Bandits Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Wilkesboro, North Carolina
United States
Set Up, Inc.
90sF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 22m 22s
Overall Rank = 144/187
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 25/39
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:00am. Didn't sleep to well because I get paranoid about hotel wake up calls. After loading the car ended up at the race site at about 6am. Glad I got there fairly early because I missed the bathroom lines. I'm glad my girlfriend kept me in check remembering stuff and getting it together because I was nervous at my first olympic. I spent most of the time flushing out doubts about my performance and just concentrated on finishing.
Event warmup:

Jogged around the dirt track and a bit up the first steep hill for a warmup. Never got on my bike but checked to make sure I was in a light gear to tackle the steep exit. Swam out and back about 25 yards mixed breaststroke and freestyle. Felt loose and very hydrated at the start of my wave.
Swim
  • 40m 28s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was a pretty large wave and I did my routine thing being a slow swimmer to let 'em all go. The water was 91 freakin' degrees! By the time you reached the first bouy it felt like you were swimming in sweat. My breathing was okay but I haven't learned to get used not being in a swimming pool. Every 25 yards or so, I'd stop to sight. (ie look for a wall to turn around)
What would you do differently?:

Need more open water swims and a little more faith in my navigation. I sight way to much. I'm never far off course but I it really piles on time to my swim. Plus longer straight swims.
Transition 1
  • 02m 48s
Comments:

Had to run up a slight hill from the lake 100 yards or so to reach the transition area. I ran up the hill pretty quick but when I entered T1 my body ran out of gas for a moment recovering from the swim. I lost some time stopping and walking to my bike. Once I got my stuff on I caught my breath and was off pretty refreshed.
What would you do differently?:

Longer straight swims. I got through T1 pretty quick on my first two sprints. But my first Olympic swim had me dragging a bit.
Bike
  • 1h 34m 59s
  • 27.96 miles
  • 17.66 mile/hr
Comments:

Considering I neglected this aspect in training more than the other two and that I was one of the very few that wasn't on a souped up bike, I was very pleased. My cramping was minimal and I was able to push over every hill the course threw at me. I felt so good on the bike I knew I was pushing to hard and not saving enough for the run on the last third of the bike. But I couldn't stop pushing, this was where I was having the most fun.
What would you do differently?:

Ride on more hills. More weight training off season.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

Everything I practiced worked to perfection. Then as I was running from my bike when I realized I forgot my freakin' race belt/number. Lost about 20 seconds running back for it.
What would you do differently?:

Lay my race belt on top of my running shoes.
Run
  • 1h 02m 45s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 06s  min/mile
Comments:

Coming out of T2 you get about a quarter mile then run straight up. Then you go 2 miles and then run straight up, 3 miles later, straight up. I had some crazy notion that no matter what I was going to run these hills. Then reality smacked me in the face, or the legs rather. Ran up the first hill, then about half way across the dam my left hamstring decided to let me know I just swam and biked in a race farther than any distance I had ever covered consecutively, and cramped up. Took me 25 yards and 1 water station to walk it out. Then on my first descent down a steep hill, my right hamstring did the same. It was getting hot outside but my legs were what was burning. I never did get fresh legs for the rest of the run/walk. I didn't have much of anything left in my legs and had to walk pretty much anywhere that wasn't flat or downhill. The only thing that made me feel better is that is what 80% of everyone else was stuck doing also.
What would you do differently?:

Take an escalator. Seriously though, the only real way for me to tackle that run course is to do some serious leg strength training paired with lots of hills on some longer runs. Throw in more brick training which I think contributed to my hamstrings constantly locking, it's becoming a pattern.
Post race
Warm down:

I was spent. I found a shady spot and moved very little while I drank a lot. I finally found enough energy after 30 minutes to drag myself over to get some food and a massage. Thank God my girlfriend was with me who got all my stuff from the transition area to the car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of open water swim experience. Lack of muscular endurance, specifically in the legs.

Event comments:

I need lots of practice to tackle a course like this with confidence. I am eager to train to tackle the run course, but I need to flush my mind of the sticky hot water by next year. Sagebrush catered the food afterwards(get someone else! It was bad!) Everything else was great. One day again.




Last updated: 2007-06-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:28 | 1640 yards | 02m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 158/187
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: Sort of a rectangle course. Rocky exit. A volunteer was yelling for everyone to go to the right to avoid the rocks. I was asking myself why not set up the exit to the right then.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 91F / 33C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 02:48
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:34:59 | 27.96 miles | 17.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 131/187
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Steep climb out of the dam, then one hill after the next. Of course you are rewarded with some downhills but very few times are you traveling on a flat course.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:02:45 | 06.21 miles | 10m 06s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 138/187
Performance: Below average
Course: There is no way to describe the toughness of this course. You are running up and down the walls of a dam. Its two climbs up a very steep 200 yard hill stiffles the life out of you.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4