Playtri Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Irving, Texas
United States
Playtri
50-7F / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 27m 22s
Overall Rank = 192/242
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 5/6
Pre-race routine:

I got about 6 hours sleep, which is great for me! I was up at 5. I had everything laid out the night before - just packed it up in the AM. I had a handful of cashews and some powerade + 2 Motrin. At around 5:45 had a packet of oatmeal. Headed to transition area around 6 - it was nice staying at the hotel right by the race. Setting up area I noticed I was missing my sunglasses - I swear they vanished into thin air - seriously! I bought 2 diff pair last week - went back to the hotel and got the other pair. Got my timing chip on the way back in to transition - good thing to have ;)
Event warmup:

None - I hung out in the transition area in my cutoffs, jacket & tennis shoes as long as I could, but the HIM swimmers were going to be coming in about 10 minutes, so we were kicked out of transition an hour before the race. I kept my cutoffs and jacket on and walked back to my hotel room to get some shoes I didn't care about losing. Hung out there for 10 minutes or so. Used the restroom (MUCH better than a porta-potty!) Put my wetsuit half way on and headed back to the race. It was freezing! I finished putting on my wetsuit. They went over the rules, I put bodyglide on the outside of my wetsuit and we lined up to go. I was in the 2nd wave.
Swim
  • 37m 54s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water for the practice swim yesterday took my breath away. Today it was cold enough outside it felt fine! I positioned myself all the way to the right and didn't have too much traffic. I started off slow so as to not run into people's feet. A couple times I got hit and it stopped me for a second. Soon everyone was outta my way Heh! Then I and another girl couldn't stay out of each other's way for a while, that was frustrating! Anytime I started feeling outta breath I slowed down a bit, tried to stick with how I trained. At nearly the half-way point the wave that started 5 min after us caught up to me - tossed me around a bit and moved on. I was a little panicy at this point - felt like I'd never get done. After rounding the half-way bouy I settled back into a rythem of sorts. My navigation was much better on this half - I think the direction of the waves made it easier. Towards the end a few of the next next wave caught up to me as well. The swim felt REALLY long but my pace is better than in the pool - I know that is mostly due to the wetsuit. But still I'm surprised that the waves / people didn't hurt my time more.
What would you do differently?:

Not stop so often just because someone was next to me or right in front of me - to wait for them to move! I really need to start lifting weights regularly to hopefully help my speed! Get more pool time, I took a long break to help my shoulder feel better and my times are slower than they were in Dec.
Transition 1
  • 06m 42s
Comments:

The transition time included a fairly long run on sharp pebbles for a good portion. I was freezing when I got to transition and took my time (obviously). Took a minute to get my bearings. Took my suit off, took time to try and warm my feet before putting socks on. Got shoes on, helmet, sunglasses, gloves, jersey + long sleeve jersey. Wasn't sure how much to wear - it was very windy, but I didn't want to get hot. I also hadn't decided on nutrition before hand - decided in T1.
What would you do differently?:

Pick my nutrition ahead of time. Not have to rummage through my bag!
Bike
  • 1h 38m 55s
  • 27 miles
  • 16.38 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good ride for me. I was moving much faster than typical, especially in the wind and on hills. For the first hour my bike felt steady and shoulders didn't hurt. For the second hour my shoulders started to hurt and bike steering felt shaky. The race mechanic helped assemble my bike on Sat and thought I had a problem with some bearings - he tightened it back up, but I think it feels loose again - MAYBE it's not me! Towards the end I couldn't reach for nutrition. Had 4 sport beans early on, then tried for 4 more later, dropped 2, felt shaky and stopped trying. I think I could have pushed a bit more - but didn't want to be shot for the run. My quads were burning quite a bit of the race! But were fine when I got off the bike. Wind was from NNW from 15MPH - by the run it was up to 23MPH. With gusts.
What would you do differently?:

