The Nation's Triathlon - Triathlon


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Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
United States
The Nation's Triathlon
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 57m
Overall Rank = 1298/2862
Age Group = M 50-54
Age Group Rank = 84/175
Pre-race routine:

Bike racked the day before as required. Breakfast in my Washington Hilton room of oatmeal with nuts & fruit, and fresh vegetable juice with protein powder about 2 hour prior to race start. Rode shuttle bus to venue and setup transition. Didn't forget anything!
Event warmup:

A little jogging, stretching, and pre-race nutrition. Got situated in my swim-wave corral and waited about 45 minutes after first wave to enter water.
Swim
  • 38m 39s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 22s / 100 yards
Comments:

The wave-time trial start is awesome--a great way to manage so many swimmers. However, if you're in a late wave, you're waiting a long time. Be prepared. Water temp was nice, but not wetsuit legal. I have one swim speed (slow) and today was no different--I swam my predictable pace. My sighting was not too good, don't know why. Ironically, I had more contact with swimmers than in a normal mass start but no big deal. Pretty cool swimming under Memorial bridge.
What would you do differently?:

Be a little more disciplined about sighting. Otherwise exactly what I expected. Work on improving swim speed.
Transition 1
  • 02m 59s
Comments:

Jogged pretty quickly into the large transition area, sat down on grass to put my bike shoes on. Smooth transition. Jogged out to bike start and felt great getting on bike.
What would you do differently?:

Next season I'm gonna bike without socks as this is the biggest time suck in my T1s.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 33s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.27 mile/hr
Comments:

PR for me. Absolutely inspiring course on the closed streets through the unsurpassed grandeur of the Nation's Capitol. I do not share the criticisms of so many others. Yes, the "no-passing" zones are inconvenient, but if everyone obeys the rules then it's really no big deal. Of course, plenty of riders don't and that's where the problem is. Officials need to camp out on that part of the course to solve that problem. Other than that, I found the road conditions not bad at all for an urban area. If you watch the road you can avoid the pitfalls. Living in this area, I find it a really cool opportunity to ride the Capitol roads like this.
What would you do differently?:

Not a darned thing except next year ride a tri bike.
Transition 2
  • 01m 53s
Comments:

Nothing to it but to do it. Faster, of course...
Run
  • 59m 58s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Nice loop course with plenty of well-spaced aid stations. Stayed left for maximum shade as the sun was starting to heat things up.
What would you do differently?:

Train to improve run speed.
Post race
Warm down:

Walk with my wife through the really pretty West Potomac Park and stretch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Only my training, which was really good for my first year. This off-season I'll take the training up a notch, especially for swim and run.

Event comments:

This is one awesome tri! I met my goal of under 3:00 hrs. I can't wait to train harder and return next year. For it's size, it's really well organized, and the courses can't be beat. The logistics are a little challenging, but that's part of the overall experience. Fortunately it didn't rain hard in the days leading up to the race, which could have cancelled the swim. Just need to improve the quality of food for the post-race celebration.


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Last updated: 2013-05-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:39 | 1640 yards | 02m 22s / 100yards
Age Group: 112/175
Overall: 2000/2862
Performance: Average
Suit: Tyr Tri shorts; Pearl Izumi Elite Tri top
Course: Out upriver and back down in the shape of the Washington Monument.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 79F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:59
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:13:33 | 24.85 miles | 20.27 mile/hr
Age Group: 67/175
Overall: 789/2862
Performance: Good
HR in Zone 3 most of the ride.
Wind: Little
Course: Double loop through urban streets.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:53
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:59:58 | 06.21 miles | 09m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 102/175
Overall: 1546/2862
Performance: Good
HR in Zone 3-4
Course: Single loop on urban roads and through urban park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4