Memphis in May - TriathlonOlympic


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Memphis, Tennessee
United States
Start 2 Finish, Inc.
76F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 25m 23s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35 - 39
Age Group Rank = 53/166
Pre-race routine:

Got up about 4:30 in the morning. Alarm was set for 5:00 but my 7 month old son decided to get up earlier. Laid in bed for a little while before getting moving. Spent a lot of energy getting everyone moving and trying to get us on the road by 5:45. Didn't do too well so we didn't head out until 6:00. Got to the race site pretty quickly - in about half an hour. Spent time setting up in transition and then hanging out with the family.
Event warmup:

None really. Just tried to calm my nerves, which I always seem to get. The start process (one person going off every three seconds) plus the number of participants (they said 1700) led to a very long wait before getting started.
Swim
  • 30m 51s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 53s / 100 yards
Comments:

I felt good throughout the swim, but my time was horrible. I was concerned about water temp as I was in the 10% or so that went without a wetsuit. I was pleasantly surprised to find the water felt great. Very refreshing. I did get into a good routine every now and then, which would be quickly squashed by realizing I had gotten quite of course. The start was good (everyone going off every three seconds) as far as spacing everyone out throughout the course so I didn't have too many problems with contact with others.
What would you do differently?:

If I'm going to continue doing triathlons, I need to make a concerted effort to improve in the swim. My swim times are horrible and quite embarrasing. They really hold back my overall performance, as I'm decent in the bike and strong in the run. Need to spend more time in the pool. But also more time developing better form / speed. I also need to work on sighting. I was all over the course and gave us several minutes because of this. It may be time to invest in a wetsuit as I did not enjoy the bouyance that 90% of other participants did.
Transition 1
  • 01m 51s
Comments:

The transition area was very large, which is had to be given the number of participants. So while my time may seem high, I think I did fairly well. Probably could have shaved a few seconds if I had been a little more efficient, but overall not bad.
What would you do differently?:

I don't really practice my transitions, and I need to start.
Bike
  • 1h 09m 39s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 21.41 mile/hr
Comments:

About half-way in, I got passed by a few people which seemed to be flying and I felt like I was stuck in the sand. Turns out, I kind of was. I noticed that my back tire was slowly leaking and I was only about half full. I decided to pull over and shoot some CO2 in rather than changing the tire. This seemed to get me through. But I think the problem with the flat/leaking really cost me. I never got in a rhythm and had to stay in gears I probably wouldn't have otherwise. This was a humbling ride as there were a few people that flew by me.
What would you do differently?:

Train more. I didn't train enough for the bike (or the swim) as all my training up until a month ago was focused on Boston Marathon training. I need to get more comfortable on the bike and work on cadence. I'm all over the place.
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

This was a long transition area, hence the high time. I bet I ran a good 30 seconds from the time I racked my bike to the time I exited the transition area. Someone also put their bike in the area I had used prior to the bike start, so I had to rack my bike basically on top of the area I had laid out, making it a little more difficult to get all I needed.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I was fine with my time given the distance that had to be covered entering and exiting the large transition area.
Run
  • 41m 22s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 06m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt pretty good on the run. Probably could have pushed it a little more in the first four miles and been close to breaking the 40 minute mark. But it was quite hot at this point and I wanted to be sure I had something in the tank. And I was surprised by the number of hills. I've been living in Memphis for about 5 months now and these are the first hills of any significance I've encountered.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. Given my running background, it continues to be my strongest area and one saving grace in triathlons. Given the quality of competition at this triathlon, I'm quite happy place in the top 10 in my age group.
Post race
Warm down:

Met up with the family and headed over to a shaded area to enjoy the post race spread. Ate some BBQ and drank a couple Budweisers. Seemed like a good warm down to me.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not training enough for the swim and bike (I was doing marathon training exclusively until a month ago). Flat tire on the bike. Being a horrible swimmer. It's bad that I rank 133 (swim), 105 (bike) and then 9 (run). That's too large a discrepency. Even finishing middle of the pack on swim and bike would put me in good overall position given my strong running.

Event comments:

Very good event. Well organized. Huge compared to the triathlons I've done in the past. Only gripe would be lack of mile markers on the bike and run. I didn't see any at all.




Last updated: 2007-05-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:51 | 1640 yards | 01m 53s / 100yards
Age Group: 133/166
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course: Triangle. Relatively small, shallow lake. One loop around the triangle. Sun glare after the first turn was pretty brutal.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:51
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:09:39 | 24.85 miles | 21.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 105/166
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Wind: None
Course: All over the place over rural roads. Couln't even try to explain all the turns. Very, very flat.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:41
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:41:22 | 06.21 miles | 06m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 9/166
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back. Rolling hills that were quite challenging given the heat of the day.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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