Black Diamond Triathlon - Long Course - Triathlon


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Enumclaw, Washington
United States
AA Sports, Ltd.
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 43m 1s
Overall Rank = 56/168
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 4/16
Pre-race routine:

Drove up the morning of the race with Stew. Arrived about 1:45 hrs before the race. Ate breakfast in the car just short of arrival. Plenty of time for dressing and morning business upon arrival. No big stressors for transition set up, other than a little congestion in our bike rack, but no biggie.
Event warmup:

Some light skips, high knees, and butt kicks before getting into the wet suit, and then a quick swim before brief stretching. Got in about 100 yds of free style before the stretch.
Swim
  • 38m 7s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

A new PR on the swim! I went out strong for the first 200 yds, and then settled into my alternating free and sides for the first half. On the second loop, I went to 40 sets of free and 10 side strokes, and then all free for the last 800 yds or so. I felt really relaxed and smooth throughout. It was a beautiful sunny swim, and after the initial congestion, it got very comfortable.
What would you do differently?:

Try to start a little more to the outside. I got to the back on the start, but ended up on the inside. So I had nowhere to go but forward in the washing machine for the first 5 minutes.
Transition 1
  • 03m 20s
Comments:

A new first for me...I got my watch stuck in my wetsuit sleeve. I had to pull the sleeve back up in order to get my watch off. By this time I was to my transition area, and since I didn't have my watch fastened, I set it down. I didn't notice it until I got my bike clear out of the transition area, so ended up doing the bike without a watch! Other than that it went fine. I moved well in and out. Got my breathing down nice and relaxed before getting on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not lose my watch!
Bike
  • 3h 10m 18s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.66 mile/hr
Comments:

Conditions were beautiful, other than a pretty solid wind that always seemed to be in my face! I just never had the big push that I felt I've had before. Stopping to provide medical assistance for an injured rider, probably didn't help my mental state. Having my left aero bar loosen up on me didn't help either. Overall it was enjoyable, I just didn't have my best stuff for the day.
What would you do differently?:

Wear my watch! Monitoring my nutrition and hydration required a lot of guess work. It went fine, but I was probably on the verge of under-hydrating.
Transition 2
  • 02m 44s
Comments:

I took a little extra time getting my socks on smooth and applying sunscreen. Otherwise it was a pretty good transition. I remembered to get extra gels, which really saved me during the run!
What would you do differently?:

Not much. The extra time was more than made up for by PR'ing the run!
Run
  • 1h 48m 31s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

What a great run for me, resulting in a PR! I blew the doors off of many runners, but spent the last 4 miles mainly alone. This really tested my mental toughness, as it was very hot! I ended up taking down 3 age groupers in the last 2 miles, which was a great feeling. I had a rough mental spot at about mile 5, but it was quickly relieved on a turn-around when I got a nice breeze in the face.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I made the most of pretty limited supplies at the aid stations, and they were spread out every 1.5 to 2 miles. I may have gone out a little strong (15:30 for the first 2 miles), but it didn't cause me to suffer at the finish!
Post race
Warm down:

A brief walk around the finish area and stretching on mats with foam rollers (nice touch by the AA Sports Staff!) Then after getting a little food and a beer, I went for a brief dip in the lake, followed by some more stretching.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My bike and biking ability.

Event comments:

A beautiful setting for a race. The roads were in places much busier than I'd like to be exposed to on the bike. Also, no mileage markers at all on the bike! Only markers on the run were at mile 2 and mile 11. That was absurd! Aside from that, it was a great way to end the 2014 season. I was really happy with my effort, and really glad I stopped to help Mike, and hopefully he'll make a full recover and be back out there soon.




Last updated: 2014-08-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:07 | 2112 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/16
Overall: 87/168
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: Two clockwise diamond-shaped loops. Mass start for all males, so pretty congested the first 400 yds or so. Lots of arm and leg slapping!
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:20
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:10:18 | 56 miles | 17.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/16
Overall: 107/168
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Two 20-mile loops north of Nolte State Park, and one 16-mile loop south of it. Busy county and state roads, but with adequate shoulder most of the way. Lots of rolling hills, but nothing too strenuous.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:44
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
01:48:31 | 13.1 miles | 08m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/16
Overall: 28/168
Performance: Good
Course: An out-and-back with additional out-and-backs on three side roads from the main road. A few mild hills, but overall a pretty comfortable run on smooth pavement. The last 1.2 miles was a trail loop around the lake...very scenic!
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3