Memphis in May - TriathlonOlympic


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Memphis, Tennessee
United States
Start 2 Finish, Inc.
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 43m 24s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 59/83
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:45 and was ready to go. Packed my bag the night before so things actually went pretty smoothly. Ate an english muffin with peanut butter and drank a cup of coffee. Sipped on sports drink during drive to race and while setting up my transition. Had to go to the bathroom several times, but overall stomach felt fine.
Event warmup:

Man was the weather cold! Jogged around the park a little bit to get warm, but mostly just stayed around my transition area, watching what other people were doing.
Swim
  • 28m 44s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 45s / 100 yards
Comments:

What a great swim. I absolutely love the time trial start. Still some contact with other swimmers, but much less than in a wave start. I'm a slow and steay swimmer, but overall very happy with this swim. First time in a race that I did not have to flip over and back stroke - smooth and steady free style the entire way. No problems swimming in the wetsuit - loved the added buoyancy, which allowed me to minimize my kick and keep my legs for the rest of the race.
Only complaint was that the swim caps were close in color to the turn buoys, which made sighting a little more difficult.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - best swim I have ever had.
Transition 1
  • 02m 15s
Comments:

Looked down at my watch and saw that I was over a minute better than expected - so excited I had extra adrenaline to run through the transition. Of course with the run through transition I scaped my foot on the asphalt, which started to bleed. Decided to suck it up and keep going. No problems getting the wetsuit off or the socks and shoes on.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 48s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.93 mile/hr
Comments:

There is a hill coming right out of transition so I decided to put my shoes on in transition instead of trying to do it while riding. No problems getting on the bike. Still high on adrenaline from a good swim, jumped on the bike and started going, passing people on the road out of the park.
The ride was going smooth as I was actually maintaining speeds above 20 mph and at some points 24-25mph. And then it hit me. Turned the corner and hit a strong headwind. Speed fell to 13 mph and I was struggling to maintain that speed in the headwind. Worst winds I have ever rode in. The winds really took a toll on my legs, but overall I was happy with my ride.
What would you do differently?:

More power/force work. A nice set of aerodynamic race wheels might help as well.
Transition 2
  • 02m 13s
Comments:

Had a little trouble getting my leg up and over the bike to get off. Kept cycling shoes on instead of trying to get out beforehand. Sat down, cycling shoes off, running shoes on, no problem.
What would you do differently?:

Probably should have grabbed a gel in T2.
Run
  • 55m 27s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

Legs were fried after fighting the winds on the bike and had to stop at the port-a-potties right outside of transition. Wasn't able to maintain the 8:00 min/mi pace I had hoped for, but was pleased that I ran the entire way without stopping to walk. Met a nice lady from New York that ran with me from mile 3-5. Talking to her took my mind off how sore my quads were (which made every step painful, especially the downhills) and let me pick up the pace a little. Overall disappointed with my run performance.
What would you do differently?:

Need to do more brick work and work on running on sore legs. I think the biggest problem was mental - need to work on HTFU.
Post race
Warm down:

Picked up some food and sat and ate.

The pros started later than the AGers so I was able to get back in time to see the pros start. Watched the pros in T1 and with some interesting points. While most started with their shoes clipped in, two actually put their shoes on in T1, one actually put socks on. Wetsuits were not allowed for the pros, but they all wore speed suits - may need to look into getting one of these. All of them were better able to run with the bike then I am - need to practice this.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The wind!

Event comments:

Great race. Was very well organized.




Last updated: 2009-03-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:44 | 1640 yards | 01m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 59/83
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: wetsuitrental.com rented suit
Course: Time trial start. Triangle course
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:15
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:14:48 | 24.85 miles | 19.93 mile/hr
Age Group: 57/83
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: Course had a lot of sharp turns that made me slow down.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:13
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:55:27 | 06.21 miles | 08m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 59/83
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Very hilly out and back course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5