Columbia Downtown Triathlon - Triathlon


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Columbia, South Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 00m 54s
Overall Rank = 37/165
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 2/11
Pre-race routine:

Drove from Goose Creek up to the race start, took about 1:45. For breakfast ate steel cut oats, some advocare spark. On the drive had a banana and coffee. Sipped some water while I set up transition. Tried to find a port-a-potty but there were none for the race, only bathrooms were in the swim center which opened at 0800 and then closed as soon as the last participant finished. Took 4 anti-fatigue pills and a gu right before race start.
Event warmup:

Rode a couple miles on the bike, swam 100m
Swim
  • 08m 59s
  • 500 meters
  • 01m 48s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was one of my best swims ever. I usually go out to fast in the 1st 100m of the race so I decided to keep it slow, every 3rd stroke breathing. I kept this up for 50m found a groove and went with it. I passed 3 people and got passed by 1 in the 1st 350m of the swim. With 150 left a guy overtook me and I was able to draft him for the last150m. Overall, really strong swim. The skinsuit makes such a difference for me, easliy 3-4sec/100m faster.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 01m 2s
Comments:

Took 10 seconds to get the suit off over my heels but the savings in the pool with it on was well worth it. I have mastered the running jump onto bike, feels nice getting up to speed quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Take a gu on the bike and not waste time eating it in T1.
Bike
  • 28m 25s
  • 10 miles
  • 21.11 mile/hr
Comments:

Came out of transition and immediately hit the big hill, really struggled keeping breathing under control. After a half lap I found my breath and was able to get aero. The 1st lap I held back more than I could of as I learned the course. 2nd lap was faster and 3rd lap was fastest as I exploded through the backside. I would estimate easily hit 40+mph of the backhill. Took a gu right before coming into T2. I was hoping for a faster bike but the hills prevented anything faster.
What would you do differently?:

pre-drive the course if time permitted.
Transition 2
  • 00m 39s
Comments:

My shoes had some major issues during the run. I was wearing zoot ali'i 6.0's and the tongue on one folded over which made me stop on the run and the other shoe had a gu tab stuck in the bottom that rubbed my foot for the entire run. Time was fast
What would you do differently?:

proper donning of shoes.
Run
  • 20m 37s
  • 3 miles
  • 06m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

It hurt bad for the 1st .5 miles going up the hill but really got into a groove until the flight of stairs and and the overpass, this point blew me up with 1/3 of a mile to go.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I ran the cooper river birdge in prep for the hills. Overall still <7min/mile pace.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat down on the hill and cheered all the people we know.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hill work, Charleston is too flat. I was hoping to break 1 hour but am satisfied with my time.

Event comments:

I liked doing the swim and bike portion of the race. The run course needs to be redone; I'm not a fan of urban-athalons. There were no bathroom facilities except for when the pool building was open, so before and after the building was open you were out of luck. The Police support was fantastic but other volunteer efforts were bad. There was a line of 80 people to get body marked and there was only 1 person doing body marking, so my wife grabbed a marker and started marking people. The girls at the water tables were just standing by the table and not actually handing out and water (also no cheers or enthusiasm from them). The awards were also kind of lame, I took 2nd in age and got a wicking running hat. I like the hat but it was pretty much the same thing you got for entering the 2013 try charleston race.




Last updated: 2014-03-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:59 | 500 meters | 01m 48s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/11
Overall: 29/165
Performance: Good
There was a substantial run from the pool to transition. One of the people clocked it at 1:15 so I have subtracted that from my official time which was 10:14.
Suit: Nineteen Frequency skinsuit
Course: 10 lengths of a 50 meter pool switching lanes after each 50m
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:02
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:28:25 | 10 miles | 21.11 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/11
Overall: 35/165
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 3 lap crit style of downtown Columbia. Police blocked off the roads. Traffic picked up throughout the race.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:39
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:20:37 | 03 miles | 06m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/11
Overall: 64/165
Performance: Good
Course: Setup event "The 3 mile run will feature a tour of downtown Columbia as athletes cross over the busy streets of Columbia via overpass footbridges before the turn around near the Vista. The finish will be held on street adjacent to the intramural fields just a few hundred yards from the swimming pool and the transition area." This means immediately climb the monster hill that crushed you 3 times on the bike then run around campus only to come back and have your last .5 miles make you run up a flight of stairs and the climb a steep grade overpass, run down a hill, and finish running up a hill again.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2