Luray Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Luray, Virginia
United States
Set-Up, Inc.
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 43m 42s
Overall Rank = 140/317
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 16/47
Pre-race routine:

The race was about an hour and half away and I had to pick up my race packet. This led to an early departure for the race. I had my normal race breakfast and drove to the race. Got to the race and set up my transition spot and talked to the people around me. Took some time to figure out where to go in and out of transition. Talked to Dan, Ally and Steve from BT.

This was a C race for me. I trained right up to the race and had a long ride scheduled for the next day. The goal was to push some but not go hard the whole way. It was a good test for November to see if I could control my pace.
Event warmup:

Wandered down to the beach and got into my wetsuit. I was surprised that this race was wetsuit legal but I wasn't going to complain. I swam about 100 yards to make sure the wetsuit was on right and the goggles weren't leaking.
Swim
  • 26m 23s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was one of my best swims time wise. I think the course may have been a little short but I'm not complaining. I was in the last wave and started catching people from the previous wave before the first turn bouy. This made the course quite congested for the whole swim. I was trying to be considerate but after a while I just picked a line and swam. I didn't intentionally hit anyone but I didn't give up my line either. There were a lot of people breast stroking, backstroking and I think I saw someone dog paddling or at least treading water. It would be nice to have waves by estimated time but it's also nice have people by age groups.

Anyway, this was my best time for an Oly swim. I felt strong the whole swim and never felt out of breath. It was my best event for this race. It's amazing how much better I swim in open water and with a wet suit.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 02m 47s
Comments:

It's a long run from the beach to the transition including a set of stairs. I ran but didn't push hard. I didn't want to start the bike out of breath. As this was a C race, I dried my feet and put on socks.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 23m 41s
  • 25 miles
  • 17.92 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a somewhat hard course for an Olympic. There were a couple of hills but there was one long false flat that I thought was harder than the hills. I thought I was going nicely and realized I was only going 12 mph. The false flat was steeper than I thought.

As it was a two loop course and I started in the last wave, the course was crowded for the whole ride. It made it difficult not to draft and there was a lot of people blocking. I made sure to keep the pace under control and try to stay aero as much as possible. It was hard when people were passing but it was good practice for November.

Even with the pacing, I finished in the top half of my age group which is unusual for me. So I can't complain about this ride.
What would you do differently?:

Have parents with a biking gene
Transition 2
  • 01m 27s
Comments:

I'm not sure what happened here. I felt like I went pretty fast but was only 20th in my age group
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 49m 25s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

This run went pretty well. My first time under 50 minutes for a triathlon 10k. The course may have been a little short but I'm not complaining.

Coming out of T2 I felt pretty good and ran well the first mile and half. I had a nice pace going and couldn't understand why the people coming the other way looked like they were struggling. At the first turn around, I realized I had been running mostly downhill. I should know by now that if I feel good in a race, I'm either going downhill or downwind.

I made sure to pace better on the second loop and passed a bunch of people coming up the hill the second time.
What would you do differently?:

Pace better on the first lap
Post race
Warm down:

I kind of wandered around and talked to people. I got something to eat and drink. I had forgot to wear a watch, so I wasn't sure how I did in the race. It turns out that I did better than I thought. Even though every course is different and I don't do a lot of Olympics, this was my best time for an Oly. There were a lot of fast people at this race, so my overall wasn't that great but my age group position was pretty good. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this race. I followed my plan, kept to my paces and didn't feel trashed after the race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I didn't train specifically for this race and I trained right up to the race.

Event comments:

This is a good local race. Organized, tough competition and lots of volunteers. I'm not a big fan of loop courses for an Oly. It makes for a lot of congestion but I understand it makes it easier for the RD. It probably would have been better if I wasn't in the last swim wave. Overall though a good race.




Last updated: 2008-07-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:23 | 1640 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/47
Overall: 0/317
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: A two loop triangle shaped course
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:47
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:23:41 | 25 miles | 17.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 21/47
Overall: 0/317
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: A two loop rolling course
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:27
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:49:25 | 06.2 miles | 07m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/47
Overall: 0/317
Performance: Good
Course: A two loop course. Mostly downhill on the way out and up hill coming back
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4