Merrill Lynch Race For Sight Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Columbia, Missouri
United States
Ultramax
40F / 4C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 12m 55s
Overall Rank = 76/539
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 8/36
Pre-race routine:

I woke up, ate some waffles and made sure i had everything ready to go. I had everything packed up, but it was colder than i thought it was going to be, so I wanted to make sure i had some extra clothes just in case it stayed cold this morning. I got to the race site and by the time i got transition set up, my body marked and my timing chip it was about time to go into the rec center to start the swim
Event warmup:

Not much... I did a short jog to the rec center and got inside. I stood in line for a while, watche the elite wave go and waited for my turn
Swim
  • 08m 36s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 57s / 100 yards
Comments:

I wasnt very happy with this swim. In my test i swam a 6:42. I seeded myself with the 7:00 minute people and I thought i would be fine. I guess ducking under the ropes for me takes a long time. I was passed by 3 people during the swim. I really dont think it was my best performance, but i am not sure how i could have improved it. I probably could have hopped into the pool and done a couple of practice laps to get myself warmed up. When it was my turn i hopped into the water and the water seemed cold and it was alittle shocking to me. Live an learn here. I guess.
What would you do differently?:

I will do a couple of practice laps in 50 meter pool before doing this race next year. I have been swimming in a 25 yard pool and the difference in length definately makes a difference.
Transition 1
  • 01m 26s
Comments:

Ok here is where i really messed up. Upon exiting the swim, you ran out of the rec center, down a sidewalk onto an astroturf field into transition. As i ran out of the rec center I got a blast of cold air from the 40 degree weather outside. I ran along with a group that came out of the water the same time as me. I ran along the side walk as the arrows directed, but these people cut the corner and took about 50 feet of their transition run. What bothers me about this is that a volunteer was standing right there and didnt say a thing. I got alittle angry and sprinted past the people into the transition area. Upon entering the transition area I had a big decision to make: Put on and jacket and be comfortable on the bike, or go without it and possible freeze my butt off. I pondered for a second while i ran into transition and decided to get the jacket. As i started to put it on i realized that the sleeves were inside out and it took a while to get them untangled and right side out. This basically killed my T1 time. I felt pretty comfortable for bike ride, but i think that the time I wasted in T1 would not have been lost if i were a bit uncomfortable on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not put the jacket on....or made sure the sleeves were right side out when i set up transition..
Bike
  • 41m 7s
  • 15 miles
  • 21.89 mile/hr
Comments:

Overall i was pleased with my ride. My goal was to avg over 21 mph and i was able to avg 21.9. I think it was pretty good
What would you do differently?:

I maybe could have pushed a bit more, but I wanted to make sure i had something for the run
Transition 2
  • 00m 55s
Comments:

My bike dismount was pretty good. I may have slowed a bit too much while I was taking my feet out of my shoes. Jumping off the bike was pretty close to flawless but i think that i could have done a bit better getting my shoes on and taking my jacket off
What would you do differently?:

i wouldnt have a slowed as much and i would have gotten my shoes on a bit faster
Run
  • 20m 49s
  • 2.9 miles
  • 07m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

It was a pretty uneventful run. I was running hard and was only passed once. I met my goal of avg under 7:30 miles. My toes were cold at the start of the run, but after they warmed up, I felt really strong. For me, it was a pretty good run (especially after the bike)
What would you do differently?:

nothing.. perhaps i could have gone faster??
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around an stretched a bit

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall i was pleased with the race. When i was done, i felt really good. I beat my time from last year by 12 minutes!! I did much better in my AG than last year, but after analyzing the race result all i can think of is "what if?" I was 8th place in AG which was good but I was only 1 min 21 second out of 3rd place. I wasted at least 45 second in T1 and my swim could have been better. My poor decision to put on the jacket, basically cost me a podium finish. I am not too bummed out, just a bit disappointed in my decision. I am totally happy with the way i performed in the bike and run and i did very well so overall this was good race for me despite some setbacks.

Event comments:

It is a good race. Great for your first tri. Ultramax always does a good job!!




Last updated: 2007-12-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:36 | 440 yards | 01m 57s / 100yards
Age Group: 11/36
Overall: 105/539
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course: snake style swim in a 50 meter indoor pool
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:26
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:41:07 | 15 miles | 21.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/36
Overall: 58/539
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 2 lap courese with 2 long descents and 2 long climbs each lap. The rest is fairly flat.. Because of construction, they took out "The Wall" this year.. alittle disappointing but it made for a faster course
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:20:49 | 02.9 miles | 07m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/36
Overall: 107/539
Performance: Good
Course: i winding course through MU campus. It included a ramp and bridge over a busy street, gravel and pavement, and a mixture of flats and rolling hills
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4