Have more nutrition during race. Push a bit harder. Maybe lift weights to strengthen my legs, since my speed was more dictated by them than by my HR.
Transition 2
  • 04m 19s
Comments:

Not sure why this was so slow. I ran in slowly - was kinda shaky! Racked my bike easily, shoes off (did try to warm feet for a few seconds - hate running with them numb!), running shoes on, gloves/helmet off, hat on. Took a pack of beans and a gel I didn't eat on the ride with me - ohh and grabbed wet wipes - headed out of the transition zone to the porta-potty. Had to go at the start of the bike - but it would have been way out of the way then.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure?
Run
  • 59m 28s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 09m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I was following a man (58 y/o) who seemed to be good at pacing. It felt a little slow, but I hung with him. I was surprised at mile 1 to see we were keeping an 8:30 pace, same for mile 2. I believe my 5k time was around 27:10. I fell back from his pace around the 5k point - I never lost sight of him, but my pace suffered. I kept my HR around 153 the entire run. For nutrition, I had 1 pack of sport beans - 3 at a time, one mile apart. I had a couple drinks of accelerade at most aid stations. Didn't have the gel.
What would you do differently?:

I feel like I could have pushed more - this was a race - why keep my HR at 153??? Being my first tri - I just was a afraid to run out of energy & that last mile did get a bit tough.
Post race
Warm down:

Ummmm no warmdown really. I immediately had an orange slice, water, and a piece of a bagel. I was freezing - went to transition and picked up my stuff & took it back to my room. Made a couple calls - went back to the finish line to hang out. Had a hamburger, potato salad, baked beans, and a Dr. Pepper. Sat with someone I met last night and waited for his friend to come in from the half. Watched all of the final athletes from the half come in and cheered them on - was cool to see the determination and visualize myself crossing that line in a couple months!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training time I think - I need to spend more time in the pool and MUCH more time on my bike. I've only had it a few weeks and am not used to it. Luckily my training days have been cold and windy or I woulda been way outta sorts today. I got in just enough training to be able to shift fairly well, but still feel swervy sometimes. I need to learn to ride aero too.

All-in-all I'm very happy with my performance. This was my first tri - I didn't even know if I was up to finishing an OLY. This was my first OWS (other than practice yesterday). This is my fastest swim time (other than the time I wore my wetsuit in my pool). This is right up there with my highest avg bike speed. I hit 30 mph - new record for me. I don't recall if I've ever done a sub-60 10k in training - but this is a good run time for me! Transitions I wasn't focusing on and it showed - that is the only thing I wish I would have done better at - could have moved up a place in my AG.

Event comments:

It's my first race - so all I have to compare to is what I've dreamt up :) I enjoyed the race and thought it was a great 1st experience. If anything, I was hoping for more post-race activities.




Last updated: 2007-12-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:54 | 1640 yards | 02m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/6
Overall: 186/242
Performance: Average
HR - avg 148 / max 161
Suit: QR Long Sleeve
Course: Lake Caroline - Out past 4-5 bouys, turn right, under bridges, around 1 more bouy - and back
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:42
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:38:55 | 27 miles | 16.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/6
Overall: 186/242
Performance: Good
HR - avg 146 / max 161
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Around Las Colinas, lots of turns and lane changes. Traffic was well-controlled for us. There were some really rough spots - I think I hit them all!! Thought about 3-4 times my tires may not make it! Seems like I was against the wind way more than with! Stood up on hills twice, but no problems getting up any of them.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:19
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:59:28 | 06.2 miles | 09m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/6
Overall: 185/242
Performance: Good
HR - avg 151 / max 179 - don't think it really hit 179 - stupid watch! I think this includes my trip to the porta potty - my watch shows 57:11 - I know I can't go by this officially - but I'm very happy with it! Not so happy with the 59:28 - BUT it is sub-60, so that is cool!
Course: Flat - out on roads for about a mile - then onto a trail - out and back. It was windy, but a pretty nice run.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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] 4