Fall Creek Falls Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Pikeville, Tennessee
United States
Race Day Events
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 46m 12s
Overall Rank = 62/151
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 7/18
Pre-race routine:

Finally got to sleep in until 5:00am because the race was close by and in the same time zone. Ate 3 small bagels with honey and drank 1 bottle of water. Drove 30 miles to the race site. Registered and set up transition. Took a gel at 7:00am.
Event warmup:

Rode the bike 1 mile to check the mechanics. Jogged about .5 miles to loosen up the legs. Walked the 1/4 mile to the lake and swam 200 yds to get used to the water.
Swim
  • 29m 29s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

I'm still not a good swimmer but improving. Felt comfortable in the water but did have a lot of bumping going on. Tried to draft when I could. They only had 5 buoys for the course and sometimes it was hard to see them. I was 6:13 faster than last year on same course.
What would you do differently?:

Try to draft a little more.
Transition 1
  • 05m 3s
Comments:

After getting out of the water it was a 1/4 mile uphill run to transition area. You had to take your running shoes with you and throw them on after the swim. Getting into transition I put on my breath rite strip, bike socks and shoes, shirt, dew rag and helmet, sunglasses and gloves and off I went. I took a little longer than I should have but I wanted a comfortable bike ride. I was :03 slower than last year.
What would you do differently?:

Shouldn't have worn the gloves or changed the socks.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 7s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.39 mile/hr
Comments:

It was getting hot already and hills were taking there toll on the fast women swimmers that had passed me in the water. I was picking off people easily with lots of hills going out. Played a little cat and mouse with 4 different riders. Took a bottle of water at the turn around and came back into about a 5 mph headwind. I was getting a little pain in the right knee so I took my cadence down a little. I got some good speed on all the downhills we had to climb on the way out. 5 miles to go, took a gel and started getting mentally prepared for the run.
What would you do differently?:

I think I went a little to hard on the bike again. I need to save some for the run. I just felt so good on the bike to pass it up. I was :18 faster last year on the same course with no headwind.
Transition 2
  • 01m 52s
Comments:

Once again changed into running socks from bike socks, helmet and dew rag off and sweatband on. Grabbed a last drink and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Should have only used 1 pair of socks for the entire race instead of 3. I was :18 faster last year.
Run
  • 56m 43s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

The 1st mile was perfect. I was on my 8 min pace with a 7:55. Legs felt good. 2nd mile dropped to a 8:16 but was still close to the pace I trained. Then the bottom dropped out. I was so overheated and my heart rate was to high. Stopped at mile 3 in 10:13 and drank 2 cups of water, grabbed an ice pack and 2 cold sponges, and took a gel. Mile 3 to 4 was a nightmare. I was halfway through this mile and my left hamstring cramped. I bent over to stretch it and when I stood up it cramped again. I couldn't even walk. I thought I was done. Stretched it one more time and stood up and it cramped again. I hauled off and hit it as hard as I could with my fist and it released. Mile 4 was at 10:27 with more water, a sponge and an ice pack. I got where I could run fast for awhile then walk just a second and got through mile 5 in 8:58. Struggled through mile 6 in 9:35 and then in survival mode sprinted out the last .2 to the finish line. As bad as the run went, I was still 3:55 faster than last year but the run lost me an AG spot on the podium. I figure I lost over 7 minutes from what I had trained.
What would you do differently?:

Train in the heat more. It was really hot when we finished. I thought I had enough electrolytes when I started but was sadly mistaken. I had loaded up all week on salt, potassium and magnesium.
Post race
Warm down:

Cold towel, 3 bottles of water with heed mixed in, cold shower to cool down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat and the cramping. Maybe this being the 4th race in 4 weeks had taken it's toll on my body.

Event comments:

Race Day Events did a good job on this race this year. They had a lot of volunteers on the course with plenty of drink stations. They were a little slow getting started but after that everything seemed to go smoothly. I had planned to just run this as a long training day but I got caught up in the moment and couldn't resist the urge to compete. Seeing the times and knowing what I know now, I would have run this race differently. But overall I'm happy with the results, I was 9:30 faster than last year, and it was just my 3rd Olympic distance, and I enjoyed the day...even though it was to hot to race.




Last updated: 2007-08-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:29 | 1640 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 11/18
Overall: 86/151
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Open water lake swim in a triangular pattern.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 85F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:03
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:13:07 | 24.85 miles | 20.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/18
Overall: 51/151
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: Out and back on highway
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:56:43 | 06.21 miles | 09m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/18
Overall: 700/151
Performance: Below average
Course: Paved trail and a little road
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4