Tri the Parks - Richard B. Russell State Park - TriathlonOlympic


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Elberton, Georgia
United States
Blue Sky Sports
81F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 55m 36s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 6/8
Pre-race routine:

Ate a bowl of cereal, had a cup of coffee, pulled my water bottles out of the freezer and headed out to Elberton. I packed the Tribute the night before so I wouldn't have to worry so much about getting out the door. It didn't help too much. I took a wrong turn on the way to the Richard B. Russell State Park (heading instead toward Bobby Brown State Park). Got turned back around just outside of Elberton, but that got me pretty nervous.
Event warmup:

Got parked, pulled my gear out, headed over to check in and got set up. I actually did get a warm up run in - but it was only because I was running from the bathroom to drop my shoes off and grab my goggles and swim cap. Talked to Mindy, asked if she would rescue me if I went under. I was kinda nervous.
Swim
  • 23m 12s
  • 1000 meters
  • 02m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

I really enjoyed this swim. After wading for a bit at the start (the lake was pretty shallow), I got into a good rhythm pretty early on. It helped that there weren't as many in my wave as the Clemson tri. I was actually able to do bilateral breathing without too much trouble. The hard part was reminding myself to swim my race, not try to race the girl next to me. Swim time also includes uphill run to T1 - pretty run through the trees. This is where Leslie (111) passed me.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster. I didn't want to be completely wiped, but I think I could have given more during the swim than I did. It was my first oly, so I think I did okay.
Transition 1
  • 01m 23s
Comments:

Umm, pretty normal T1 time. I was a bit out of breath after running from the lake.
What would you do differently?:

Practice running right after I swim, I guess? The lifeguards might frown on that, though.
Bike
  • 1h 27m 8s
  • 22 miles
  • 15.15 mile/hr
Comments:

I was NOT expecting hills this bad. Silly me. I was pretty winded starting the bike. I think running instead of walking out of the water, while smart, got to me at the beginning of the bike. It took a while for me to get my breath. I passed a few people, but got passed by a lot more. oh, and I LOVE my bento box. It made life so much easier.
What would you do differently?:

It was hard to judge what kind of effort I needed to give on the bike, since I had never seen the course. I guess I was trying to save energy for possible future hills and for the run. What I would do differently - more hill training. Not so strong on the gatorade mix. More sports beans, maybe no bloks. Maybe gu instead. Practice going faster on long rides. Run before I ride. -- (ooo. That's a good idea. Practice starting off winded.)
Transition 2
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

As I was one of the later ones in, it was a bit crowded on the bike racks. And I was walking funny and feeling tired, which didn't help me get the bike on there any faster. Oh, and I sat down to get my socks and running shoes on.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I wasn't disappointed with my T2 time at all.
Run
  • 1h 02m 6s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 10m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

I got off the bike as others were finishing their first lap and the insides of my legs were really sore. That hasn't happened before, so that was pretty weird. Ran a comfortable pace that was probably somewhat slower than I was capable of starting on a trail in pretty decent shape. Soon after I got off the trail, Adam passed me, and I sped up to keep up with him. He sounded like he was ready to lose a lung, he was pushing for speed on his last lap. I paced him until just under a mile to go on my first lap. It was nice to run with somebody, and trying to keep up with him helped my times. (first lap - 30:13). With no one to run with on my second lap, it didn't go as quickly, but I did pass a few people, including a guy who is 73 years old. That's pretty cool. Tried to sprint toward the end, but wasn't much of a sprint. (second lap - 31:53).
What would you do differently?:

Run faster. I need speed work. Yep, this summer will have more track time.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, felt like I'd run a marathon or something. Found Mindy, met her hubby and kids, really met Leslie, met K Hopkins (Kevin) thanks to his North ATL multisport jersey. Ate half a bagel, several cookies, orange slice, couple of bottles of water. I also ran into Shannon, a girl I was in campus ministry with at Valdosta State. THAT was really cool.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not enough training on the bike. And I need more speed training on the run. My very conservative goal (thanks to the tire incident at Clemson) was 3:08:00. I finished this race in 2:55:36, so I was very happy with my finish time.

Event comments:

The volunteers who help out with the Tri the Parks series are AWESOME! There were so many people out there to help us, and that made this race. Russell was a good first oly. I enjoyed it, and if I can, I'll be doing it next year. And I will put in more hill training beforehand!




Last updated: 2007-02-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:12 | 1000 meters | 02m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 6/8
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Triangular - swim along shore to the first buoy to the right, take a left and swim a long ways to the second buoy, take a left and angle in towards the shore.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:23
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:27:08 | 22 miles | 15.15 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/8
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Lots of turns. We started in the park, then out on country roads. Pretty bad hill within the first few miles. Ended up going down this hill on the way back in - so the course was an out, loop, back.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:02:06 | 06.2 miles | 10m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/8
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: Two loop course - Up a trail through some woods, onto a road, past the golf course, up a hill, down a hill, turn around, go back that way, except for getting on the trail. Run back toward transition area and do the run again.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4