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 Swim
Comments: Pool temp was just right. I estimated my time pretty well. I passed 2 people at the wall around the 4th lap. The girl who started 2 in front of me was holding up the guy in front of me. I probably would not have passed him if not for him being slowed up. After passing, he stayed right no my toes the rest of the way. My pace and effort level was very good for my fitness level. My actual pool time was 5:15, with the extra 35 seconds including the run to T1. What would you do differently?: With a bit more training, I could confidently estimate 1:40/100 yds or so for this 300 yd distance. I would not be able to maintain that pace for a longer distance, and plan to cruise MUCH easier at Kerr Lake's 1500m swim.  Transition 1
Comments: Goggles off, shirt on, glasses on, helmet on, sat down to put on socks and shoes. Socks slowed me up a bit, but not too much. What would you do differently?: Swimming with a tri-top and learning to ride with no socks would help. If I ever get to the point where I'm actually competing, I'll consider those. LOL A couple of the serious racers with tri suits had T1 times of 19 seconds!!!! Run in, grab helmet and bike, then run out with it. I'm sure their shoes were already clipped onto the pedals, etc.  Bike
Comments: Quite happy with how hard I pushed for the ride. I need to check my bike computer, but I'm pretty sure the distance was actually about 14.25 miles. The course is 2 miles longer than 7 years ago, with a second "big" hill included now, right at the end. I did very well in the aero bars and got up into my big chain ring for the first time in forever on a couple of the longer downhill sections. I still need plenty more strength in my legs as a couple of guys went blazing by me while I was going 19-20 mph. I think my pace and effort level was just right for this ride and distance. I had very little left in the tank after that final climb. I'm very glad I scouted the revised course on Friday. I drank only about 8-10 oz of water on the bike. I remembered very well my issues with drinking an entire bottle of gatorade the last time. LOL What would you do differently?: Not much. Hopefully, my training and strength will improve and my weight will decrease to allow me to ride faster next year! Transition 2
Comments: Pretty quick for me. Rack bike, helmet off, shoes off, shoes on, grab race belt and hat on the run... Then, I remember guys with 19 second T1 times.... LOL What would you do differently?: I'm good with this one.  Run
Comments: No cramps in my legs at all! Very happy about that after my quad issues earlier this week and history of calf cramps after the bike. My legs were very heavy for the first 1/2 mile or so, but loosened up pretty well after that. My HR was already at the top of my aerobic range off the bike, and stayed high for the entire run. The temps in the low-mid 60's were ideal and I was never over heated. I marked drinking as "Just right", as in I didn't need or bother to get any water during the run. No issues with too much in my stomach like last time, either. I pushed pretty hard, even though the pace does not reflect the effort level, but more accurately reflects my fitness level. LOL I did up the pace considerably for the last 1/4 mile or so and finished strong, with not very much left in the tank. What would you do differently?: More training across the board will improve my fitness level and allow me to run at a better pace. This run course is the same as in 2006 and I turned in something like a 29 minute run with calf cramps and a side stitch. I'll get back to, and surpass that fitness level! Post race
Warm down: Drinks, chatting, and pretty good stretching. Had some food and hung around to cheer for all of the winners. What limited your ability to perform faster: Nothing inhibited my performance today in any phase, except my overall fitness level and my excess weight. I still have about 20 pounds to drop to get to my goal of 190, and lots of miles and yards in the pool to get under my belt. Event comments: I just noticed that I actually finished in an exact tie for 57th overall place. I'm changing my place to 57th! LOL I think this is a fantastic sprint distance event. Sure, the swim is a little shorter than most, but the setup, the roads, and the run on the greenways are all fantastic with just the right amount of hills to make them a challenge. Setup, Inc. did a fantastic job as usual and the volunteers were amazing. I fully intend to do this race repeatedly in the future. It's a shame that the number of racers is down so much, but the number of available races is way up. There were still enough to make it a fun event. When I noticed only 6 racers in my age group, I was determined to push as well as I could. This middle of the pack'er might have managed an award. I did push strong for me, and came up short in 5 of 6 place. I'm not the slightest bit disappointed. Kerr Lake Olympic is coming up in 5 weeks. There my goal will just be to pace myself to finish comfortably and not have to walk any of the run. I can't wait! Last updated: 2013-04-17 12:00 AM
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Set Up Events
60F / 16C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 57/70
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 5/6
I managed a decent amount of sleep, had a protein shake around 6 am and hit the road. I already had picked up my race packet and scouted the changed bike route from the last time I did this race, so I had very little to do after I arrived. Got there about 6:50, racked my bike and dropped my bag, and headed off for body marking and chip pickup. Set up my transition area pretty quickly and chatted with some nice fellow racers. I wandered inside to the bathroom and found coffee and donuts waiting. I had only one donut and a small coffee while walking around and enjoying the beautiful sunrise.
I normally like to feed off of the nervous energy from the other racers, but there was a different feel this time. There were only around 110 racers, down from 400 my last time. With so many races available in the area, the crowds are generally down. Generally, most of the crowd was pretty relaxed instead of nervous. Stripped off my sweats and swapped my glasses for my goggles around 7:50 and headed inside. The first racer started at 8:00 and my start time was 8:18:30. Checked my HR while waiting and was not surprised to see it in the 90's. I wasn't nervous, but getting excited to race again. I did some very light stretching as my start time approached.
Light stretching in the swim start line.