The Beach Blast Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Mexico Beach, Florida
United States
Good Time Sports
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 18m 53s
Overall Rank = 109/120
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 13/13
Pre-race routine:

Tried really hard to eat my 2 oatmeals before I left. My stomach was all tied up in knots. Why? Because of the swim. I knew that I wouldn't drown - the kayakers will pull me out. I had a pretty carppy swim on Friday and worrying about my swim shaped my entire morning. I probably choked down 1 serving of oatmeal and a glass of water.

Got the the sight at about 0600 and set my transition area up and got marked. Forgot to grease my nipples before the swim and that would rear it's ugly head later.
Event warmup:

About 100yd swim out and back a few times. Lot's of time trying to clear my mind and believe I can actually do this swim.
Swim
  • 28m 59s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

What a swim! I was in a sea of people and didn't bother sighting much in the beginning. I finally looked up and thought "where is that $#%$%#@ bouy?" Then I looked to my left and I was passing it! I had no idea I had gone that far already.

The second leg is where I started to veer right again. Kept trying to get back to the course so I could draft some more, but it wasn't happening. I know what I'm working on this winter.

I was expecting a :45 swim time and when I came out of the water I thought my stopwatch was broken. I never expected less than 30min. Now, I have to wonder if that course was short.
What would you do differently?:

Swim straight! If I swim straight, I can draft better and I can get a far better time.
Transition 1
  • 03m 20s
Comments:

I sloshed my feet in there anywhere and stepped onto my towel to put my socks on (yes, I must wear socks). Smooth transition overall.
What would you do differently?:

They sprayed our feet as we came into T1 so I probably didn't need my wash bucket.
Bike
  • 1h 25m 37s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 17.38 mile/hr
Comments:

I passed a total of 8 people (after subtracting the 2 that passed me) and I'm not counting the guy I passed who had a flat. Good bike overall.

As my stopwatch went past 1:30, I thought to myself "that's a major league soccer match!"

What would you do differently?:

Pick up some water at the aid station. Just in case. I didn't need it, but if it had gotten any hotter, I would have. The aero bottle was empty as I rolled into transition. I could have taken that extra bottle with me on the run and ditched it later (I didn't know it was kosher to do so).
Transition 2
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

I still can't ride very well with my feet on top of my shoes - especially when you have to go up a hill just before transistion. The ground was soft just after the dismount line so I didn't see a need to try it here. If there were a significant road run afterwards, I'd consider.
What would you do differently?:

Unclip BOTH feet before trying to jump off bike. Almost bit it right in front of my wife and kids.
Run
  • 1h 19m 26s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 12m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

I completely imploded on the run. I was fine for about 1 mile and then my left leg totally cramped on me. I don't know how long I stood there trying to bend it, but the volunteer asked me twice if I was SURE I didn't need any help.

I ran, at most, half the time.
What would you do differently?:

More training. Need to get my long run up to about 9 miles before attempting this again.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a while. There was no way I was going to run around.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was very happy about the swim and the bike wasn't bad either. I need to concentrate on my run base this winter. Perhaps some more bricks, too.

Event comments:

I came into this race not sure I would finish. I did not train enough but since I already paid, I figured I'd go for it. I'm glad I did it, though. I don't really care I was last in my age group. Not a bad rookie year and next year will be much better.




Last updated: 2006-09-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:59 | 1640 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 13/13
Overall: 0/120
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot Trisuit
Course: Triangle course with turns to the left. Seems like the turns should have been to the right since you would round the last bouy and not have much of a target to swim to. There were no bouys in the water near the shore so it seems you could swim straight in and then run in ankle-deep water and still be "swimming".
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:20
Performance: Good
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
01:25:37 | 24.8 miles | 17.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/13
Overall: 0/120
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Out and back on CR386. Nice course with good pavement and just one hill and even that wasn't much of a hill.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:34
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:19:26 | 06.21 miles | 12m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/13
Overall: 0/120
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back mostly in neighborhoods near Mexico Beach. Almost all flat.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4