Big Kahuna Triathlon - Triathlon


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Santa Cruz, California
United States
Firstwave Events
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 57m 36s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 9/27
Pre-race routine:

Got up and had all my stuff prepared and packed up from the night before. Made coffee, showered and got dressed. Started taking all the stuff down to the truck. We got the FURTHEST room we could have gotten from the parking lot. UGH!

Steve dropped me off at transition, I found the crew and started to set up my transition area. It was really close quarters! Got body marked, got the wetsuit half way on and started the long journey down to the beach start.
Event warmup:

Got my wetsuit on, did some stretching on the beach and got in the water for about 10 mins.
Swim
  • 34m 47s
  • 2112 meters
  • 01m 39s / 100 meters
Comments:

Started in one of the last waves. Great swim! Felt comfortable, didn't drink any salt water. :-) I sighted very well. Got all the way around wharf, popped my head up to sight and saw three familiar heads up out of the water. Bobby, Dan and Amy. Stayed with them for a minute or two before putting my head back under and heading for the beach. Got off course a little heading back in, the current pulled you towards the wharf. I got to where I could stand up and stripped my wetsuit before climbing out of the water and heading up the beach for the long trot to T1, almost half a mile.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 08m 38s
Comments:

Most of this was trotting up the beach and down Pacific about a half mile. Took my time getting everything packed up for what I needed on the bike. I was a little worried about a friend but she came into T1 as I was ready to leave. That made me feel better.
What would you do differently?:

Have a pile of exactly what needed to go into my pockets for the bike. I had to route around a little.
Bike
  • 2h 52m 3s
  • 55.36 miles
  • 19.31 mile/hr
Comments:

On the way out my hip and hamstrings felt stiff. I had experiences swollen lymph nodes for about 4 days leading up to the race. I remember looking at the Garmin around mile 8 thinking "that's it?? UGH!" But then I got into the best rhythm I could with the changes in elevation (2200' rolling hills) and the traffic on Hwy 1.

I got passed by two men in 56 miles. I played leap frog with 3 men and 2 women but ultimately ended up ahead with all 5. Around mile 20 there was two gals that I was leap frogging with. One gal would NOT let me get too far ahead. On one of my passes, I commented that we had lost the third gal. Her response to me? "Are you an age groupper?" I replied "no, racing Athena today." I never saw her again. LOL! I had a 38 on my calf and she had a 43...not the same age group...oh well...

The wind was a little easier to deal with on the way back, must have been coming in at a NorthWestern angle.

I ate a half a bag of chomps, a honey stinger waffle and a Apple Cinnamon gel. Drank about a bottle and a half of water. Lost one bottle pretty early but I was carrying three so it didn't matter.
What would you do differently?:

Eat more, drink an electrolyte drink instead of water.
Transition 2
  • 04m 6s
Comments:

Fairly uneventful...took my time but not slow enough to get sunblock everywhere.
What would you do differently?:

MORE SUNBLOCK!!!
Run
  • 2h 18m 2s
  • 13.41 miles
  • 10m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Took my Gu Brew in a water bottle with me. Ate the rest of the chomps from the bike, a banana and an electrolyte pill.

I saw Scott at mile 5. Saw Amy, Dan and Bobby at mile 8. Felt pretty good until mile 9. That's when I had to start digging deeper. The painful thing was, once you made the turn back onto West Cliff Drive, you could see along the coast and how far you still had left to go....Brutal!! then you come around the corner and you can see the beach and the finish line WAY down below....One foot in front of the other!! I saw Steve and Bella around mile 12.5...Steve said I looked like poo. LOL! Then, the beach finish...it's like running in quick sand, UGH! Had to run down to the water, then across the more packed sand, under the wharf, I timed the waves perfectly, through a mass amount of people, dogs and screaming kids, then back up the soft sanded beach to the finish line. I was so happy to just get across the finish line. I was even happier that the clock said 5:57. YES! Under 6!!! I welled up...and then there was Karen and Jennifer, super support crew! :-)
What would you do differently?:

I need to train more to make that run faster.
Post race
Warm down:

Took off the shoes and waded into the 62 degree ocean for a cold plunge. Walked my happy ass, barefoot, about a mile back to transition, packed up on stuff into the truck and Steve drove me down to go get my award, food and to say bye to everyone.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing.

Event comments:

AWESOME RACE!! Thank you!!!




Last updated: 2013-07-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:47 | 2112 meters | 01m 39s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy Full
Course: Start on the south side of the wharf on the beach, run into the water and swim clockwise around the wharf. Finish on the north side of the wharf.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 08:38
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:52:03 | 55.36 miles | 19.31 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
hit 41.5 mph coming back down one of the hills. WOW!
Wind: Some
Course: From Depot Park up and out to Hwy 1, headed north towards the turn around at Pigeon Point Lighthouse for and out and back course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:06
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:18:02 | 13.41 miles | 10m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Headed out north along W. Cliff Drive, went through Natural Bridges State Beach area and into Wilder Ranch State Park. The turn around was a large Tiki God statue. Pretty cool!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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