Chula Vista Challenge - Triathlon


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Chula Vista, California
United States
Koz Events
73F / 23C
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 49m 18s
Overall Rank = 8/128
Age Group = M20-24
Age Group Rank = 1/1
Pre-race routine:

4:30am wakeup, mentally wake up by checking some social media platforms, then got breakfast ready (water, pedialyte, and oatmeal) after a quick poop then shower to fully wake up and feel fresh before the race. Packed up all of my stuff in my car and drove about 15 minutes from my hotel to the event. Found a good parking spot and headed to transition for body marking and to set up.
Event warmup:

After a stress-free setup, I used my running warmup that I use for every run to get the legs loose and race-ready. Of course, accompanied with a 5-minute-before-start-time poop.
Swim
  • 24m 55s
  • 5456 yards
  • 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

SWIM CANCELLED - I kept the 5k run nice and easy, while trying to keep the heart rate as low as possible. My goal was to keep the pace right around 8:00/mile and the HR around 150 bpm as to not burn any matches before the long bike and run. I think I did pretty well in this first discipline, as I have never run a duathlon before, nor have I run over 15 miles in one day.
What would you do differently?:

I don't think I would have changed anything, as I think taking it easy at the beginning and not burning any matches early on is what allowed me to run harder at the end of the half marathon.
Transition 1
  • 01m 38s
Comments:

Like most others around me, I didn't know which way we were heading out of T1 as the directions were very unclear. Bike was in wrong direction and I had my gear set up on the wrong side of the rack. In addition to this, someone had added a lot of gear and a bike quite close to my stuff, which didn't allow me a lot of room. When I got to my stuff, someone was standing on my towel which prevented me from sliding my towel with my gear to the other side to grab my gear. Poor T1 for what was required.
What would you do differently?:

Correct bike position, correct gear placement, more room to grab gear.
Bike
  • 2h 39m 51s
  • 56.8 miles
  • 21.32 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike turned out to be a great effort that I am pretty proud of! With all of the turns, the rough roads, and amount of traffic, I managed to lay down a respectable bike split. Nutrition was just right, amount of liquids consumed was just right, and my level of fitness and fatigue were great. I felt like I could have easily ridden another 20 miles at the pace, even though at times I felt I might have ridden slightly too hard.
What would you do differently?:

Looking back on it now, I might have ridden slightly harder, but it's hard to tell because that might have been detrimental to my run.
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

T2 was much better, but my visor on my helmet came undone and fell, so I had to stop and pick it up. Everything in T2 went smooth other than that. Helmet and shoes off, shoes on, visor and glasses on, and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Leave my visor on.
Run
  • 1h 41m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out around 8:00/mile pace and tried to keep the HR around 160 bpm. I did a pretty decent job at that, staying around 165 for the first half of the run. Around mile 7, I realized that I was feeling really good, and felt that I could hold on the a faster pace with my HR around 170 no problem. The last lap of the run I decided to test myself and see how hard I could push it without blowing up. I think this strategy worked out perfectly, as I felt pretty dang gassed at the end of the run, and my HR was around 180 bpm.
What would you do differently?:

During the race, I felt that I had pushed it perfectly, but looking back and realizing how good I was feeling early on, I should have pushed it about 1-2 miles sooner. But, regarding this, I have never pushed it that fast for that long during a training session, so I didn't know what I was capable of, and I didn't know how long I could last until I blew up. In all honesty, I might have been able to pull off another mile or two, which might have brought my HR into the mid 180's. I think I ran this discipline perfectly for my ability.
Post race
Warm down:

First things first, throw a double shaka after crossing the finish line and then give love to my family and gf who always show support for me and cheer for me. They're who I look forward to seeing the most during and after a race! Grab my medals, drink one bottle of water, one bottle of electrolyte solution, a couple of snacks, hit a quick stretch, and get the legs elevated while the gf massaged my legs.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Some lack of specific training leading up to this race due to life itself and the requirements of personal obligations outside of training.

Event comments:

A small but good event with friendly staff and volunteers.




Last updated: 2019-08-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:55 | 5456 yards | 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 35/128
Performance: Good
SWIM CANCELLED DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA IN WATER - REPLACED WITH 5K RUN Avg HR - 157 bpm, pace of 7:52/mile according to Garmin
Suit: N/A
Course: 5K run course
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:38
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:39:51 | 56.8 miles | 21.32 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 14/128
Performance: Good
Avg HR - 160 bpm Avg Power - 229W Max Power - 894W Max Avg Power (20 minutes) - 244W Normalized Power - 244W Elevation Gain - 1,588 ft
Wind: Little with gusts
Course: 4 laps heading south along the 5 and inland for a small loop of hills. The roads were quite rough, and I saw a ton of people pulled off to the side fixing their bikes, unfortunately. Thankfully, I did not have any mechanical problems. Course was marked very well, with no outside traffic along any part of the course. Wind was very minimal and the volunteers and police did a great job at coordinating everything.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 92
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:41:23 | 13.1 miles | 07m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 8/128
Performance: Good
Avg HR - 170 bpm Avg Cadence - 176 spm Avg Stride Length - 1.16 m Avg Vertical Ratio - 8% Avg Vertical Oscillation - 9.5 cm Avg GC Time Balance - 51.7%L / 48.3% R (BAD) Avg Ground Contact Time - 226 ms Avg Temperature 84 F, according to Garmin
Course: 3 loops around through the park, along the harbor, down by the freeway, and back. Minimal elevation gain. Sun started to come out right around the first couple of miles, and it started to heat up quite a bit. Aid stations were spaced out perfectly, but were slightly limited to what they had (water with some ice, electrolytes, bananas, energy blocks, and cola). Course was mediocrely marked, and during the first lap I was hoping I made the right turns when I headed out for the extended 70.3 distance portion of the run.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %N/A
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? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4