The Nation's Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Washington, Washington, D.C.
United States
TNT productions
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 31m 3s
Overall Rank = 415/2484
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 65/461
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:00. Ate PB sandwich, 20 oz. of coffee and a banana. Drove downtown and got to start around 6:00. Had ample time to set up and hit the portapotties a few times.
Event warmup:

Stretched and that's it. Once corralled in Transition, didn't leave to get near water (sign of things to come...)
Swim
  • 29m 3s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

I realized as I jumped in that I had not even looked at the course, only the map. I asked which part of the bridge we'd go under and was told the far right, then do the turn and back under the third. Could not see the buoys on the other side of the bridge. Great start - not much bumping and had a good line. Caught first stragglers just before bridge and lost the guy I was tailing. Came out of bridge and looked ahead for buoy, but didn't see it, but everyone was now angling to my left. Turns out the map was not accurate and there was a single turn buoy at a 45 degree angle to me. So many slow, breaststoking bodies to avoid near the turn. On the way back, the glare prevented me from seeing anything downstream. I ended up pulling up a few times to avoid slower bodies and find a line. Lost confidence in my line and resolved to just chill and finish without getting kicked, mauled, grabbed anymore. Never got hurt, just very frustrated.
What would you do differently?:

Get a good visual on the course. My own fault, but (unless we all went off course) the map was not accurately representing the course. Need more, bigger buoys.
Transition 1
  • 02m 40s
Comments:

Got a minor cramp in my right hammy bending over to get my shoe on. That's been a semiregular thing. Wetsuit took 3-4 pulls to remove.
What would you do differently?:

May need tribike shoes...
Bike
  • 1h 06m 44s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 22.34 mile/hr
Comments:

Best bike leg I've done. Felt good in first 1/4 mile: strong legs, had breath back. Surprised to be passing people like I was. About 3 miles in, a group of faster guys sped by and I made an effort to catch them and basically paced with them for the majority of the race. Loved the wide roads and managed the single lane bottlenecks pretty well. Probably slowed 2-3 times due to congestion which was less than I expected. Ran out of water about 18 miles in and dreaded it would affect my run (stay tuned) but was cruising so well, I didn't feel like slowing down. Felt smooth, controlled and well below the red zone.
What would you do differently?:

Bring an extra water bottle.
Transition 2
  • 02m 1s
Comments:

loooooong way to bike. Only had one corner of my number attached to my race belt, had to stop to attach other one. Forgot to do that. oops.
What would you do differently?:

Attach number.
Run
  • 50m 37s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 09s  min/mile
Comments:

Started underhydrated but knowing I needed a sub-49:20 to break 2:30:00. Attempting math at that juncture, I thought I needed to stay just under 8:00/mile. Got out fast and knew I had to slow pace to maintain. I was OK through mile 3.5 and was right on pace at sub 8s but then I felt tightening in my left hammy. Just before Mile 4, left leg cramped and then the right followed. Did the Frankenstein walk for about 10 yards and felt better. Ran again. Saw the family at mile 4 marker (surprised!!!), gave kids fives and had a burst of energy. At mile 5 I passed them again on the loop back (more fives and smiles!) but saw that I was a minute off schedule. Tried to push just before the Jefferson to have a chance at it, but the 2:30:00 ticked by as I saw the Finish chute way down the street. Managed a nice kick, and didn't leave much out there.
What would you do differently?:

drink more on bike and work on overall leg strength. The hammy cramps must go away.
Post race
Warm down:

Food, massage, drink, drink, drink.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Underhydrated. Bad swim plan.

Event comments:

Great volunteers! Great bike and run course. Was it just me having swim course confusion?




Last updated: 2009-02-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:03 | 1640 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 92/461
Overall: 713/2484
Performance: Below average
Suit: Sleeveless
Course: under Memorial Bridge, 45 degree turn to turn buoy, back under bridge back towards start. left turn to ramp.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 02:40
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:06:44 | 24.85 miles | 22.34 mile/hr
Age Group: 52/461
Overall: 279/2484
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: flat with a few gentle climbs.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 80+
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:01
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:50:37 | 06.21 miles | 08m 09s  min/mile
Age Group: 65/461
Overall: 415/2484
Performance: Average
Course: Around Hains Point, up 15th Street, Independence Avenue, over the Tidal Basin bridge, then back around to the river and Finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
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