Kiawah Island Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Kiawah Island, South Carolina
United States
Charleston Triathlon Club
83F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 19m 9s
Overall Rank = 173/192
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Got up at about 6:30 and got dressed. Ate a whole-wheat mini bagel with peanut butter and sipped on water (in retrospect, this was not enough food, I usually also have a banana, but I forgot for some reason).Drove over to the race start (about 15 minute drive from Seabrook Island) and set up. The transition area was wierd, racks were first come - first serve and there weren't enough racks for the number of racers. I started to lay everything out with my bike against the fence on the sand, but people said ants would get into everything. Luckily, a nice racer at the end of a rack moved his stuff, so I could rest the bike against the side of the rack and put my stuff on the cement. This made for a bit of a stressfull start.
Event warmup:

None really. Well, we walked a mile down the beach to the swim start, so I guess that was technically my warmup.
Swim
  • 37m 31s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

It was really wierd to swim straight for so long - it made the swim seem very LONG. Starting the swim, I immediately felt my timing chip coming loose (I thought of Brett losing his at Peachtree City). I grabbed it off my ankle and then realized I did NOT want to swim with it in my hand for the next 30 minutes. I remembered I had a zippered pocket in my tri shorts, so I shoved it in there and zippered it closed. The rest of the swim was good, my form and breathing felt great. I was actually surprised at the (small) number of people left in the ocean (there were a ton of fast people in this race).

There was also a LONG run from the beach to T1 and the timing mat - and a good portion was on soft sand which made it slower. It was only 34:30 when I got out of the ocean - so it took me some time to get to the mat.
What would you do differently?:

Learn how to "dolphin dive" into the ocean for the start. I lost time fighting against the waves going out. Oh - and maybe bring my own smaller chip "holder" to the race, it was too big to not come apart in the water - which then I wasted time stopping and figuring out what to do with it.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

Used my "shoebox" of water to get all the sand off my feet and quick wipe of towel. I'm really glad I had my water at this race, it would have been REALLY uncomfortable without it. Had a little trouble getting my bike out, since it wasn't really racked. Decent transition.

No splits for transitions - I guess the times for T1 are rolled into bike split.
What would you do differently?:

Have an actual rack for my bike.
Bike
  • 1h 36m 1s
  • 27.96 miles
  • 17.47 mile/hr
Comments:

Felt really queesy at the beginning of the bike (maybe from the ocean - did I drink too much ocean water?), so I didn't push as hard as possible. I actually had random thoughts of stopping when I got back to the park turn, but I obviously didn't do that. I just focused on keeping my cadence up and drinking every 10 minutes. Ate my gel at 50 minutes (planned at 1hr) and started to feel better. I did notice that my hip flexors started hurting a little on the ride, but it seemed to go away by the end.

By the time I got off Kiawah Island, I felt pretty good again. Lost my straw and sponge about 15 minutes from the end, when I hit a pothole (I think that's what it was) - oh well. I figured since it wasn't a USAT race, I wasn't going to stop and get it. I saw a couple of "big" drafting groups on the course - it wasn't USAT regulated, but it was stated that drafting was still illegal. With no one to enforce it though, I don't think they cared. Good bike course, overall. I checked my average pace as I was entering T2 and was shocked to see it over 17mph! :)
What would you do differently?:

Not much - this was a pretty strong bike for me!
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

Put my bike against the sand gate this time, as it was easier. Ripped off bike shoes and stepped into socks and running shoes. Yelled to Kirk that my average was over 17 mph and I wished I had another gel, then headed to the run exit.

No splits for transitions - I guess the times for T2 are rolled into run split.
What would you do differently?:

Bring another gel. I only trained to have 1, but I really wanted another one today.
Run
  • 1h 05m 38s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Before the start of the race, I had only planned on walking water stops. At the start of the run, I decided I was going to take a quick walk break at each mile market (it was extra motivation that I needed, I think part of this was due to my energy lagging - could have used that extra gel). It worked pretty well, I kept my walk breaks short and then only walked through water stops. I poured cold water on my head at almost every stop - and there were plenty! I was very happy with how cold the water was, usually by the time I get there it's almost warm.

I would like to remind everyone that I have walked 70-90% of the run in my last two Olys. I only walked maybe 10% today - I'd say that's a HUGE improvement!!
What would you do differently?:

Obviously I lost time walking a little after each mile marker, but I think it helped me today. I'd like to get away from this approach in the future, though.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line and walked for a second before sitting down. I was so happy to be finished and very happy with my performance. At my last two Olys I was pretty miserable and disappointed at this time - today I was excited and smiling! :) Got pasta, couldn't eat it, so I gave it to Kirk. Ate a couple of orea-like cookies - those were good. Stretched and then headed to pack up transition.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I'm happy - not overanalyzing this race. If you factor out the extra bike mileage, this is over 20 minutes faster than my last Oly! Even with the extra bike mileage, this is over 10 minutes faster. I'd say having a coach (thanks Brett!!) is WELL worth the money! :)

Event comments:

The beginning of the race was chaos - anyone and their brother was allowed in transition and the lack of racks was annoying and frustrating. Race announcements were late, walk to beach was late, a little frustrated at the start. I'm also annoyed that there are no splits for transitions - it makes it harder to break down my performance.

After that, the course was great - well staffed, plenty of people directing traffic, and the volunteers were great. I liked the course and I would like to do the race again. I wish they would become a USAT race in the future and fix the racking situation. I still liked the race overall, though, and would do it again because I liked the location and the course.




Last updated: 2006-07-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:31 | 1640 yards | 02m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 165/192
Performance: Average
Suit: No
Course: Swim out about 50 m, turn right and swim about 1400 m, turn left and swim about 50 m to the beach.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 83F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
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
01:36:01 | 27.96 miles | 17.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 170/192
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Out of park, through Kiawah Island to Ocean Course (golf course) and turnaround and back to main road off Island. Out past old Piggly-Wiggly and turnaround and back to park. Mostly flat, with a few small rollers.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:05:38 | 06.21 miles | 10m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 174/192
Performance: Good
Course: Out along the soft sand (swim exit) and onto hard-packed sand beach. First mile on beach, then up boardwalk onto neighborhood streets. Weaved in and out of neighborhood roads and back to park for finish next to transition.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3