Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Benton, Louisiana
United States
Sportspectrum
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 45m 41s
Overall Rank = 409/1022
Age Group = M 50-54
Age Group Rank = 28/58
Pre-race routine:

Night before: BT dinner at Macaroni Grill with Steve, Marcy, Aaron, Bonnie, Gary, and Jim. Back to the hotel, had everything ready and was asleep by 9pm.

Race morning: Woke up at 4am, coffee and bagels, shower dress, and drive to site. Short delay because we got there before the 6am park opening, but we were parked by 6:15 and I had my transition set up by 6:30.
Event warmup:

Too much activity and general confusion to warm up. Did visit with several BTers and other tri friends and did an video interview with Aaron (JeepFleeb).
Swim
  • 21m 47s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 29s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was terrible and I'm not sure why. Had trouble breathing from the start, early on I had to go with 30-40 strokes freestyle and 10 or so breaststroke to catch my breath. Managed to survive it, but that's not saying much.

I've heard some say that the swim was long, didn't matter to me, just a little while longer I had to suck at it.
What would you do differently?:

Still haven't figured out this OWS thing or why I can breathe fine in the pool but not in a lake.
Transition 1
  • 01m 43s
Comments:

About 50 yards from the lake to the transition area, then another 50 yards run with the bike. Pretty uneventful, didn't run very fast as I was still trying to get my breathing in check.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing I can think of.
Bike
  • 50m 32s
  • 18.2 miles
  • 21.61 mile/hr
Comments:

I really like this bike course, has just enough rolling hills to be challenging, today there was a good breeze that added to the challenge in several places.

Had a couple guys pass me coming out of the park, but no one passed after we got on the road, while I was constantly passing people. I'd guess that I never went fifty yards without passing someone. Amazed me that so many people would ride the center line, I was nearly hoarse from yelling "on your left" and "get over to the right, please"!

Decent enough results, but this was the slowest of my four RCs that I've raced. I'm blaming the strong breeze and my heavy behind.
What would you do differently?:

Still need to drop some weight if I want to do better, especially on these hilly courses.
Transition 2
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

Same run back in to the racks, probably could have gone faster. Actual transition was uneventful.
What would you do differently?:

Run faster?
Run
  • 29m 38s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

By now it's over 90 degrees, but the course is mostly shaded and the breeze really helped.. Not a great run, but this is where I'm at in my training. Walked the water stops and a few hills, really no desire to push it even at the end.
What would you do differently?:

Be further along in my comeback/training.
Post race
Warm down:

Surrendered chip, got medal and downed a bottle of water. Met Angel and waited around with her and the other BTers as they came in, did a post-race interview with the jeepster. Eventually went sampled the food, then after everyone we knew finished, we packed it up and headed out.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of fitness, carrying too much weight, heat, lack of running miles, sucky swimming.

Four-year summary of my races hereshows that this year was the slowest bike and lowest finish within the AG and overall.


Event comments:

As always, a good race, the biggest one I do regularly. Great swag, beautiful challenging course, well-organized and run. Probably continue to do this one every year.

Do want to complain about the food, rarely is food bad enough that I throw it away, but they had some nasty red beans, that I took a couple bites of and tossed, then some homemade cookies that taste like sawdust. Ended up that a hot dog, some Hostess cupcakes and a Coke were about all I could stomach.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-04-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:21:47 | 880 yards | 02m 29s / 100yards
Age Group: 39/58
Overall: 670/1022
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course: Triangular swim, buoys on the right.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 92F / 33C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:43
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:50:32 | 18.2 miles | 21.61 mile/hr
Age Group: 16/58
Overall: 192/1022
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Single loop around Cypress Lake, rolling hills to break up the ride.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:02
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:29:38 | 03.11 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 32/58
Overall: 597/1022
Performance: Average
Course: Squirrely out-and-back that featured several curly Qs and a half-mile or so off-road segment with treacherous roots and gullies.Plenty of small but bothersome hills throughout. Four or five water stations and two places to get cold, wet towels. Finish was also treacherous, as you ran the last 100 yards alternately through sand pits and harder grass surfaces.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4