Red Hills Triathlon - Triathlon


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Tallahasse, Florida
United States
Red Hills Triathlon
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 13m 3s
Overall Rank = 14/245
Age Group = M50-54
Age Group Rank = 1/19
Pre-race routine:

Arrived the afternoon before and met up with team for dinner. Back to the hotel to get everything ready.

Up around 4:30am and at race site around 5:45.
Event warmup:

Warm up run about 35 minutes prior to start with some strides and stretching. Short swim to get acclimated to the cool water.
Swim
  • 08m 51s
  • 580 yards
  • 01m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

For the first 50 yards or so there is alot of vegetation so that is always weird. Didn't really notice it as there was a ton of contact for the first 100 yards. Way more than you would expect for a small race. Went out pretty hard and HR, contact and breathing caught up with me at about 150 yards. Slowed down and everything finally settled in. Remainder of swim was fine. Seemed to sight better and stayed on course. 55 seconds better than 2013
What would you do differently?:

Keep HR down, avoid contact? That's unavoidable if your goal is to get out front and swim hard hoping to come out toward the front end of the group. Just have to trust my training knowing that even after a hard start I will settle in and HR will adjust. First OWS of the season.
Transition 1
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

Things were going well until my suit got stuck on my right heel. Had to sit down and pull it off. Probably lost 15-20 seconds here. Also had trouble getting clipped in so a few more seconds lost.
What would you do differently?:

Not have the problems listed above. Sometimes things just don't go as planned
Bike
  • 41m 23s
  • 16 miles
  • 23.20 mile/hr
Comments:

So, my Garmin 500 would not move from the initial screen (no data). I train and race with power so I was riding blind. Fortunately, I left T1 with a team mate that is a really strong cyclist and another guy I know that is really strong. I figured if I could keep them close then I would probably be going plenty hard. Both would be strong competition for grandmasters but I felt I had a slight advantage over both on the run. Kept up with them with a few leap frogs all the way to T2 and finished just behind both. Probably ended up going harder without the data than if I had it and in the end it worked out well. Garmin popped on for about 15 minutes and my AP for that segment was 263. Approx 2.5 minutes faster bike split than 2013.
What would you do differently?:

Have the Garmin work. It was fine prior to the race. Calibrated, plenty of power and ready to go. Learned that I can probably push harder than I think. Its a sprint....it's suppose to hurt.
Transition 2
  • 00m 42s
Comments:

Pretty solid
Run
  • 20m 49s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt pretty good heading out onto the run. Passed a couple of top 50+ AG guys in the first half mile and figured I was probably in the lead for grandmasters at that point. First mile was 6:45 which was right what I was hoping for. Faded during the second mile....combination of trails and fatigue for a 6:57/mile. Third mile was not much better at 6:50. Pushed hard over the last .10 to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Two seconds slower than last year. I was pleased with my run last year and figured heading into this race I was about a month behind last year's run fitness.r. Someday, hopefully this year, I will go sub 20 in a sprint 5K
Post race
Warm down:

Visited with friends and team mates. Went for an easy cool down run. Hung around for refreshments and awards.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Run isn't quite where I want it to be due to calf issue in Dec/Jan. But, my time this year was 4.5 minutes faster than 2013. Problem with the Garmin may have helped to open my eyes to what I need to be willing to do on the bike. Plenty of room for improvement in several areas but satisfied with the result. Maybe a 7.5/10 overall rating..

Event comments:

Race is very well done. Early season date draws alot of strong racers. Gulf Coast Tri Team showed well placing 8 in the top 20. Happy to get first in grandmasters and score some early season team points. Local pottery for awards is always a nice touch and the only race where made to order crepes are offered as part of the post race food.




Last updated: 2014-04-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:51 | 580 yards | 01m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/19
Overall: 40/245
Performance: Below average
Suit: Roka sleeveless
Course: Beach start then out about 200 yards. Right turn for 150 yards then another right turn back to shore.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current:
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:20
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:41:23 | 16 miles | 23.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/19
Overall: 14/245
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Big rectangle with rolling hills. Lots of ups and downs and a challenging course. A little drizzle toward the end of the ride.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 94
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:42
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:20:49 | 03.1 miles | 06m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/19
Overall: 19/245
Performance: Average
Course: Uphill out of transition with the first mile on pavement. Then approx 1.2 miles on gravel/dirt trails before returning to pavement for the remainder.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
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? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5