Old Hickory Lake Triathlon - Triathlon


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Hendersonville, Tennessee
United States
Team Magic
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 11m 38s
Overall Rank = 82/298
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 11/26
Pre-race routine:

Drove over the night before for packet pickup and surveying the course. I did this race last year and the swim was longer than it was supposed to be, so I wanted to see where the buoys were.

Race day, we woke up, got some breakfast, and headed to the race. Transition area is set up based on your bib number, so I got set up on my rack, rode the bike just enough to make sure everything was good.

Goals for the race: 1:12 overall, top 100 overall, top 10 age group
Event warmup:

They had the bike mount/dismount area closed off, so no chance to practice getting into/out of shoes. After the pre-race meeting at transition, there's a mile walk down to the swim area.
Swim
  • 08m 27s
  • 400 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was a great swim for me, by far the best open water swim I've had. I was finally able to settle down and just swim, count my strokes, sight every 25 yards or so, and just keep breathing and swimming. I thought 9 min would be pretty good, and I beat that by 30 sec, so I was pretty pleased.

I actually tried to draft off of a guy a little bit. Not sure if I gained anything or not, but I was calm enough to try. I think it worked pretty good for a few strokes, then he got tired and started breast-stroking and I ran into his feet, so I went around him.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. That's about as close to swimming to my potential as I can. I'm not a good swimmer, but being top half both overall and in my age group is really good for me, especially after the struggles I've had with open water this year.
Transition 1
  • 00m 40s
Comments:

Not sure where to put all this, because there is a transition from the swim to the first run (1 mile), then a transition from the first run to the bike.

FIrst transition (swim to run): 0:40, 15th overall
They have a mini-transition area where you put your running gear. I had my shoes, no socks, my sunglasses, and visor. I had a little trouble getting my heel in one of my shoes and had to stop and try again, but still had 15th fastest overall.

Second transition (first run to bike): 0:50, 45th overall
I carried my goggles and swim cap on the first run. Got to transition, and had to really think about what to do, because it's the only race with a run-to-bike transition. I took a little extra time to make sure my shoes, visor, and belt were ready for the second run, then grabbed the bike and took off.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe practice the second transition a little bit so I don't have to think so much. I also realized I hadn't reset my bike meter, so I took the time to reset it before getting the bike off the rack, so I need to make sure I do that beforehand.
Bike
  • 34m 59s
  • 12 miles
  • 20.83 mile/hr
Comments:

Took a while to get comfortable, the first run is mostly uphill and tiring. There was quite a bit of bike traffic initially, so I took awhile to get in my shoes because I didn't want to try that in traffic. It's mostly flat initially, very slightly uphill, so I had no trouble pedaling without shoes.

Had a good ride overall, didn't feel like I was completely at my best, but averaged over 20 mph. There were 3 others, 2 guys and 1 girl, that were back and forth with me the whole time. Everything legal, no drafting or blocking or anything, just 4 people about the same overall with different strengths. That's the first time I've experienced that in a race.
What would you do differently?:

I needed to drink more, and probably should have used the Hammer gel earlier. Overall a good ride, especially after a 400 yd swim and 1 mile uphill run.
Transition 2
  • 00m 45s
Comments:

Had another nice leg-over running dismount. I'm pretty comfortable with that now. I think the volunteers at bike dismount thought I was going to ride right by, but I nailed it. Had the 45th best time.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 26m
  • 3 miles
  • 08m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

First run 104 overall, 12 age group
Second run 148 overall, 16 age group

I was happy with the first run, and not happy with the second. I basically had nothing left and gutted it out. There is a water station at the turnaround, and I took one for my head and one to drink. I wish I had a small bottle to carry with me on the run, maybe I need to invest in something for that.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know, maybe if I back off on the bike I'll have a little more left for the run, but the bike is my strength and is easier for me to push through on, so I don't feel like I'll gain as much on the run as I lose on the bike if I back off. I just need to keep practicing and keep improving.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some water, talked with Wendy and my uncle Jerry who came to watch the whole thing (thanks for the support!), and got in the shade and cooled off a little bit.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fatigue on the 2nd run.

After having a disaster in this race last year (several minutes on the side of the road during the bike puking), I was very proud of my performance.

Event comments:

Team-magic does a nice job with their events. I would have liked another water station half way out on the run, but that's just being picky. I wish they had a sprint distance race closer to East TN, maybe in Cookeville or Crossville.




Last updated: 2013-04-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:27 | 400 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/26
Overall: 136/298
Performance: Good
Suit: trisuit
Course: One loop around buoys in a calm cove. Last year it was long, but this year seemed about right.
Start type: Wade Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 83F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:40
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:34:59 | 12 miles | 20.83 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/26
Overall: 47/298
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 6 mile route, out and back. Closed to traffic, which is awesome. There's a nice long downhill on the way out, which means there's a not-so-nice long uphill on the way back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:26:00 | 03 miles | 08m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/26
Overall: 0/298
Performance: Below average
This includes the first one-mile run, and the second out-and-back 2 mile run.
Course: The first mile after the swim is mostly uphill. The second run is a mile out to turnaround and then a mile back. There are a couple hills, nothing major, but a pretty good one right at the beginning, downhill at the start and uphill at the finish.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4