Escape From Fort Desoto - Triathlon


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St. Petersburg, Florida
United States
Florida Race Place
83F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 27m 1s
Overall Rank = 322/562
Age Group = 0-39 Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 1/3
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:30. Out the door by 4:50. Milk and Belvita Breakfast Biscuits on the way. Arrived by 5:30. Packet pick up, set up transition, restroom, back to transition to pick up wetsuit, walk the 1/2 mile + to the swim start, short swim, then wait for the 2nd to last wave to start.
Event warmup:

Walk, short swim, shoulder stretches while waiting, that's about it.
Swim
  • 14m 33s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 39s / 100 yards
Comments:

Great swim conditions!!! Water was just cold enough for a wetsuit, which with a half mile swim was a huge bonus. No waves, no wind, and crystal clear water. That being said, I didn't have a great swim. Right goggle lens filled with water almost immediately, had to stop and stand up to empty out the water. Continued to leak the rest of the swim. Also, felt like I couldn't stay on the buoys. Kept sighting to my left, kept drifting to my right. Also never really got into a good breathing rhythm.
What would you do differently?:

GET NEW GOGGLES!!!
Transition 1
  • 03m 15s
Comments:

NEW ASPHALT!!!! Best part of the day.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, this is where this race was won. Between T1 & T2, I built up the gap needed to hold off the 2nd place finisher.
Bike
  • 28m 5s
  • 10 miles
  • 21.36 mile/hr
Comments:

I was disappointed in my ride. When I drove onto the island at 5 am and saw the big flag just hanging there, not waving, I expected to hit 22+ on the bike. The 21.36 is off because the actual distance was only 9.5 miles. That left me with a 20.3 mph average. I felt like I just couldn't get going.
What would you do differently?:

EDIT: The Monday after this race I had a sidewall blowout on my rear tire (same ones I raced on). When I brought my bike to the LBS, it was also discovered that I had a bearing in my front hub that was crushed and a dent in the hub body. Prior to the blowout, I felt like I was riding on a tire with a flat spot. This could explain the sluggish feel during the race.
Transition 2
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

Have to remember to skip the sunglasses with the visor on the new helmet. One or the other but not both. Also, the new helmet's chinstrap is hard to unbuckle with one hand. Just wait until bike is racked to unclip it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, very happy with both transitions.
Run
  • 40m 4s
  • 3.4 miles
  • 11m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

I SUCK AT RUNNING!!! I've never been fast, but this is ridiculous. Fat, out of shape, and injured, is not the way to race.
What would you do differently?:

Get diet under control. Lose weight. Take care of this nagging heel. Run more.
Post race
Warm down:

After downing a cold water, I made my way to the Bike In area to cheer on the last cyclist, a wounded Vet racing on a hand bike. As we were clapping and cheering him on, he rolls past the dismount line and gives us a salute. On of the coolest moments of my triathlon career. After that, I made my way back to the finish line area for some pictures with our RYDER BIKES team and 2 of our friends that had been hit while participating in a charity ride 3 weeks earlier. Both were scheduled to race this event, but are unable to because of injuries

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of conditioning on the run and overweight.

Event comments:

Could have used a few more aid stations on the run, especially with a 3.5 mile run.




Last updated: 2015-01-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:33 | 880 yards | 01m 39s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 212/562
Performance: Below average
Suit: 2XU wetsuit
Course: Point to point, north to south parallel to beach. 50 yards out, turn left, 700 yards to green buoy, turn left, 50 yards to shore.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:15
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:28:05 | 10 miles | 21.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 217/562
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Standard Ft. DeSoto course. South out of T1 onto the main road then south and east to the end of the island before turning around and heading back to T2.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:05
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
00:40:04 | 03.4 miles | 11m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/3
Overall: 478/562
Performance: Bad
Course: Basically an out and back course. South out of T2 through the parking lot, onto the multi-use path, all the way to the fort, then up the stairs, across the top of the fort, down the ramp, out to the service road, then on the beach, then back to the parking lot and the finish line.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4