Fort Lewis Triple Threat Triathlon Series - Race #2 - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
North Fort Lewis, Washington
United States
Fort Lewis DMWR-Sports Branch
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 23m 5s
Overall Rank = 27/120
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/7
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:30, dragged my rear out of bed and thought about just going back to sleep (crazy and short lived) packed up the car and drove to the event. Ate a Clif bar on the drive and drank some water. Hydrated well the day before so I was feeling pretty good once I was actually awake (haven't slept well the past few days). Checked in at registration and they didn't have me on the roster...took about 2 minutes to fix this which was great.

Set up transition and then worked on clearing my mind and relaxing. Talked to some of the other people in the transition area for a while and then went down to the water to make peace with my foe.
Event warmup:

Swam for about 10 minutes before the pre-race brief...seemed to be very helpful
Swim
  • 16m 16s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 51s / 100 yards
Comments:

I actually swam some of this one!!! Started quite a bit left and had a clear shot all the way out to the first bouy. Breathing wasn't fantastic, but I spent more time freestyling than anything else the entire way. Only came in contact with two people the entire swim and one of them had to deal with me kicking to protect my space (normal swim kick...just wasn't going to let them swim over me). Still completely different than the pool and I realize that swimming in a 25yard pool allows for alot of extra breathing and rest. Still did some sidestroke and backstroke, but managed to get in some decent periods of real swimming along with everything else. Lots of room for improvement here still and this week that feels like a good thing. I was able to catch a few things that I was doing wrong with my stroke even though I couldn't quite fix them during the race, but having my face in the water is a start and I can get the rest down the road (I think)
What would you do differently?:

This time compared to my first two attempts....NOTHING...Huge step forward. Many flaws and things that can be improved, but I was very happy.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

T1 Time is included with bike leg. Had a little trouble getting wetsuit off as I had to try multiple times to get my first leg out. Maybe should have sat down since I lost my balance and almost fell. Still need a lot of work mounting bike and getting up to speed outside the transition area
What would you do differently?:

Sit down to remove suit and practice mount more. Not ready for shoes left on the bike yet and I would need different cycling shoes to acheive this with any ease
Bike
  • 43m 5s
  • 15 miles
  • 20.89 mile/hr
Comments:

I love the new areobars!!! Had a chance to practice with them a bit during the past few weeks and need to put more time in on them to stay aero the entire ride. I pushed hard on the bike again and feel that I should continue to do so even though I am just surviving the run these last two races. I really like the Aero Drink, but I ran into the problem I have had in training by drinking more on the bike...really hurts me on the run.

By being out of the water sooner there were some better riders on my section of the course which helped me push myself, one was sort of back and forth with me until the midpoint turnaround and then I managed to distance myself for good. I came up on one other rider with about 2 miles to go and after I passed him he kicked it in with about a mile left and left me like I was sitting still. The bike has definately been my strongest element and I get the most enjoyment out of it.
What would you do differently?:

Ride more with the new bars so that I don't have to get out of aero at all during the ride. Still need to figure out how much water I can safely take in...obvioulsy less than I did for a sprint (still only drank most of one bottle, can only handle a few sips so far)
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

T2 included with run time. I do not get off the bike any better than I get on it. Had problems getting off the wrist strap that was being used for keeping times so that cost me a few seconds. Put bike on rack and changed shoes, ran without socks again and like it.
What would you do differently?:

Learn to remove shoes while on the bike so that I can get a faster dismount
Run
  • 23m 44s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Water on the bike bit me hard here. I developed a stitch directly under my ribs in the middle of my chest that really had me wanting to walk it out. I have had this same problem in training when I have drank more than just a few sips of water while on the bike. Fortunately, I have learned from training that I can breathe out hard against the stitch and keep it in check somewhat. I sounded like a freight train almost the entire run and I think it scared a few people who thought I was dying or something. I was passed by two people on the run and they were both very encouraging with their comments. I managed to hold on behind both of them for most of the remainder of the run. If it was not for them I am sure I would have backed off more and finished much later. Run was still a few seconds faster than my last attempt here, but I feel like it could be so much better. I know it wasn't my best run, but it was a fight just to keep going so I feel like I won that battle.

What would you do differently?:

FIGURE OUT THE WATER INTAKE!!! I am starting to run more on my own again since my pace has been dropping from our formation runs with work. I really want to get back to longer distances and do some speed work over the next month as well before I tackle this course for the last time this year.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank lots of water and ate some fruit along with some light stretching.

Went down by the final section of the run to cheer on the others still out on the course (something that people are really bad about at this venue for some reason). Came back up and packed my car before the door prizes and awards were given out. Won a bike pump as a door prize.

Something went wrong with retrieving the race results so they sent everyone home and said that they would mail out the awards. Waited until this morning to see how things played out

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming (which was better) and hydration (too much instead of too little this time). I know I have room for improvement and plan to train harder after my next race this coming weekend. I finished over 6 minutes faster than I did on this same course 3 weeks prior so I can't complain

Event comments:

Besides the technical problems with the results this was once again a well put together event.




Last updated: 2007-06-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:16:16 | 880 yards | 01m 51s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/7
Overall: 59/120
Performance: Good
Suit: Full Wetsuit
Course: Triangle course(sort of)...two bouys and start/finish at two different locations
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:43:05 | 15 miles | 20.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/7
Overall: 21/120
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Flat and fast with a few turns
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:23:44 | 03 miles | 07m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/7
Overall: 48/120
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back with hill at start of run and then right after turnaround. Flat and narrow throughout remainder
Keeping cool Below average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3