Grandman Triathlon - Triathlon


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Fairhope, Alabama
United States
Grandman Triathlon
78F / 26C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 16m 25s
Overall Rank = 13/630
Age Group = M50-54
Age Group Rank = 3/46
Pre-race routine:

Up early. Usual breakfast and out the door by 5:15am for the 1-2 mile drive to the race. Always like to get there early to get a good parking place and transition spot
Event warmup:

Did some easy running and quickly worked up a sweat due to the humidity. Swam a couple of hundred yards before they lined us up for the swim start on the pier.
Swim
  • 07m 48s
  • 587 yards
  • 01m 20s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was wetsuit legal due to all of the recent rain cooling down the Bay. Used the ROKA Sim Shorts as they are easy to get off. Pretty solid swim. Never felt I was pushing too hard. First 200 fairly moderate then moderate+ for the remainder.
What would you do differently?:

Got a little off course a couple of times but a good swim for me. Also, goggles came loose after the jump off the pier and had to stop for a couple of seconds to fix that.
Transition 1
  • 00m 57s
Comments:

Pretty uneventful. Put shoes on in T1 since there is a big hill right out of transition.
Bike
  • 45m
  • 18 miles
  • 24.00 mile/hr
Comments:

I know I could have pushed harder but wanted to maintain a consistent effort and have something left for the run. AP246/NP247 so pacing/effort was good. There were times it felt hard and times very comfortable but just tried to keep an eye on my power. Quads were tight from the start.
Transition 2
  • 00m 43s
Comments:

Good transition. Always testy coming down the steep hill into transition on the bike. A guy heading out on the bike came into my lane and that could have been a big wreck but everyone, including me, started yelling and he quickly adjusted. Was able to get feet out of shoes cleanly before heading down the hill and things went smoothly off the bike and through transition.
Run
  • 21m 58s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

This is a tough course and times typically run 1.5-2 minutes slower than a flat 5K. I took the hill very easy to try to keep from going into oxygen debt and struggling the rest of the way. Splits were 7:20/6:50/6:36. I felt like I paced the run well and pushed hard over the last mile or so. Not great/not bad
What would you do differently?:

Push harder and risk blowing up?
Post race
Warm down:

Hung out with friends, Team and family. Enjoyed the post race festivities and beverages. Ended up with 2nd in AG award as top 50-54 guy claimed grandmasters.

Son's relay team won first place in that division by 10 minutes. Fun to have him at the race....need to get him biking!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing really. I raced within my abilities and improved 3+ minutes over the previous year. Level of competition highest I have seen at this race.

Event comments:

M50-54 AG was stacked with first 4 all placing in top 15 overall. I raced well and am pleased even though I didn't finish as I high in AG as I would have liked. Very happy placing 13th overall and 3+ minute improvement. Easily the best field I have seen at this race. Seems our local race is quickly beginning to attract some top regional participants. Always fun to race against top notch competition.

This was my first triathlon in 2009 and it is always well done....being only a mile or two from the house is also a plus. Lots of hardware for Gulf Coast Tri Team including overall winner. Fun morning!




Last updated: 2014-05-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:48 | 587 yards | 01m 20s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/46
Overall: 18/630
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri shorts/ROKA Shorts
Course: Jump off the second finger of the pier. 200 yards parallel to the beach then left turn to head to the shore. Was number 54 so into the water fairly early...which is always good.
Start type: Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:57
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:45:00 | 18 miles | 24.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/46
Overall: 17/630
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Up the steep hill right out of transition. Gradual uphill into town. Then a right turn. Rollers for 6-7 miles then flat on the return. Maybe a little headwind on the way out. Not much
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 92
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:43
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:21:58 | 03.1 miles | 07m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/46
Overall: 25/630
Performance: Average
Course: Up the steep hill, then left and a gradual uphill to the 1 mile mark. Then return the same way with last mile flat through the park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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