Stanford Treeathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Redwood City, California
United States
Stanford University Triathlon Team
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 20m 28s
Overall Rank = 103/181
Age Group = 35-44
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

This was my first triathlon, so part of the learning curve was trying to figure out what my "routine" would be. I had about an hour drive to the start, and got there in plenty of time. I should have been more aggressive in getting a spot in the transition area. When I first got there, spots were available. I sort of wasted some time looking around before getting a spot, so by the time I did, most of the spots were taken. I ended up frantically trying to find a rack for my bike leading up to transition closing. I did finally, and went to get my timing chip and body marking.
Event warmup:

My warm up basically consisted of running around trying to find a spot for my bike, then over to get marked and my timing chip. The struggle into my wetsuit also helped get the blood moving somewhat! I did get to swim a little before my wave went off.
Swim
  • 13m 48s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my first open water swim over this distance. I didn't have an issue with swimming in the wetsuit. The two challenges were sighting and dealing with swimming in close contact with the others. Between sighting and bumping it was hard to get into a consistent rhythm on the swim. This led to using a lot more energy than I figured I would use on this length of swim.
What would you do differently?:

I think swim has room for improvement with experience and as conditioning improves.
Transition 1
  • 02m 57s
Comments:

I had worked on transition before race, but trying to do it after a race swim was challenging. I was tired getting out of the water, so part of the time in transition was just trying to catch my breath and get my bearings.
What would you do differently?:

Hard to say what I'd do differently after my first experience. Need more experience in race situations.
Bike
  • 35m 35s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 20.96 mile/hr
Comments:

Three flat loops of a mostly closed course. I felt pretty good on the bike. Took a little bit of the first lap to recover from the swim, but overall I felt good on the bike. I expected this as I have more experience cycling and bike racing, so I have a better idea of how to monitor my exertion over the course.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 02m 19s
Comments:

Got a goo and some water. Got into shoes ok. Might be good to have some sort of speed laces if I really want to improve this transition. I do remember thinking that it did seem to take some time to tie shoes.
Run
  • 25m 46s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

This is the leg that I was pleasantly surprised with my performance. I had hoped to finish this in around 27 to 28 or so minutes, so finishing in under 26 was a nice performance for me. I did have a little issue with numb feet right after getting off the bike, but I don't think it hurt my performance.
What would you do differently?:

I need to be careful about not starting out too fast. I think I went a little too hard at the beginning, then had a slower middle, but still had some left to finish strongly for me. I think if I can build up consistently through the run, I can cut some time.
Post race
Warm down:

Got a big hug from my wife and daughters! Having them there to watch my first tri attempt really made it a great day. Walked around, stretched some, had some fruit and water. The organizers had pizza available, but for the first time in my life the thought of eating pizza really was not appetizing!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim conditioning. Really need to continue to work on the swim.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this race as a first triathlon. Open water swim was a good first attempt for me. It was in the open water, but in a protected harbor, so wasn't too rough. No climbs on the bike or run, so made the course good for a first timer. I very much enjoyed competing in the triathlon and am looking forward to doing it again.




Last updated: 2009-02-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:48 | 547 yards | 02m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/181
Performance: Average
Suit: Full Wetsuit
Course: Swim course was in a harbor, so water was calm. Course consisted of a straight swim to a buoy, a left turn and a straight shot to the end of the swim leg. There was about a 200 yard (guess) run out from end of the swim course to transition.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:57
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:35:35 | 12.43 miles | 20.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/181
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Flat, three loop course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:19
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:25:46 | 03.1 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/181
Performance: Good
Course: Flat loops along the bay and around a office park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4