Cane Creek Triathlon - Triathlon


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Waxhaw, North Carolina
United States
SetupEvents
63F / 17C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 35m 6s
Overall Rank = 135/342
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 17/37
Pre-race routine:

Got up about 4 AM. Was about a two-hour drive to race site. Ate PBJ toast, and got on the road at 4:30 AM. Had everything packed and ready to go the night before.
Event warmup:

I ususally like to run a mile or so as a warmup, but got there kind of late and since this was a wetsuit legal race, had to get that put on. Got to the swim start area about 7:40 AM and swam a little. Water felt pretty warm.
Swim
  • 21m 15s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

I felt really encouraged about this swim until I saw my time when I got out of the water. It was like 20:45. For the first time in a open-water swim, I actually sighted, didn't get off course and rounded all the buoys fairly closely. I actually thought my time was going to be a lot better. Maybe the course was a little long ... will have to wait for the official results to see. But overall, never felt uncomfortable, I just don't feel like I swim the same way in OW that I do in the pool. Kind of keep my head high, and don't take full strokes with my arms. It just doesn't feel right. Also, the water was a little warm for a full suit, so I started to overheat toward the end. Definately sapped my strength for the beginning part of the bike.

The time includes a long and I mean long run to the transition area.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe not wear a wetsuit ... I don't know. The extra buoyancy is really nice, but didn't like the feeling of getting hot like I did. Need to get a lot more OW swim experience. This is only my 2nd OW race swim and only my 5th ever OW swim (including practice).
Transition 1
  • 03m 6s
Comments:

The wetsuit really slowed my down here and I felt kind of spent anyway because I got too hot. I got the top of the suit off on the long run from the lake and the bib john came off fairly easily. After that, the rest of the transition went as usual.
What would you do differently?:

Practice taking off the wetsut.
Bike
  • 46m 4s
  • 14 miles
  • 18.23 mile/hr
Comments:

OW swims really impact me early in the bike. I hardly ever get passed on the bike, and early on I felt like I got passed at least 4 or 5 times. I caught most of the people who passed me later on once I got my legs back, but it took a while. The course was a lot more rolling than I thought, with a lot of sections that were slightly 1-2% uphill for long stretches.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe push a little harder. Didn't feel particularly motivated for this event, so I didn't give it my usual 110%. Felt more like 90% or so. I have done a lot of races and quite a bit of training this year, felt a little burned out.
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

Couldn't find my rack, so that slowed me down. Had trouble getting on my socks and shoes, so not a great T2.
Run
  • 23m 4s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Didn't feel like I was running very fast. Coming back on the second half of the loop was kind of uphill which hurt a little. Again, just wasn't feeling it today and didn't give it the effort I usually do.
Post race
Warm down:

Took a walk down to the lake and sat on a bench for a while. Then walked the 1/4 mile or so back to the beach to get my flip flops. Packed up and went home, definately not in contention for any hardware today.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just wasn't into it today. Really didn't even feel like doing the race, but I had paid my $50 earlier and the year and felt like I should give it a go anyway. Haven't been training particularly well lately, I think I kind of wear down late in the year and I am probably there now. I am glad I did it anyway, got some more OW experience wearing a wetsuit, and was able work on my navigation which seemed much better.

Event comments:

Very well run, nice venue. Lake seemed pretty clean and everything happened on time. Would do it again.




Last updated: 2008-06-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:21:15 | 820 yards | 02m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 31/37
Overall: 268/342
Performance: Average
Avg 164 BPM
Suit: Desoto Bib John and Pullover
Course: The course started on the beach and went in a sort of semi-circle. Was well marked with buoys.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:06
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:46:04 | 14 miles | 18.23 mile/hr
Age Group: 14/37
Overall: 73/342
Performance: Below average
Avg 162 BPM ... Bike computer had avg speed of 19.3 MPH.
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: The course starts out with a gradual uphill and some steeper rolling sections. It then flattens out some, but still was rolling in spots. There was a pretty stiff breeze coming from the NE at about 13MPH, so that made it a little more challenging.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:23:04 | 03.11 miles | 07m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/37
Overall: 86/342
Performance: Below average
Avg 164 BPM
Course: Two loops out and back, first 3/4 of mile slightly downhill turn around and then go slighly uphill for the next 3/4 of mile and then repeat. Definately not flat as the course description states. No real hills, just that annoying slight grade that tires you out.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
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