Rattlesnake Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Aurora, Colorado
United States
72F / 22C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 39m 36s
Overall Rank = 213/414
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 17/26
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:40 (mega-early for this guy). Ate a bowl of Cheerios. Drank a cold Frappucino for a little boost. Went into my garage and grabbed two tarps and a Gore tex jacket (and cried about my clean bike on the back of the car) Arrived at 6:15, in time for "Seattle weather" YUCK!
Set up near swim entrance. Walked to bike exit and ran into Pearl Dad and Velocomp and decided to join them there...better spot. It was way early and I had time to kill. Laid out tarps and realized my paint splattered 10x10 cover was going to be easy to spot and all my stuff would be dry :)
Event warmup:

I decided to warm up at 7:30 since I thought starting any earlier would be unproductive. I walked around chatting and went back to car to make sure I didn't forget anything. I walked back and forth on the beach trying to stay warm. Ended up jogging the length of the beach, then did a set of pull ups and 50 pushups to get warm. I then went to the Men's bathroom which had a little room off the side that was warm. Sat down for about ten minutes to thaw my feet. Walked out into start line about one minute before my number was up...perfect timing.
Swim
  • 14m 20s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim conditions were good by the time we started. Women swam in a chop earlier. My swim breathing was ok, but after I got weezy coming to the turn at 250M I had to stop for a minute to slow down my breathing. When I restarted I was ok, but I went to backsroke for a good portion of the final leg to try to calm my HR further. I turned and did a fast crawl for the last 50M or so. Waded out and did a slow jog to T1 (1:20 according to my watch)
What would you do differently?:

Need more practice so I can do crawl the entire distance, and I need to get my asthma under control with meds before my next race in three weeks.
Transition 1
  • 01m 2s
Comments:

Ran into T1 without a wetsuit to worry about...long jog from beach and all the way across transition area. Dropped cap&goggles, threw on helmet and glasses, grabbed bike and ran !
Stepped into shoes on the pedals. Didn't get shoes perfect; tongues and buckles were crooked but I didn't want to slow to fix them. I'm very happy with my transition as this is the first one I've done in a race and I was tied with two other guys in 2nd place.
What would you do differently?:

Get shoes on a bit slower to get them on perfectly.
Bike
  • 50m 57s
  • 14.3 miles
  • 16.84 mile/hr
Comments:

First 3-4 miles were good but the first big roller on the highway let me know that I was not going to be super fast today. I think I passed about the same number of people that passed me, but most in my age group went by me :( I think the asthma breathing and the very cold pre-race time (over 2 hours in rain) took some wind out of me. I usually sustain a much faster pace on brick days or training rides.
What would you do differently?:

I am going to log more miles, especially with swim/bike bricks. Once again, I need to get stable with asthma meds unless the unusual damp weather suddenly leaves Colorado.
Transition 2
  • 02m 33s
Comments:

I misjudged the distance to the T2 line and slipped out of my shoes too early. I slipped on the wet right shoe and it went down. I stopped, laid bike down, grabbed the shoe, then the bike and RAN ! I ran about 80-100 feet into T2. I racked the bike then sat down frustrated and decided to take my time cleaning my wet feet and getting my shoes on. I had to run across the T2 area (while I fumbled wth my race belt).
What would you do differently?:

well....to start, look at T2 more carefully before race to see where the line is. Practice riding in with feet on top of the shoes. Plan to not sit down to get running shoes. I wanted to be under a minute here. No reason I can't do that.
Run
  • 29m 19s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

I was on autopilot, determined to finish and run the distance although I felt like walking. I had a great time chatting with another 40 yr old and a 56 yr old that I eventually passed. Ran with my IM friend Jon for 1/2 mile. then saw Dan (velocomp) and Josh(Pearl Dad). Run was uneventful and slow. The last 1/2 mile or so my back started to throb. I picked up the pace for the last 200M or so and saw my family and John at the finish! The end of the run was the best part !!!
What would you do differently?:

Log more miles, formulate a plan to increase my running. 5k is as far as I have ever run. I need to step out a little here.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched for a minute and realized I felt pretty good, unlike my mini Sprint a month earlier where I was completely cooked and threw up right after winning it ! Went and had lunch with family and walked around the parking lot to relax.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weather induced asthma, which is hopefully an anomaly which will disappear quickly.

I do need to log more miles training...I am only about 90 days into my Triathlon career and need more of everything.

Event comments:

I enjoyed this race very much being that it's my first real Sprint Triathlon and because it is local. I think Jim and Mary and the volunteers did a great job, especially with the crappy weather we had all morning.




Last updated: 2006-06-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:20 | 547 yards | 02m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/26
Overall: 0/414
Performance: Below average
Didn't use my HR monitor.
Suit: Zoot tri top and shorts (2 pc)
Course: The reservoir water felt nice(getting out of cold rainy air). Course was about 250 out, 50M turn to right then 200 back to shore was fine, doing a medium speed crawl until about 200M when my asthma kicked in and I started having trouble catching my breath. Swallowed my pride and grabbed onto a kayak for a minute. Open Water didn't bother me; asthma sucks.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:02
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:50:57 | 14.3 miles | 16.84 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/26
Overall: 0/414
Performance: Below average
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: Course was out and back thru park on a two lane highway that was not closed to traffic. Rolling hills on both roads. Highway was narrow, and I was nervous when cars came through as the bike traffic was running wide of the tiny shoulders of the road.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:33
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:29:19 | 03.11 miles | 09m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/26
Overall: 0/414
Performance: Average
Course: Paved trail that circles the reservoir. Curvy and hilly with nice setting. We went out about 1.6 miles then turned to run back.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4