Anthem Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Anthem, Arizona
United States
Triple Sports
85F / 29C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 22m 41s
Overall Rank = 84/219
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 21/34
Pre-race routine:

This is a reverse triathlon so start with run.
We got up at 4:45am with the intent of getting 4 sleeping kids packed into the car and pulling out at 5:00am. My wife and I must've been very tired last night before going to bed to think that was even remotely possible. Anyway we finally pull out at 5:20 only to realize as we are about to get on the 60 that we forgot our youngest's shoes. Back we go. I was trying not to panic but I thought that it was going to take us over and hour to get to Anthem when it really only took us about 45min. So much for estimating! I think that is the earliest I've ever made it to a race.
Event warmup:

Stretched a bit and tried to find the family before my race started. As I was going into the transition area I did see StandsWithFists. It was kind of wierd since I had never met her before but I had read her blog and seen some of her photo albums before. It was a little eerie to see someone in real life that you've only known from the internet. Anyway, we chatted for a moment. She said she'd kick my rear and I agreed and then we went on our way.
Swim
  • 10m 35s
  • 437 yards
  • 02m 25s / 100 yards
Comments:

After I finished my first 25 I kicked off the wall and my heartrate monitor slipped down to my stomach. I tried to slide it back up but instead it came off in my hand so I just through it to the side of the pool. On my second 25 I could start to feel my shoulders get tired. This would be the result of little to no swim training for over a month (I was never much of a swimmer anyway). I was much more aggressive this year over last. I actually passed people. This was mainly through kicking off harder from the wall. I got behind and to the side of someone doing the breast stroke so I kept getting kicked by them every stroke. I ended up holding off and kicking off the wall first. My right calf was cramping the whole swim but it never siezed up so I kept on swimming.
What would you do differently?:

Train more now that shoulder is feeling better.
Transition 1
  • 01m 26s
Comments:

This really was my T1 transition. Through on my helmet and gloves. Took a gel. Took off my shoes and stated running for the mounting line. My problem was on the far side of the mounting line. I had meant to jump on my bike and go. I'd even done the rubberband thing on my shoes. Something I had never practiced and I paid for it. I had done the wrong shoe with the rubberband so it really got me confused and I almost fell over once as I was trying to get on. I was completely stopped and felt like I was there for quite a while. Finally I got in my shoes and took off. Putting the strap on as I was going.
What would you do differently?:

Practice mounting with the rubberband before the race!
Bike
  • 47m 22s
  • 14 miles
  • 17.73 mile/hr
Comments:

Once I actually got on the bike things went pretty smoothly. It is amazing how much faster a road bike is with aerobars than a mountain bike. Needless to say, my bike time this year was significantly better. Not much to note on the bike until one of the last turns of the third loop. I had been fighting back and forth with this guy on a mountain bike. He would pass me on the uphills and I would pass him on the downhills. He started to get quite a ways ahead of me at the beginning of the third loop which is an uphill. I went all out on the downhill and caught up to him at the very end of the downhill. Since I knew I wouldn't need my legs for anything else after this loop I really tried to stay ahead of him. I could see him coming up on me as we came into a turn. I took it a little wide but I still needed to slow down so I gave a little bit of brake but my brake stuck so I gave it a bit more then the brake. All of a sudden the brake got past the part where it was stuck and I got alot of brake. My front tire swerved and I thought I was going down. I kept upright though but it was just enough for the guy on the mountain bike to pass me. I was never able to catch up with him again. Right at the end as I was turning off the course and going towards the transition area I could feel my right calf start to cramp. It wasn't until I hopped off my bike that it completely cramped and I had to limp into the transition area where it started to loosen up just a bit.
What would you do differently?:

Lubricate my brakes prior to the race.
Transition 2
  • 01m 26s
Comments:

This really was my T2 transition. This was pretty good. No complaints. Just had to throw everything off (except for my shorts of course).
What would you do differently?:

Run with bike all the way.
Run
  • 24m 44s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Last year I tried to run too fast on the run and paid for it later on. This time I just kept a good steady pace. Quick but not fast. I jumped in about middle of the pack when they started us off and I paid for it. I should've been in the first quarter because I had to pass a lot of people that were much slower on a path that didn't alway accomodate passing. I had meant to hydrate better before I started but the water bottle I froze last night hadn't melted enough yet. Lesson learned. So I tried to get some water at the first water station but they just gave the last cup they had ready to the guy in front of me. No biggie I thought since it was much MUCH cooler than last year. I continued running and met up with a guy that was running his first triathlon. He was a mountain biker that had recently started running. I thought his pace was rather aggressive for his experience but some people are just more athletic than me so I wished him well when we got to the next water station because I definitely wanted to get some water. I wanted two cups. One to dump on my head and the other to drink. I took one from the first volunteer and a second from the second volunteer but I think the second volunteer wasn't expecting me to take one from him also so I had to literaly TAKE it from him. In the process of doing so, I squashed the cup and lost all the water. I said "Oh well" and dumped the cup I did have on my head and went on. A little bit after this I passed who I thought was StandsWithFists but I wasn't sure but after I passed her and she said "I'll catch up on the bike!" I knew who it was. The thought of her catching me was on my mind all the way through the bike. I came into transition feeling great.
What would you do differently?:

I would've hydrated more before the race so I wouldn't have needed to mess with the aid stations. I also think I could've pushed it a bit harder but I was determined not to have a repeat of last year where I went out to hard and crashed later on.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked back to get my heartrate monitor from the side of lane one and it just so happened that that was where the family was. Little did they know that I was already done. Tried stretching my right calf a lot but it was no use. The damage was done. I thought about getting a massage but there was always a line and I didn't want to wait.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training for the last three weeks because of a shoulder and hip problem.

Event comments:

It was nice to have two water stations on the run course this year. The food available for after the race didn't have a lot of variety. Water, bananas, oranges and cookies. I was suprised they didn't have any electrolyte drink or anything with protein.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-12-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:35 | 437 yards | 02m 25s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 71/219
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: 8 lanes serpentine.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:26
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:47:22 | 14 miles | 17.73 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 75/219
Performance: Good
Avg 175
Wind: Little
Course: Three laps around a neighborhood.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:26
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:24:44 | 03.1 miles | 07m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 57/219
Performance: Good
Avg 179
Course: Same route as last year. Down a path behind some houses the out onto a street. Turned around on the street and headed up the other side of the neighborhood we just ran behind. Crossed over at the top and into the transition area.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4