Oshkosh Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Oshkosh, Wisconsin
United States
Midwest Sports Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 31m 12s
Overall Rank = 269/639
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 13/51
Pre-race routine:

We camped the night before, so I didn't really sleep much. It stormed all night. I rolled out of my sleeping bag before the alarm went off, dragged myself to the van and poured a bowl of cereal. Ate that, drank some water, made umpteen trips to the porta potty, got dressed, rolled the family out of bed, and headed over to the venue. I'd already picked up my race packet and transition spots were assigned. So, I didn't need to rush too much. We even scored a pretty good parking spot. Woo hoo!
Event warmup:

After getting transition set up and getting the wetsuit on, I did a short (200 m) swim to warm up. I stayed in the water to just float and relax a bit until the race was about to start.
Swim
  • 09m 55s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 15s / 100 yards
Comments:

I'm pretty sure this course was longer than 440. I placed pretty high, and that's a really slow swim for me if the distance was accurate. Everyone's swims were slow if you go by pace, so I'm guessing it was longer.

The swim was pretty congested. I was passing people from 2 waves ahead of me. I found open water pretty well though. On the way out, I did veer left a little. I'm not used to those buoys on the right. Weirdness.
What would you do differently?:

Sight a little more at the beginning to get my bearings better.
Transition 1
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

The transition was big, and you were supposed to mount on the grass. Screw that. I ran to the street to mount. My bike sucks on grass. The family was there cheering me on, so a few words were shared in transition.
What would you do differently?:

If I only cared about speed, I'd not speak to the family. But, the few seconds it cost - they were worth it.
Bike
  • 50m 13s
  • 16 miles
  • 19.12 mile/hr
Comments:

I was super happy with my bike leg. That's the best average speed I've done in a race yet. And, while I'd really like to hit 20, I'm still pleased that I'm moving in the right direction. I tried to be aware of drafting issues, and using the slingshot thing when I could. There was one point where I was having a hard time not being in someone's draft, but that didn't last long. The course was relatively congested and I was passing a lot of people. Of course, there were plenty passing me, too.
What would you do differently?:

I think I can push a smidge harder. I'm still not sure how hard I can push on the new bike - and I'm still not sure if I should be pushing the bigger gears. I used them for a while on this ride and it really helped the average speed.

Oh, and don't drop your only gatorade bottle. Luckily I had water, too. But, I was really missing that gatorade.
Transition 2
  • 01m 25s
Comments:

I missed my row. Argh! There was a whole crew of relay people clustering right inside transition, and for some reason my head registered that as the edge of transition. I was on the outside row, so I ended up going down one row in. I figured it out right away, but it cost me probably 30 seconds. I also didn't take my feet out of the shoes on the approach. Doh!
What would you do differently?:

Take your feet out of your shoes, goofball. And, remember where your transition is.
Run
  • 28m 15s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

The run started out so good. I felt good, I was controlling my breathing. I was pacing well. Then at mile 2, BAM - I got a back spasm. It was a doozy. I'm sure it had everything to do with sleeping (or not sleeping) on the hard ground all night. I walked a smidge, ran, walked another smidge, and ran it in. But, I hurt like h.e. double hockey sticks. Of course I was too stubborn to just walk all the way - not after I'd been doing so well the rest of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Um, no camping the night before a tri.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank water, stretched, looked for my family, got some food, checked my times, packed up and headed back to the campground.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Camping the night before didn't help much. I definitely need to spend more time working on the run. It kills me every time.

Event comments:

This race needs a novice division. There are a LOT of beginners doing it, and it would be really helpful to not have to navigate through them all.




Last updated: 2007-08-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:55 | 440 yards | 02m 15s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/51
Overall: 120/639
Performance: Good
Suit: shorty john
Course: Out and back with buoys on the right.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:22
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:50:13 | 16 miles | 19.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/51
Overall: 310/639
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: It was fast and flat - the only "hills" were overpasses. Roads were pretty decent. There were a fair amount of turns, though.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:25
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:28:15 | 03.1 miles | 09m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 23/51
Overall: 385/639
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back through town - 2 water stops, some nice shady areas, decent breeze.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4