Pinehurst Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Pinehurst, North Carolina
United States
setup inc
75F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 51m 22s
Overall Rank = 303/474
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 57/76
Pre-race routine:

Drove down to Pinehurst Friday evening to pick up the packet and drive the bike course. Checked in the hotel, ate some dinner, drank a few beers and went to bed. By the way, I recommend the Hampton Inn. It was more expensive than the other hotel, but they let me check out at 1, so i was able to get a shower after the race before the drive home.
Event warmup:

set up the transition area. ran for about 10 minutes, then rode the bike for another 10 minutes. Did not stretch as much as I usually would. Transition area was really crowded and there was not really a place to go stretch. rubbed some icy hot on the sore spots and got the wet suit on and trudged down to the beach for the swim. Swam for a few minutes to loosen up, then waited for the start
Swim
  • 33m 37s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 03s / 100 yards
Comments:

really a good swim for me. Still not below 2:00/100, but getting closer. Probably was right at about 2:00/100 given that I probably swam closer to 1700 meters due to my stellar navigating skills. On the first leg, I went a tad wide :) After I recovered from that, I got to the first turn buoy ok. Then on the second leg, for the first part it was very narrow. I was back in the crowd. For the first time in my racing experience, I got kicked in the face and my goggles got knocked down. I think the guy was going perpendicular to the flow of traffic too, which confused the hell out of me. It took me a few seconds of floating on my back to get the water out of them and get them back on my face and swimming again. Then on the last leg I went a little wide, but not as wide as the first leg. Between my navigating skills (or lack of it) and getting kicked, I am pretty happy with the swim. Also, the exit from the swim is like White Lake in that you have a decent run from the water to the timing mat. Plus, this one is uphill. I guess they figure that is a good warmup for the rest of the course.
What would you do differently?:

Navigate better, not get kicked in the face.
Transition 1
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

a little slow. had some balance issues. I forgot to mention that earlier. before the swim, I was standing on the beach, which is on an angle, but i had some balance issues/light headedness for a brief second. Figured it was lack of sleep and went on. Overall, I think it was really being tired given the rest of the race.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 40s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.97 mile/hr
Comments:

This is where my lack of intelligence comes into play. I rode the new bike. Legs felt great. Legs felt great coming off the bike out of transition. I think I was so determined to break 20 mph that I pushed harder than I should have. (and I didn't even manage that) After duke you would think that I would take it easy on the bike and try and smoke the run. but nooooo. that would have been the intelligent way to race, but of course, I would not be able to write this wonderful race report for you (and me) to learn how not to race.
What would you do differently?:

Not push so hard. Maybe if I had done 18mph, I would have had my legs for the run
Transition 2
  • 01m 4s
Comments:

good transition
Run
  • 59m 50s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, this was not a good run. My legs felt great leaving transition. I think that has a lot to do with the new bike. I felt like I was running pretty strong, but the first mile seemed to take forever. I almost thought they had forgotten to mark it, then I came to the first aid table which was at mile 1. Kept running, but felt like the energy was draining from my body. Patellar tendons were sore, probably not fully recovered from the hills at duke, but really what I noticed was the lack of energy. Finally around mile 3 or so, I felt like I could lay down on the side of the road and take a nap. I have never felt that before during a race. Now, I have had to fight the urge to sit down and quit because I hurt, but not to lay down and take a nap. After that, I alternated running and walking the rest of the course.
Afterwards I noticed how heavy my shoes were and how wet they were. In addition to the hard bike, I think I let the humidity sneak up on me. I never felt hot, but clearly I was draining my energy stores.
What would you do differently?:

not push the bike so hard. take my salt pills to the race. take my red bull to the race
Post race
Warm down:

got my recovery drink from my bag and walked around while I drank it. Did some stretching to get the tightness out of the hips and upper legs.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Two things affected my ability to perform better. One, I didn't take the race seriously enough. I went in to this with the mindset that I had brick workouts that took longer than this race was going to take. I did not take my salt/electrolyte pills. I did not have a red bull to take with me on the run. I did not have any gas pills to help me burp. I should have done all these things just like I do with my half's. Two, I pushed the bike too hard. I did not retain the lesson from duke.
Overall, I need to work on my bike. I need to get stronger on it so 19mph is an easy ride, with legs left to run for days. the swimming is improving, and duke showed the run can be there if the legs haven't been butchered.

Overall, I can't be that dissapointed, though I am. My goal coming in was 2:45. I missed it by 6 minutes. As bad as the run was, I wasn't that far off. If I race like I had some brains in my head, I break my goal, I'm sure of that. this is one of those learning experiences that I think (hope) will make me a better racer next season.

Event comments:

I would recommend this race to anyone. The swim is great, the bike course is challenging, but not tough. The run is a challenge, but I think it can be done much faster than I did it this year. I will come back to do this race.




Last updated: 2007-08-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:37 | 1640 yards | 02m 03s / 100yards
Age Group: 57/76
Overall: 325/474
Performance: Good
Suit: yes
Course: an odd shaped triangle. two medium distance legs followed by a long leg back to the beach. The first leg took you almost to the other shore, then you went out into the lake
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:14
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
01:14:40 | 24.85 miles | 19.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 46/76
Overall: 250/474
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: basically rollers. One hill was a little tough, but really it was not a bad course
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 92
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:04
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:59:50 | 06.21 miles | 09m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 58/76
Overall: 341/474
Performance: Below average
Course: one loop around the lake. first half has a lot of rollers: steep, short little hills that lull you into thinking that it really isn't that hard and you are not really working that hard. The second half is mostly flat (comparatively) with some more rollers at the end
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5