Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 22m 59s
Overall Rank = 97/1684
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 11/182
Pre-race routine:

Drove Geof, Rob and Nigel to the park. Arrived at 0515 and it was alreay filling up. Went over to the MMTC tent (and the portapotties with no queues) by the swim start. Hung around and chatted to various people.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 23m 40s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

Went out strong and then tried to settle in. Lots more pond weed this year early on on RHS so came across a bit earlier and tried to find some feet to draft from. The one pair I found were too fast. So just settled into some sort of rhythym. Navigation seemed fine.
What would you do differently?:

Almost exactly the same time as last year on far less swimming. Wouldn't change anything apart to learn to find the right person to draft.
Transition 1
  • 02m 42s
Comments:

Terrible trouble getting wetsuit off. So much so that someelse can into my aisle after me and left probably a minute before me. Also couldn't get clipped in initially.
What would you do differently?:

Cut the bottom of the wetsuit. But alas I'm not going to need it at Eagleman.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 1s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 21.83 mile/hr
Comments:

It's interesting that all the people above me in the division had faster bike times. I can't seem to generate the power on the downhills and flats that bigger cyclists can. And yet I cruise past them on the hills. So it was a pattern all the way round with a couple of M45-49 people who I would pass on a hill and then they would come screaming past me.
What would you do differently?:

More time on the bike. Even though this was nearly a minute faster than last year's time I still haven't been on the bike nearly enough this Spring. Too many other things going on .... I still feel I've got a couple of minutes to find on this course - and then i'd be more competitive with my (new) peers.
Transition 2
  • 00m 53s
Comments:

Fast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 45m 44s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 22s  min/mile
Comments:

Not sure I was 11th in M45-49 on this performance but the results have been screwed up online. I'll come back and check. Bottom line is that even though I have been concentrating on my run early season (and breaking 20 mins for 5k for the first time ever) today I just felt wiped at the start of the run and never really got going.

I did have a battle for 10th place though from about 4 miles in. First time for me to be in the position of properly racing someone else in a triathlon. Sadly he pipped me at the line by a second. And he was a fellow Brit.


What would you do differently?:

I've got to sharpen this up or get out of town. All the times of those in the first nine places in the AG were several minutes quicker than this. I know Columbia is a hilly course but now it is relative run speed that is becoming important.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not training enough. Moving back to the UK in 8 weeks time and preparing for that !

Event comments:

TriColumbia always put on a really well organised great race. Great swag bag as well this year.

This is a challenging course and one that I find extremely difficult to pace. After three goes at it I'm still learning but sadly this is going to be my last Columbia Triathlon, probably ever. I am going to miss my annual trip to Centennial Park in May.




Last updated: 2012-05-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:40 | 1640 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/182
Overall: 0/1684
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vector
Course: Thin anticlockwise rectange.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:42
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:10:01 | 25.48 miles | 21.83 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/182
Overall: 0/1684
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:53
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:45:44 | 06.21 miles | 07m 22s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/182
Overall: 0/1684
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
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? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5