Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon - Triathlon


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Morgan Hill, California
United States
USA Productions
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 18m 36s
Overall Rank = 278/439
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 14/18
Pre-race routine:

Did not go to bed as early as I would have wanted to the night before (I was staying with some relatives in the area who wanted me to stay up and chat with them). Arrived as soon as transition opened and ate 2 english muffins w/ peanut butter and an apple. Set up per my transition plan and tried to stay calm.
Event warmup:

N/A
Swim
  • 27m 53s
  • 1207 meters
  • 02m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

Like I mentioned in HR, the OWS was more challenging than I expected. I did everything I could to prepare and I think that I just need more experience. My HR was way too high for at least the first 200m. It was still pretty high coming out of the water and all the way through T1. Also, I was having trouble navigating. The first 600m or so, I noticed a drift to the right (probably because I usually breathe on my R side). On the second half of the swim, I was drifting noticeably left. That was frustrating. Still, I'd say OVERALL I felt pretty good about my first OWS in 3 years.
What would you do differently?:

Even though it was a deep water start, I wish I had gotten in the water a little sooner. As it was, I had JUST enough time to get in and side-stroke up to the start buoy before my wave started.
Transition 1
  • 03m 6s
Comments:

T1 took a lot longer than I was expecting. My goal (and what I expected based on transition practice at home) was 1:30 or less. Some limiting factors at this race were: extremely high HR getting out of the water made it difficult for me to start stripping my wetsuit as I came into the transition area. Wetsuit got stuck on my heels (and my timing chip) and I was careful with it as I didn't want to damage the suit. I also don't use tri shoes and I am not yet comfortable clipping in "on the go" for fear of damaging my road shoes...plus maybe a little nervousness led to this being a slow T1 for me.
What would you do differently?:

I think more practice is the only thing I can do at this point.
Bike
  • 58m 42s
  • 16 miles
  • 16.28 mile/hr
Comments:

Where should we start the list of gear issues on the bike?

#1. Forgot the soft straw for my Aerodrink, so I had to pull the hard straw halfway out of the bottle and lean down to drink. Not really a big deal, just somewhat annoying.

#2. GST-10 Speed/Cadence sensor start acting up when I got there the day prior and went on a short ride to test my gear. I thought that I had gotten the bugs worked out, but apparently I didn't. The issue was that the cadence magnet was triggering the cadence AND speed sensor (as well as the speed magnet triggering the speed sensor). So although my cadence data was (usually) correct, my speed was reading anywhere from 1.5-2x faster than I was actually going. This, plus the fact that my computer prioritizes the speed sensor over GPS data to compute speed and distance meant I had no idea how fast I was going or how far I went. I overcame this (sort of) by realizing that I usually average 16-17mph on a ride and, knowing the course was 16mi, I could figure out about how far I'd gone, but it was far less than ideal especially given that I train using my computer.

#3. My HR was still pretty high from the swim/adrenaline/general nervousness, so the first 10-20 minutes on the bike were NOT fun. The remaining 40-50 minutes WERE really fun, though.

Plus, this was (relative to my AG), my strongest event. So that's nice!
What would you do differently?:

Iron out gear issues. I did as much troubleshooting as I possibly could on the speed/cadence sensor, so I'm considering getting rid of the GSC-10 in favor of a cadence-only sensor to solve the problems with the computer. Remember to check my aerodrink before I pack all my gear and accidentally leave stuff behind.
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

Was hoping for a sub-1 minute T2. The dismount line was a pretty far jog from my transition area, so I'm going to partially blame that. I thought I did a good job putting my race belt on while I jogged out of transition and my shoe change went pretty well.
What would you do differently?:

Remember to UNTIE my running shoes before the race starts. Having to untie them prior to putting them on in T2 is a stupid mistake.
Run
  • 47m 14s
  • 5 miles
  • 09m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

I gulped down a gel right before starting the run and that, plus the other gels I'd consumed, PLUS the water I was drinking, plus nervousness, etc. meant I felt like I had to puke for the first 10-15 minutes of the run. I actually did spit up a little bit after the first mile or so and felt much better after that. Espresso flavored gels taste awful coming back up, though.

Other than that I am REALLY happy with my run. I have been working on running form and trying to train up my endurance rather than speed. 10-minute miles (or better) were my goal, as well as not stopping to walk at any point, and I met both of those goals. I am definitely not the fastest guy in the pack, but I am MUCH improved from where I was even a few months ago!
What would you do differently?:

Not eat an espresso flavored gel ever again.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit, checked out some of the booths and got an awesome free massage.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Small gear issues, lack of experience with OW Swimming, general "first race in a long time" bugs.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this race. It's a good deal longer than most sprint triathlons but not quite as long as an oly which made it a perfect length for me. The courses were scenic and well organized and volunteers were friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. I had a great time!




Last updated: 2013-05-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:53 | 1207 meters | 02m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 14/18
Overall: 0/439
Performance: Average
No objective HR data, but the cold water swim / treading water start definitely took its toll. I had been mentally preparing myself for OWS but my HR was definitely higher than I wanted it to be.
Suit: 2XU V:2
Course: Great course.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:06
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:58:42 | 16 miles | 16.28 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/18
Overall: 0/439
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Really cool course. All around the UVAS reservoir with some really scenic views. About 600' of climbing, most of which is on one 1/2 mi stretch. My only issue is that there were several 90+ degree turns at the end of a long downhill which meant you had to brake and kill all your speed you'd built up. Not much they can do about that, so I give the course an overall excellent!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 80
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 01:41
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:47:14 | 05 miles | 09m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 15/18
Overall: 0/439
Performance: Good
Course: Fun course. 2.5 miles out with a turnaround. Very scenic, like the bike. Relatively flat. Aid stations every mile. VERY nice volunteers.
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