Best in the West Triathlon Festival Olympic - Triathlon


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Sweet Home, Oregon
United States
Best in the West
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 47m 23s
Overall Rank = 15/101
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Event warmup:

Not really. Jogged around for a few minutes and, since air temps were actually quite warm for an Oregon morning (high 60's??) got in to the very cold lake to swim for a few minutes. Deep water start so I was able to bob up and down while waiting and blow bubbles to avoid the gasping for breath that would otherwise ensure in 60 degree water.
Swim
  • 29m 40s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 59s / 100 meters
Comments:

Course probably somewhat long. Others in swim club also had very slow times. (One guy who does 22 in the pool was 15 seconds slower than I was??) Also very crowded, which probably didn't help. My wave (women over 40) started last and it was a 2-loop course. Spent the entire time working my way through the waves that started before mine.
What would you do differently?:

?? Be male, or under 40?
Transition 1
  • 03m 41s
Comments:

As efficient as I could make it with longer run to my bike (old ladies got shafted, once again, with a sucky position in transition) and full wetsuit to get off.
What would you do differently?:

??
Bike
  • 1h 21m 43s
  • 40 kms
  • 29.37 km/hr
Comments:

Very hilly course with very rough surface for about 2/3 of the race. Hard to keep a steady effort/ power due to hills, wind, and road surface.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. Andreas did not seem to be the best tool for the job. Maybe different gearing? Road bike? Race wheels would make him faster, but probably not a great idea on this particular course, for most of the way.
Transition 2
  • 02m 5s
Comments:

I completely forgot to get my feet out of my shoes, so I had to run through transition in my bike shoes! It's been a while since I last raced!
What would you do differently?:

Remember to get my feet out of my shoes in time. My bike shoes suck to run in!
Run
  • 50m 12s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 01s  min/km
Comments:

Not a fast time, but I passed a lot of people and very few people passed me. I am sort of inured to hills, since I live in an extremely hilly neighborhood, and every brick run starts out up a very steep incline.
What would you do differently?:

Not get stuck behind the 10K run crowd? For some reason, they released them to start their run about 5 seconds before I exited T2. Mostly not fast runners, on a very narrow forest path up to the road. Ugh.
Post race
Warm down:

???? Walking around, I guess. Got some excellent BBQ and other Hawaiian food and a beer and enjoyed them. Eventually I collected my award and my crap from transition, and headed back to the parking shuttle with Mom.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bike issues (not sure exactly what, but Andreas could be faster), poor road surface, bad position on the swim. Some allergy/asthma issues on the bike (breathing felt tight on the part through the farmland and for a while after, itchy/painful eyes). I'm allergic to grass pollen, and it was in the "Extreme" range here today. Didn't seem to be an issue on the latter part of the bike, or the run (which was below the level of the fields and close to the lake, sheltered by woods).

Event comments:

As always, the events were very well-organized. The course is tough and slow, but it is what it is. Rural Oregon roads are like that. My only issue is the swim start--OMG, STOP making older women go last, especially with a 2-lap course. So unfair. Please, please, let us self-seed by pace. This is Oregon, for goodness sake. If you're so politically correct that there isn't even a Men's category anymore (it's "Open"), then stop being sexist and ageist with your swim starts!!




Last updated: 2024-06-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:40 | 1500 meters | 01m 59s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/101
Performance: Average
No idea. My watch didn't start, plus we were in the water the whole time, so I don't have any splits.
Suit: Promotion full suit
Course: Two loops of 750m each. Basically a big rectangle in a cold lake.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:41
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:21:43 | 40 kms | 29.37 km/hr
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/101
Performance: Below average
Honestly, cannot remember any splits!
Wind: Some
Course: Lots and lots of rolling hills plus two short, steep ones (on one, I was really afraid I'd fall off the bike). Very rough road surface much of the way. There was a lot of pollen and dust on the section above the lake loop (through farmland) due to grass seed farming in progress.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 84
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:05
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:50:12 | 10 kms | 05m 01s  min/km
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/101
Performance: Good
My first mile was 10:14. I was so depressed by this that I killed my stopwatch and ran the rest of the race by feel. Clearly, I did speed up after that.
Course: Lots of hills. Nothing dramatic, but very little flat.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
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