Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 53m 31s
Overall Rank = 132/559
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 15/58
Pre-race routine:

This is a big event so there is mandatory bike racking on Saturday. So that's part of the routine!

Woke up @ oh dark thirty to get to race site by 5:00am. I wanted to make sure I didn't get stuck in any local road traffic to the site and get a nice parking space and stand in line for the restrooms ump-teen times. Luckily I left a little early since the beltway was closed!!! Re-routed through another road. I am glad that I was running early rather than late.

Pumped up bike tires. Layed stuff out. Put pump in car. Restrooms, etc.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 28m 16s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

My start was a mess. Lots of arms, feet, etc. Got a bit off track. Couldn't really see the bouy I needed to due to sun and mist. Just never really able to get in sync ever. Restored to mix of freestyle and breastroke fairly early on. This does seem to work for me. Keeps me swimming within my limits.

Used Foggle wipes for goggles. This is first time goggles did not fog up. I will have to get some of these wipes for future races.
What would you do differently?:

Not really sure what to do about the swim. It is interesting that I tire after 20 strokes of freestyle. Which is the number of strokes I usually take in my pool each length. Maybe I need to swim in a larger pool a few times. Maybe do some more OWS. Some practice sessions maybe?
Transition 1
  • 03m 21s
Comments:

Wetsuit stuck on one foot.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe use the Triglide they were offering.
Bike
  • 1h 25m 44s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 17.83 mile/hr
Comments:

Got up to 38.8 mph on one of the downhills. I'm sure the guys were really cruising. Kept cadence high except when tackling the hills. I felt I had a very good bike segment considering the course. All the hills were manageable (if hard). I went as fast as I could downhill comfortably. Biked within my limits to make sure the run didn't feel like crap.

I love that my swim wave was early. It meant a fairly clear bike course. Eventually the guys went whizzing by but that was ok. I felt really small as they were barreling by. Some of them were so tall on really big bikes!
Transition 2
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

Ok transition.
Run
  • 54m 38s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

Made decision to walk some early so could hold good pace towards end. Very good run. Felt pretty good coming off the bike. Got into running form fairly quickly. Given the hills I'm pretty pleased with this pace. Was not tracking pace/mile. I think this is a good idea for me. Run by feel rather than by watch. I passed very few women overall from my swim wave. I got passed by very few too. In the last mile, two in my AG caught me. One at the chute...I just couldn't muster a sprint but she sure did.
What would you do differently?:

Not really sure.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

The bike segment is my weakest. If want to perform faster, then I need to bike more outside of my commute.

Event comments:

This is really a great race. It brings out the best competition in the area. The F50-54 AG winner had a time of 2:30:27 (22 min swim, 20.5 mph bike, 8:10 min/mile run). One woman had a 7:19 min/mile pace The swim in Centennial Lake is the biggest negative. It's just kind of murky and yucky. The bike course was great!! Run course really good too. Loved the massage at the end.

This race also has great swag (should given the registration fee) - great duffle, visor, bottle, shirt, food stuffs. I love the duffle. It is my very own tri-bag now!! I was using my daughter's old swim bag (it had her name on it). Now I am legit!




Last updated: 2012-04-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:16 | 1640 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/58
Overall: 0/559
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra full vortex
Course: Centennial Lake. Yuck. Lots of stuff growing in it already.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:21
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:25:44 | 25.48 miles | 17.83 mile/hr
Age Group: 19/58
Overall: 0/559
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: Oh...what a bike course. Hills, hills, and then some more hills. Country roads. Lovely ride. Very challenging and thrilling course.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:35
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:54:38 | 06.21 miles | 08m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/58
Overall: 0/559
Performance: Good
Course: Nice run through the park and neighborhood roads. Some really good hills.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4