Oakland Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Oakland, California
United States
USA Productions
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 25m 12s
Overall Rank = 29/317
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 8/24
Pre-race routine:

Set up bike and then dropped off shoes at swim exit since it is a 0.4 mile run over a pedestrian bridge. Went for a run to warm up. Got caught on the wrong side of the train track when a freight train slowly went by; therefore, I ran to the pedestrian bridge and then over the tracks. (So there is a reason the course goes over it twice.

Put on my wet suit and then walked to the swim start. By the time I got to the swim start, I had already done 3 miles of walking/running. A good warmup.
Event warmup:

Ran 2 miles. Walked another mile. Then swam out to the sprint swim start.
Swim
  • 16m 19s
  • 1000 yards
  • 01m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

Mixed feelings about swimming out to start. It was a good warmup (about 200-300 yards) but it was energy I didn't want to expend.
I started out on the "shore" (right) side to avoid getting hit. and just stuck to that side. There were a couple of times where I had to make navigation adjustments because I was too close to things on the shore. I sighted on the cranes until the last marker.

We had a good outflow and I wasn't really aware of anyone in my wave. I passed some waves in front of me. I ended up swimming 1139 yards with a pace of 1:27 according to my watch. I really need to learn to swim/bike/run in straight lines.

One more important thing. Since there was a swim out, a lot of the people in the first wave missed their start time.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. This is my third year (out of 4 years of the race) doing it and this was the first year I was happy with the swim. Getting a tri wet suit definitely helped. I was positively buoyant around my hips and I really had to remember to kick.
Transition 1
  • 07m 22s
Comments:

From the exit of the swim to getting on my bike, I "ran" 0.55 miles. The route takes you south to a pedestrian bridge over a train track. The reason for this is because the tracks are live. In fact, there was a train on the tracks as I was running to the bridge.

The steps of the bridge can be slippery. Almost everyone left running shoes at the swim exit for the run.
Bike
  • 35m 1s
  • 12.45 miles
  • 21.33 mile/hr
Comments:

I had a good ride. My bike computer wasn't working so I was just focusing on maintaining a steady speed which I did until the very end where I slowed down due to turns and poor quality the street.
This course was much better than the one they had in the first and second years in that it was straighter. There are 2 small "hills" still. but they aren't long or hard.

I didn't see the number of blowouts I saw in past years. This might mean that the street was cleaned before the race.

What would you do differently?:

I took my feet out of my shoes way too early.
Transition 2
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

When I dismounted at the mount line, some guy managed to clip me. I'm not sure how someone gets so close to someone with so much open space.
What would you do differently?:

Take feet out of shoes for only the last block.
Run
  • 24m 28s
  • 5 kms
  • 04m 53s  min/km
Comments:

The run around the lake is nicer which is part of the Olympic course. I liked that we didn't have to loop back out to the aquatic center.
What would you do differently?:

I aggravates my left leg doing a speed workout 7 days before the race. So my run time was slower than I would have liked. (8 min/mile instead of 7:30)
Post race
Warm down:

Got a good massage on my leg. Drank water. Ate food. Waited for friends.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I'd say my self inflicted leg aggravation for the run.

Event comments:

The start seemed a bit disorganized in getting us to the swim start. In years past there was a boat. The clarity of the water was the best its been in the 3 times I have done this race. I liked the new bike course. It's a nice race.




Last updated: 2017-08-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:16:19 | 1000 yards | 01m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/24
Overall: 22/317
Performance: Good
Suit: Fulll
Course: Straight line from Oakland Aquatic Center to Jack London Square in the estuary.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 07:22
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:35:01 | 12.45 miles | 21.33 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/24
Overall: 22/317
Performance: Good
1 lap for the sprint.
Wind: Some
Course: Down 3rd to Mandela Parkway. Double back on Mandella Parkway to 7th street. Down 7th to Frontage Road, Ride on Frontage to Grand. Double back and go through the Port of Oakland. Back on third.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:20
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:24:28 | 05 kms | 04m 53s  min/km
Age Group: 8/24
Overall: 20/317
Performance: Good
Course: Run along train tracks to Fallon St. Run run down 4th (?) street to trail that connects to lake Merritt. Run along trail but take detour through Laney College and Kaiser Center because trail isn't finished yet. Loop around new park build at 12/14th street and lake Merritt and run back to train tracks. Run over pedestrian bridge (again, live tracks, unfair if some people had to wait for a train)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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