RAGE Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Las Vegas, Nevada
United States
BBSC Endurance Sports
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 18m 21s
Overall Rank = 35/224
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 5/30
Pre-race routine:

Didn't eat as I normally do because family prep took too long. Usually have a banana, hard-boiled egg, and a code red (YES, a soda!).
Event warmup:

Did a little stretching, and limited swimming (probably 100 yards or so). Stayed wet for about 10 minutes prior to race start to acclimate to cooler water temp. I am used to mid-60's for my races.
Swim
  • 13m 58s
  • 750 meters
  • 01m 52s / 100 meters
Comments:

Good swim. Definitely can improve in my technique, as I noticed just going into autopilot on low oxygen. Need more practice to make my TI stroke my default technique.
What would you do differently?:

More controlled breathing/stroke efficiency. All over, it was a very good, but not great swim.
Transition 1
  • 03m 33s
Comments:

Largest transition area I have ever seen. The transition is a long (.2 mile total from beach) road with a jagged surface. I have multiple cuts on the bottom of my feet from the rocky surface of the boat ramp road
What would you do differently?:

Not run quite so hard up the hill. Cut my feet. Maybe try flip flops but jogging uphill in flip flops doesn't sound appealing to me.
Bike
  • 36m 34s
  • 12.2 miles
  • 20.02 mile/hr
Comments:

Easy course, with no noticeable wind.
What would you do differently?:

Pretty happy with my performance on the bike. Was very comfortable on my new aero bars, and kept up a steady cadence.
Transition 2
  • 02m 15s
Comments:

Transition was a little slower than last year, as I have started using SPD-SL bike shoes instead of clips and running shoes. I had to take some time switching shoes. After donning my Hokas, I took off from transition, and jogged downhill to the run start, quite a ways away. Still spent 2:15 minutes in transition due to the layout. This number compared favorably to my peers, so there is that consolation.
What would you do differently?:

Pretty happy with my transition. I could have run faster but transition was pretty busy at that point.
Run
  • 22m 3s
  • 5 kms
  • 04m 25s  min/km
Comments:

Here is where I was most nervous during the day. I felt good, having put forth maximum aerobic effort up until this point. I started out slowly, not sure how my knee would respond. When I tested it the day before, it felt solid while running but this was just a quick jog on pavement. I hadn’t tried it on loose dirt/rock trails. To my amazement, I was able to run and pick up my pace without any pain at all. Cheered by this development, I pushed my pace pretty hard until we started the rise up out of the beach. I kept my HR below 180 so I didn’t pass out, expecting to make some serious time up on the downhill of the return loop. This kept my body in good shape, and I was able to pick up the pace as the trail leveled off. I really feel like the MAF training yielded benefits here. My earlier testing with MAF training yielded an estimate of 6:30-7:00 per mile run rates, but that is for just a 5k standalone race. Considering I’d already stressed my body for 45 minutes prior to starting the run, I was ecstatic to learn that I was able to run the 5k at an average pace of 7:05/mile. It was an out and back course with a pretty flat profile, so I wasn’t really challenged by the course, and neither were my competitors. I didn’t catch anyone in my age group but was passed by two. Given my apprehension prior to the run, I’ll take it.
What would you do differently?:

Happy with my effort. Can always go a little harder, but my HR was about right.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around the beach with my son. I prefer to go for a slow bike ride, but I had to provide some entertainment for my youngest. Was able to walk out most of my muscle fatigue.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Worried about injury on the run. It would have been nice to drive the bike course, but we didn't have time prior to arrival.

Event comments:

Very solid event. Would like a mat on the transition road.




Last updated: 2014-04-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:58 | 750 meters | 01m 52s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/30
Overall: 0/224
Performance: Good
Suit: Tyr Cat 5 bibjohn
Course: They laid out the course a little flatter this year. Sunny mornings make the first buoy hard to find. After that, it was easy navigation, as I can easily see other swimmers in the clear water. No distinct sighting landmarks, just desert mountains.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:33
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:36:34 | 12.2 miles | 20.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/30
Overall: 0/224
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Out and back course, along Lakeshore Dr. Pretty flat, with a few hills near the turnaround. This is probably the easiest biking course I will race this year, except perhaps the Aurora CO Reservoir. The ride started out with a gradual climb up from the beach onto the park access road. It’s a pretty level, straight road which allowed me time to warm up my legs. I took off at a decent clip and didn’t fall victim to the usually flurry of superbikes passing me. I felt good about this, and as my legs loosened up, I inched up the pace. It is a pretty flat course with some gradual inclines and two minor ascents. This course should be near everyone’s best bike times. I ended up with a new personal best rate of 20.3 MPH. I was able to utilize my new aero bars in my first race since receiving them at Christmas. Honestly, I was disappointed I didn’t go faster given the favorable conditions. My previous best was 20.0 MPH on a similar course, but with a much slower swim time, nearly 17 minutes. Maybe the faster swim leg affected me more than I thought. Hopefully, my upper bike range will get up into 22 MPH (which is my stretch goal). As it was, I didn’t get passed by a bunch of people on the bike leg as I have historically. This day, I think about five people passed me, and I passed a large number of racers, although many of them were with the High School championships so it’s hard to get a big head passing 14 year olds. All in all, I was very happy with my bike ride, although I was hoping for more speed after putting in 500+ miles in riding during the first quarter of the year.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:15
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:22:03 | 05 kms | 04m 25s  min/km
Age Group: 0/30
Overall: 0/224
Performance: Good
Course: Start on a rough trail, with loose rocks. I turned my ankle at one point but kept it from being a serious twist. Steady climb up the beach but most of the course is flat, with some road running thrown in during the middle of the course. Pretty easy out and back. I really don't like steep hills--either up or down, it tears up my legs, and this course was pretty flat.
Keeping cool Average Drinking
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? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4