Jefferson Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Charlottesville, Virginia
United States
Charlottesville Multisports
73F / 23C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 08m 46s
Overall Rank = 4/112
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 1/6
Pre-race routine:

After my standard breakfast of oatmeal, a banana, and OJ I packed the last of my gear and headed for the course. Transition opened at 6:15 and spots on the racks were unassigned. Early bird gets the worm, and I arrived around 6:20 in plenty of time to snag a coveted end spot.
Event warmup:

The pool is open from 7:!5-7:45 for warm-ups.
Swim
  • 06m 21s
  • 350 meters
  • 01m 49s / 100 meters
Comments:

I never know the best way to enter the pool from the deck. There's the drop-straight-down-and-push-off-the-wall method. There's the dive (...which isn't allowed). There's the turn-around-and-ease-in (...as if). There's the sorta-jump-sorta-flop. And then there's my method... the train-wreck.

I lept forward off the deck and entered the water like a runaway diesel generating a humongous splash and a minor tsunami in the process. Having effectively intimidated the rest of the field I found my stroke and pressed on. I passed one racer on course and managed to stay ahead of the rest of the field.

All and all a good effort and I exited the water feeling fresh.
Transition 1
  • 01m 32s
Comments:

The transition is located in a grassy area about 200 yards up the hill and across the parking lot from the pool.

Off with the cap and goggles. On with the helmet and sunglasses. Flying mount (sorta) onto the bike.
Bike
  • 35m 52s
  • 13 miles
  • 21.75 mile/hr
Comments:

Because racers start one at a time every 15 seconds and because duathletes started at the same time as we did there was no real way to tell where I was relative to the field. One thing remained the same, though - passing is good. I passed as many riders as I could and was within half a mile of the turn around when I crossed paths with the front runner and his motorcycle escort.

Before I reached the turnaround I counted 10 riders between me and the leader. I passed four of them on the home stretch and crossed my fingers that the best of the rest were duathletes. Turns out all but one of them was, and I was in second place OA on the clock.

I improved my average speed by 1.5 mph from last year (21.8 versus 20.3) so I felt pretty good about it.
Transition 2
  • 00m 54s
Comments:

I executed a rolling dismount more-or-less gracefully and quickly racked my bike. I tried to slip my shoes off without sitting down, but the grass was wet and without socks the dew made my feet stick. I finally gave up, sat down, and pulled them on.
What would you do differently?:

Are shoe horns legal in the paddock? If so, I might try one at my next race to see if I can avoid sitting down.
Run
  • 24m 5s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 46s  min/mile
Comments:

Remember the field mouse that haunts me? Well, he passed me again as did numerous other runners, a snail, and a toddler just learning to walk. Ugh.

I kept a fast (for me) pace but fell short of my 7:30/mile goal by a considerable amount (7:47). Still, I held most of the field at bay and with a good swim and bike in my pocket I crossed the line in fourth OA.
What would you do differently?:

Perhaps it's time for me to hire a run coach. The difference between my relative swim and bike paces and my run pace is ridiculous!
Post race
Warm down:

I had family visiting from South Carolina at the race so rather than stretch afterwards I played host hoping to make their first tri experience a good one. The following day my back seized up and I was in serious pain for about 72 hours until it decided to let go. I don't know if not stretching afterwards had anything to do with my back, but I won't be taking any chances with that in the future. Gotta stretch, Dummy!

Event comments:

This is a great, local race perfect for rookies and dedicated triathletes alike. The Charlottesville Tri Club does a great job of making it a family-friendly, fun event, and a good time is had by all year after year. If you've ever wanted to try a tri, this is the race for you! And if you're a vet in Central Virginia looking to test your mettle, there's plenty of serious triathletes, too.

The race benefits the Charlottesville Women's Initiative, which is another good reason to register.




Last updated: 2014-06-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:21 | 350 meters | 01m 49s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/6
Overall: 7/112
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: The swim takes place in the Frys Spring Beach Club 50-meter, outdoor, long-course pool. Swimmers are seeded by self-reported times and enter the water one at a time in 15-second intervals. Each completes 3.5 laps (350 meters) before exiting at the opposite end of the pool. I was seeded 15th.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:32
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:35:52 | 13 miles | 21.75 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/6
Overall: 2/112
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: The course is an out and back down Old Lynchburg Road. It's relatively hilly with very few flats. The good news is that none of the climbs are too steep. The bad news is that they come in rapid succession for the duration. Up down. Up down. Up down. I train on these hills, though, so I felt like Brer Rabbit in the briar patch - right at home.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:54
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:24:05 | 03.1 miles | 07m 46s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/6
Overall: 18/112
Performance: Average
Course: The course is an out-and-back the runs through a neighborhood for the first part before transitioning to a gravel utility road for the second. It's mostly flat save for one pretty steep but relatively short decline/incline at miles 1.3 (going) and 1.8 (coming), respectively.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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] 4