DeSoto American Triple T Race # 3 Team Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Portsmouth, Ohio
United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 57m 54s
Overall Rank = 165/281
Age Group = Sr. 24-39
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

No real pre-race routine. This was the second race of the day. We had decided to hang out at the race site between races so I never moved my bike or gear. I worked on staying nourished and hydrated between races. I laid down in my lounge chair for the most part occasionally getting up to dance a jig. About 90 minutes before the race start I started to move around.
Event warmup:

This race was completely different. It was a Bike-Swim-Run. It started as a bike Time Trial. So I went for a quick spin and popped a gu about 20 minutes before the start.
Swim
  • 27m 28s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

As mentioned the swim occurred AFTER the bike and it was my second 1500m swim of the day. Prior to the race I read numerous reports about people cramping when they hit the water. With that in might, I was determined to focus on upper body strength and reduce my kicking to a minimum.

I must say that entering the water after 80 minutes of tough climbing was a weird, numbing sensation. Entering the water for your second swim made it that much more painful.

As with the other races, I found a good draft. This course was really good for practicing your drafting skills. I felt like I got through the first lap feeling good. The second lap was much more difficult. I was a bit spent by the last 500m and thought my arms were about to fall off
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. The swim was less than 3 minutes slower than the morning session. I think that is a success.
Transition 1
  • 02m 45s
Comments:

This was a bike to swim transition. That meant after racking your bike and removing the bike gear, I had to get INTO my wetsuit and do it quickly. I managed to get it on and adjusted adequately. I ran to the beach and had Jess zip me up. I wonder how many people forgot their goggles, lol
What would you do differently?:

Under three minutes to rack a bike, get into a wetsuit an run to the beach? I am plenty happy with that performance.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 27s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 18.05 mile/hr
Comments:

Hmmmmm....this was really tough. Time trial start where you couldn't go out too hard because you knew big hills were ahead. The first climb was moderate but good. The descent was nice. Again it was really tough on a tri bike to take the corners on the switch back. The course smoothed out for a little while before heading into another climb. This time you descended the entire mountain. It was brutal on a tri bike.

The section to turnaround was nice and flat. One of the cool aspects of this race is that you can race as a team and teams could draft off one another. You really began to see the benefits of strategy.

At about mile 16 you hit the mother of all hills. This bitch kept going up and up and up. It was probably a good 5-600 feet of climbing over about one mile. I also think this is where it began to go wrong for me. I was pushing it too hard. It is really difficult not to...especially when you feel like you are going to roll back down the hill.

The summit couldn't come quick enough. Finally some active recovery. I coasted back down the descent until I hit the final hill. I could tell how exhausted I was. I was searching for more gears.
What would you do differently?:

Work more on descending on the tri bike
Transition 2
  • 02m 39s
Comments:

This was a swim-run transition. I was tired coming out the water and took my time finding my rack. I talked to jess for a minute as I took off my wetsuit. I also shook out my legs and hoped to keep my socks relatively dry for the run
What would you do differently?:

I am pleased with it.
Run
  • 62m 36s
  • 6.55 miles
  • 09m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Second 6.55 run on the brutal course. My legs felt pretty numb at this point. The oddest thing is that I recall how hilly the course was on the first run. You definitely felt the inclines. This time...I was too numb. I knew I was climbing but it all kinda felt the same.

I kept a steady pace and walked the aid stations. I was relinquished to walking the steepest sections of the hill. I knew that my plan was to make up the time on the downhills.

I think I was really worried about nutrition and hydration out there. I overdid it a bit but I was hungry. In the last 2 miles I developed a cramp that I couldn't work out. How frustrating is it to walk and double over in the final mile of a run. Ugh.
What would you do differently?:

I likely pushed it a bit out there.
Post race
Warm down:

First thing I did was take off the shoes and look at the blister that was forming. Then I stood in line for more food. Pizza...pizza...pizza...anything at this point, I was a hungry boy.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Um...not race that morning. I nearly hit my anticipated time goal.

Event comments:

Second race of the day so you knew what to expect. I knew where the aid stations were located. The bike-swim-run format was really cool and HFP did a really good job organizing everyone.




Last updated: 2008-05-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:28 | 1640 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/281
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Evo
Course: Same course as the others--two loop counter clockwise rectangle.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:45
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:22:27 | 24.8 miles | 18.05 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/281
Performance: Average
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: Brutal out and back with 2 monster climbs and 2 moderate climbs. Middle sections were small rollers to flats.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:39
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:62:36 | 06.55 miles | 09m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/281
Performance: Good
Mile 1: 9:33; Mile 2: 9:58; Mile 3: 10:00; Mile 4: 10:20; Mile 5: 8:55; Mile 6: 9:48; 1/2 Mile: 4:04
Course: Same brutal course as the other days
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5