Cleveland Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Cleveland, Ohio
United States
Pacific Sports
Total Time = 1h 47m 13s
Overall Rank = 87/236
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 3/17
Event warmup:

Set up transition, jogged around to check out the swim start, stretched a bit. I was pretty sore from a riding lesson two days prior, so I was a little nervous about how that would affect my run.
Swim
  • 14m 57s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 42s / 100 yards
Comments:

Water was smooth but there were a lot of people. After getting tangled in arms and legs, I ended up swimming wide of most people between the first and second buoys. After the second buoy, I started catching the previous wave's swimmers and did a lot of fighting. When I was swimming alone, I felt great. When I was in a crowd, I had a lot of people grabbing my feet or hitting me in the back. If I would catch someone, I would breaststroke for a couple strokes to find out the best way to pass them.
What would you do differently?:

Get better at passing/swimming in a group. I don't have many complaints about the swim. It actually felt a little too easy, like I was doing a slow, stretchy 500 in practice. I typically do 1:30 splits, so looking at the time, it was a little slow.
Transition 1
  • 01m 50s
Comments:

My rack was about halfway down the pier; the racks were all set up by wave. I noticed the Oly racers (who had the first 10 or so racks) had seriously quick transition times, while the Sprint men (who were 5 racks behind me) were generally slower than the women.

I had rolled my socks and put them in my bike shoes. I didn't practice transitions leaving the shoes clipped on the bike, so I ran with my shoes (slippery on the bricks) and hopped on. It was quick and fast, just as planned. Was the first off my rack :)
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing.
Bike
  • 57m 33s
  • 16.2 miles
  • 16.89 mile/hr
Comments:

Coming out of transition was straight uphill for maybe 1/2 mile, which was a little tough for clipping in and gaining momentum. Then a mostly flat road to the on-ramp to the shoreway. The course is 2 8-mile loops - you are either ascending or descending. There are almost no flat areas! I did very well on the first 1.5 loops but my quads started to tire on the last climb. Overall, I am very happy with the bike...it was only my 2nd ride on my new Guru and I was quite comfortable on it. The aerobars make such a difference! Instead of being passed like crazy, which I was in my first triathlon 2 weeks ago, I was the one doing the passing. It felt great.

Only problem was dropping my water bottle the first time I tried to get a drink. I ran over it with my rear tire and almost crashed. I was a little thirsty the rest of the time...
What would you do differently?:

Get an aerodrink system. Possibly take it a little easier on that last hill? My quads ended up aching on the run, and I suppose I could have gone too hard on the bike. I felt good while I was riding, though.
Transition 2
  • 01m 36s
Comments:

I got stuck behind a guy who was coasting towards transition in the middle of the lane and I couldn't pass him. He stopped and blocked the lane to get off his bike so I couldn't jump off and run past. I had to wait until about 60 yards later when he finally moved and I could jog past him. Again, first back on the rack :) I put Yankz on my shoes before this tri and it made such a difference in transition time. I also chugged a bit of water since I dropped my water bottle on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Pass the slow guy sooner :)
Run
  • 31m 17s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

Awful, awful run! I don't even know the last time I ran a 10-minute mile. Coming out of transition, we had to immediately run a quarter-mile uphill before getting on the Shoreway. Then it was a mile out to the turnaround and back in, mostly flat. We had to run on the part of the road that had been torn up and not repaved, and I heard a lot of people complaining about the uneven surface. It was completely unprotected, and the sun was just baking the road. I had to keep throwing water on my head. Then it was uphill up the off-ramp and uphill the rest of e.9th. This was, by far, the hardest part of the entire triathlon for me. A half-mile of uphill running 2 miles into the course was just murder. My quads were about to die and I was going so slowly I might as well have walked. Finally got to the top, and the rest of the course was a rectangular .5 mile or so loop to the finish (mostly flat). I got passed by 2 girls about 400 yards from the finish - one of which was in my age group. I just couldn't catch them or keep up with them.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. I have a hard time with the run, and this was a tough course for me, especially after not having anything to drink on the entire bike ride. Maybe I went too hard on the hills on the bike, I'm not sure (but it felt fine). Considering the amount of water I drank after I finished, dehydration could have played a part.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank about 6 bottles of water, ate some fruit, walked around. My quads and butt were absolutely dying. Stretched, ate, drank, and waited around for the awards ceremony.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

No hydration on the bike/no backup water bottle after dropping mine. Oh, and the fact that I am a sucky runner.

Event comments:

Well organized and a lot of fun. There was a last-minute course change because of the paving on the intended course, but it worked out well. Volunteers were great and there was no question about course layout even with the changes. Even with my disappointing run performance, I had such a blast! I was feeling incredible until I got off the bike. This race just hardened my resolve to improve my running for the next one :)




Last updated: 2006-06-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:57 | 880 yards | 01m 42s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 41/236
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Deep-water start; rectangular loop
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:50
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:57:33 | 16.2 miles | 16.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 87/236
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: 2-loop course on the Shoreway - mostly hills
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:31:17 | 03.11 miles | 10m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/17
Overall: 170/236
Performance: Bad
Course: Uphill out of transition, then 2 miles out and back on the (unpaved and grooved) Shoreway. Uphill about a half mile, then mostly flat through downtown and to the finish.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5]