Breath of Life Ventura Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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Ventura, California
United States
Breath of Life Ventura
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 30m 30s
Overall Rank = 133/371
Age Group = 18-24
Age Group Rank = 7/17
Pre-race routine:

I woke up around 4:15, ate 2 (small) bagels with PB and honey, had a double shot of espresso and we were out the door by 5:00. We got to the race site at 5:45 am, checked in and I set up my transition. Around the time the mandatory race meeting was about to start I got a troubling case of GI distress and (thankfully!) I was able to bribe my way to the front of the toilet line and truly disgust myself. At least I got it out before the race started. A quick walk to the beach, and it was time to start the race.
Event warmup:

A few minutes in the water, to get used to the waves and realize that there were some pretty gnarly rocks in the water.
Swim
  • 30m
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

Considering my last triathlon swim (which consisted of the backstroke for 800 meters) this was fantastic. My motto for the swim portion: slow and steady wins the race. I walked into the water, avoid the tussle, took my time for the first 200 meters and ended passing some people who obviously started off a little too hard. I didn't try to draft, I just focused on steady breathing and sighting. Here is where I have a little beef with the swim course. The course was changed the morning of the race, and it was marked by only two buoys. There were a lot of swimmers who didn't know where they were going (including myself) because it was tough to see the second buoy until you got close to it.
What would you do differently?:

Just swim more, and work on speed and technique. If my swimming keeps improving at this pace, I'll be happy.
Transition 1
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

Decent prep work seemed to have paid off. I still get my ankles stuck in the wetsuit, but other than that it went pretty well
What would you do differently?:

There are always seconds to shave off.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 37s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.25 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike felt pretty solid. It was a little disheartening to hear the whine of so many discs passing me, as well as seeing so many expensive bikes flying past. Oh well, I'm not at that level yet. I had a goal (21 mph) and I was a little short of that, but I did what I had to do to keep my legs fresh for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Overall not much. I should work more on the bike so I can raise my average a couple mphs (maybe 22-23...)
Transition 2
  • 02m 25s
Comments:

Well, I got my feet out of my shoes, and pedaled in, jumped on the bike and ran to my rack. Only problem, was it wasn't my rack. I spent a couple minutes frantically overturning wetsuits, convinced that someone had taken my shoes. Well, when I finally found my stuff, things went pretty quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Find my spot for goodness sakes.
Run
  • 42m 18s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 06m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

The run was really good and really painful. My legs felt good on the run, but it was easy for me to fall into a "reasonable" pace, and since there was nothing after the run, there was no reason to save anything. It was very hard to keep myself mentally and physically involved in the run and not get sucked into daydream mood. I was rewarded with a new 10k record and 30 seconds off my dream goal of a sub-2:30 oly race (if only I hadn't dawdled in T2). Oh well.
What would you do differently?:

I'm pretty sure I had a negative split on the run, and I would have liked to have hurt a little bit more on the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Water, and then a quick shower on the beach.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The race went well. The only thing I really could have done was not screw around in transitions. Other than that: train more!

Event comments:

This was a great race. Ventura is a really enjoyable city, the weather was perfect for a race, and the race was well organized. There were lots of volunteers and except for my little problem with the swim course everything was very professional. The best part, though, has the be the post-race BBQ with great food and a cool environment to hang out for an hour or two.




Last updated: 2008-04-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:00 | 1640 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/17
Overall: 208/371
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU - Elite
Course: A rectangle just south of the pier with 2 buoys marking the course
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:14
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:13:37 | 24.85 miles | 20.25 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/17
Overall: 195/371
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back with two loops in the middle. Fairly flat the whole way through.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:25
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:42:18 | 06.21 miles | 06m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 47/371
Performance: Good
Course: Two times on an out and back along the beach.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 5