Grand Rapids Triathlon - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Ada, Michigan
United States
Tris4Health
63F / 17C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 30m 24s
Overall Rank = 60/336
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 2/14
Pre-race routine:

I was up at 4:00, and had some coffee and cereal for breakfast.
Event warmup:

I did some light stretching before leaving for the race
Swim
  • 28m 14s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

The start was a joke. There were 5 minutes between waves and there was a major bottleneck getting in to the water. There were probably 30-40 people not yet in the water (including me) and they announced one minute to go. I barely got to a starting position and the wave started with numerous people not yet even in the water.

For me, I did just what I intended for this swim. I kept well within myself and didn't wear myself out. I had great sighting and stayed on course.
What would you do differently?:

Get to the front of the pack to get in the water to make sure I get a goo d starting position.
Transition 1
  • 02m 46s
Comments:

I lost a bit of time not utilizing the wetsuit stripper.and lost a few seconds. The biggest problem was the long narrow transition area. The HIM transition took up half the road and there wer Sprint people coming back in and It was single file for a long way on the way out and the people in front of me were walking and I lost a fair amount of time.
What would you do differently?:

Utilize the wetsuit strippers. Not much I could do about running with my bike.
Bike
  • 1h 09m 37s
  • 24.82 miles
  • 21.39 mile/hr
Comments:

I started out in high zone 4 and ended in low zone 4. I kept a lower cadence and kept my legs pretty fresh. The worst area was the turn around. There were several people going very slow in front of me from the previous wave that were all bunched up (and violating the no drafting rule). I kept 3 bike lengths back but lost 30-45 seconds waiting for things to clear up. On the way back in, there were people again violating the passing zone rule and at one point, after about 30 seconds, I finally did a double pass.in frustration.
What would you do differently?:

This was one of my fastest rides and I was first in my age group. I did finish my 24 oz bottle with Perform and next time i would have drank some water before hitting transition.
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

This transition went well, but my handle and aerobars got stuck on the rack and I last maybe 15 seconds getting this straightened out.
Run
  • 47m 43s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

The Sun came out and I started out fine but my legs were my limiting factor. I never really was breathing that hard, and my HR was in zone 3 for a good portion of the run. during the last mile I heard a spectator say "look at that guy, he's not even breathing hard." While that was the case, I was getting a bit sick to my stomach and my legs were burning by the last mile. I think I should have drank more during the last part of the bike to be more ready for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Drink more. Try not to get injured again and miss a month to 6 weeks of hard training.
Post race
Warm down:

I did't do any stretching until I got home but I took in lot's of fluids, including 2 muscle milks. I think this helped me overall to be less sore afterward.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think I haven't been running enough and I need to lose the 10 pounds I talked about earlier in the year. I had my body fat checked at the pre-race and it was 22.6%. This means I could could lose 15 pounds and still be within the guidelines for body fat.

Event comments:

they need to figure out how to make more room for the transition from swim to bike.




Last updated: 2014-05-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:14 | 1640 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/14
Overall: 80/336
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: Counterclockwise loop.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:46
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:09:37 | 24.82 miles | 21.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/14
Overall: 65/336
Performance: Good
5 mile splits + HRave 21.4/155; 21.5/152; 21.8/151; 22.1/153; 21.3/152
Wind: Little
Course: Out and bake on very flat course.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:47:43 | 06.2 miles | 07m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/14
Overall: 68/336
Performance: Average
split pace/HRave 7:27/156; 7:42/158; 7:27/158; 7:41/161; 7:41/164; 7:34/164; 7:16/167 last .2
Course: Flat out and back course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4