despite the midday heat.
What would you do differently?:

Not do it.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in a little creek next to transition.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Everything.

Event comments:

I'm pretty sure whoever designed this race is sadistic. The hills were relentless. I would be willing to bet this is the most difficult triathlon course in Ohio by a large margin. I can't even fathom doing what the Triple-T folks did.

I'm glad I did, but man, it was painful.




Last updated: 2012-03-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:36 | 2112 yards | 01m 24s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/2
Overall: 0/387
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Two loops, had to get out, run a short ways and go back in, and then swim over a little inlet to transition at the end.
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
04:20:59 | 56 miles | 12.87 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/2
Overall: 0/387
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: 4,000 feet of climbing. Some very long hills. One took 15-20 minutes to climb in the lowest gear moving 4-6 miles an hour. Then when you finally finished, you had to do it all over again.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 06:50
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:27:30 | 13.1 miles | 15m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/2
Overall: 0/387
Performance: Below average
Course: Uphill for 2.5 miles. Downhill for 1 mile. Turn around, uphill for 1 mile. Downhill for 2.5 miles. Repeat. 1,500 feet of climbing. Rough rocky surface.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5