Lake Padden Triathlon - Competitive Course - Triathlon


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Bellingham, Washington
United States
City of Bellingham
66F / 19C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 42m 34s
Overall Rank = 253/270
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 29/34
Pre-race routine:

Set up my transition area and wandered around a bit
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 19m 59s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 16s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my first open water swim. Started at the back of the last wave. Surprised myself by swimming faster than average and kept running into people, which would break my rhythm and cause me to stop to look around. After 5 run-ins I fell apart completely. Heart was racing, couldn't breath, and resorted to breaststroke with occasional front crawl.
What would you do differently?:

Wear a wetsuit, warm up, practice open water swims, start in an earlier wave.
Transition 1
  • 05m 12s
Comments:

I was exhausted after the swim and staggered into the transition area. I moved slowly to catch my breath, have a drink, and try to relax. I spent most of the time just resting. No wetsuit for the swim so nothing to remove.
What would you do differently?:

Do better at the swim so I have energy to move quickly through transition.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 31s
  • 21 miles
  • 15.27 mile/hr
Comments:

I bought my bike and learned to use clipless pedals only one week before the race. I had done zero riding on roads with cars or hills prior to the race. The course start was up a small hill so I walked up it before clipping in. Calf cramped up on the first hill so I eased up and rode it out. Overall pace was slow because my calf would cramp if I pushed it. Climbing the hills was painful and I set a PR for speed going down (35 mph). The final hill at mile 18 was steep but I managed to ride up without walking, just barely. I passed a dozen people that were walking their bikes up. I had one water bottle and drank all my water in the first half of the ride.
What would you do differently?:

Have more than 1 week (2 rides) of experience with my bike and clipless pedals. I bought the bike and pedals for the race. Learn to clip in and out faster. Practice hills. Practice riding on roads. Bring 2 water bottles.
Transition 2
  • 03m 55s
Comments:

I walked my bike in, slowly changed into my shoes and stretched a bit. My legs were shot from the final hill at the end of the bike course so I took 2 minutes to rest.
What would you do differently?:

Go easier at the end of the bike, run, don't take time to rest.
Run
  • 50m 59s
  • 5.2 miles
  • 09m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

This should have been my best leg of the race because I've been running for a few years, but my calves cramped 1 minute into the run. Walked it off and kept going. Cramped again at the 4 minute mark. Stopped to stretch then kept running. Cramped a few more times but I ran through it. Finished the first loop in 26 minutes and the second in 25.
What would you do differently?:

Save my legs for the run
Post race
Warm down:

Multiple cramps in both legs as soon as I stopped running. Calves, quads, and hamstrings all seized up. Manged to stay standing while the volunteer removed my chip. Walked it off and drank some water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The horrible swim left me exhausted and set me up for a poor bike and run.

Event comments:

Good atmosphere during the start. A water station for the bike would have been nice.




Last updated: 2013-08-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:59 | 880 yards | 02m 16s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 260/270
Performance: Bad
Suit: None
Course: Out and back
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:12
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
01:22:31 | 21 miles | 15.27 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 229/270
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: Hilly loop around two lakes. Roads open to traffic but few cars.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:55
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Bad
Racking bike Bad
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:50:59 | 05.2 miles | 09m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 226/270
Performance: Below average
Course: Two loops around lake padden on a gravel trail with a few small hills.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4