Columbia Triathlon - Triathlon


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Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 08m 8s
Overall Rank = 40/1523
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 1/71
Pre-race routine:

Got only 3 hours of sleep the night before, due to screaming kids in the hallways and being very uncomfortable in the hotel bed! Finally rolled out of bed at 3:45am and ate the normal cinnamon raisin bagel w/ butter and banana. Headed over to the shuttle at about 4:45 and got to transition shortly there after. Weather was overcast and misting a little.
Event warmup:

I set up my transition are, which got a little tight since a couple people didn't know how to follow directions and set their bikes up the wrong way. About 25 minutes before the transition area closed I went for a short 20 minute run out and back on the run course. I added a coupe 30 second strides to wake the legs up and get the blood pumping. Pros were set to start @ 6:50am and my wave (15) wasn't until 8:00am so I had some time to kill before the start. I sat on a bench and watched the waves go off one by one while sipping on some Amplified Endurance Booster drink mix and taking one of the new Powerbar Gels roughly 30 minutes before I was set to go off. Even though I had a lack of sleep I felt very energetic and the body was ready to go fast!
Swim
  • 20m 42s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 16s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim was right on where I wanted to be. I started to the outside closet to the shore since after watching multiple waves go off, they all seemed to cram the inside. The outside offered clean water in front with less congestion and did not make the swim any longer since it was a straight shot to the buoy. I led the swim almost all the way to the first buoy when another swimmer came up beside me. I stayed on his hip and drafted for a while to get some extra recovery. Once around the second turn and on our way back to the finish a second swimmer came up beside and I hopped on his feet and followed him pretty much the rest of the way to the finish. I didn't have as much trouble navigating through other waves as I thought I would and I was feeling good when I exited the water.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I executed exactly the way I wanted to.
Transition 1
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

I was clean and fast out of my wetsuit and into my helmet. The bike out is at the top of the hill so I took it easy going up since it was wet and a little slippy. It took me a little longer to get into my shoes once on the bike, but wasn't a huge deal.
What would you do differently?:

Little more practice getting into shoes. New Mavic Helium tri's velcro the opposite way than my old Specialized Trivents.
Bike
  • 1h 05m 10s
  • 25 miles
  • 23.02 mile/hr
Comments:

Biking is another strong discipline of mine so I wanted to get out of sight and out of mind. I went to work early and although I had a good idea I was top 3 coming out of the water I wasn't 100% sure. My original goal was to hammer the uphills and stay consistent on the downhills and try to be around 22.5 for an avg. I knew a lot of the uphills I would be able to carry a lot of momentum from the downhill before them so during the race I pushed the pace a little harder on the descents than I originally thought I would. I am glad I did this because it made the bike a breeze and I was passing people left and right. I knew my pace was high but I didn't feel like I was out of my comfort zone so I stayed consistent and kept pressing on. With the wet conditions I took the round abouts slower than normal as well as the sharp turns. To me I wasn't going to gain any valuable time by risking the turns, so I played it safe. I only left the big ring once after making the left hand turn the went right into a climb about half way through the course. I kept my cadence high and push hard over top and right back to work in the big ring. I was confident I was in the lead for my age group and had not been passed by anyone on the bike. About 5 miles from T2 I had yet to look at my avg pace and deciding to see where I was. I was feeling very strong and when I looked down I was averaging 23.3 mph which was way above where I thought I would be. Last 3 miles back to T2 I backed off a little in order to loosen up my legs for the run.
What would you do differently?:

I think I could have the pushed the pace even more. Although I had a strong bike leg, I know it could have been faster if I needed to.
Transition 2
  • 00m 51s
Comments:

Pretty straight forward. i was in and out with little problems.
Run
  • 39m 53s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Oh the dreaded run! This is typically my weakness, although it has improved significantly this year and I only hope to get faster. I know it will never be my strength. I had planned to survive the uphills and attack the downhills and finish under 40 minutes. Well I set out and the goal stood still up the first climb. I didn't want to go out to fast and risk blowing up, so I tried to hold back. Once I reached the second climb up Gatorade Hill my strategy was pretty much thrown out the window and I just started running! Every time I would hit a flat section I would try to up my pace a little and pick up some time. I drank a lot before the race and when I reached the run I was feeling like I may throw up. I had a gel with me with the intention of taking it at mile 2 or 3. Mile 3 came and I knew if I took the gel it would come right back up, so I decided to throw it out at the next aid station. I was feeling pretty good until I hit Gatorade Hill on the way back. THAT WAS BRUTAL! Much longer going up the other side and also steeper. It took a lot out of me and I needed a little recovery before I could really push the pace on the last mile to the finish. Push a little faster each minute until I crossed the line.
What would you do differently?:

Work on a little more hill training to build more power. But very happy with time.
Post race
Warm down:

I laid down and caught my breath immediately after crossing the line and then heading to the food tent for some much needed bagels and peanut butter. Also took part in the complimentary massage!

Event comments:

Happy with the race and qualified for Hy-Vee Championship. Very well organized and will be back for years to come!




Last updated: 2013-04-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:42 | 1640 yards | 01m 16s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/71
Overall: 57/1523
Performance: Good
Suit: BlueSeventy Helix
Course: 1/4 mile out, make 2 left turns and roughly 3/4 mile back to swim finish
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:35
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:05:10 | 25 miles | 23.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/71
Overall: 40/1523
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Wet from the rain and lots of rolling hills. Only one real hill where you couldn't carry your momentum from the downhill.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:51
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
00:39:53 | 06.2 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/71
Overall: 79/1523
Performance: Good
Course: Probably one of the hardest run courses in the country for Oly triathlon. Lots of up and down.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5