Do not underestimate transitions
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2018-08-26 8:06 AM |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: Do not underestimate transitions Especially in sprints I guess. Won my first race yesterday. My local small race, in my little village. 76 participants, 19 of which females. The one who came second had approx the same times as me on the bike and swim (half a minute slower swim and half a minute faster bike) but a much better run (2 minutes). Yet I won because she spent 4 and half minutes in transition vs under 2 min for me. Glad I practiced them this week! (Or rather, glad she didn’t, obviously) |
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2018-08-26 10:34 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Congrats! For some strange reason that I don't really understand, I've always enjoyed trying to make transitions as smooth and efficient and quick as possible. I'm not sure, but I think my fastest to date is an 18 second T2. (Small race, probably around 100 people.) |
2018-08-26 10:42 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions 3 weeks ago I placed 2nd out of 20 in my AG which should qualified me for AG nationals for 2019. The margin was less than one second! The 3rd place guy spent like 50 or so more seconds in transition than I. |
2018-08-26 11:11 AM in reply to: Experior |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by Experior Congrats! For some strange reason that I don't really understand, I've always enjoyed trying to make transitions as smooth and efficient and quick as possible. I'm not sure, but I think my fastest to date is an 18 second T2. (Small race, probably around 100 people.) Thanks! I enjoy transitions too and practice them quite a few time before a race. 18 second T2, that’s nice. I was the first to sign up for the race so had No 1 bib and the best spot in transition. Not long to run with the bike. That helped I am sure, I’ll have to be quick to sign up next year too! |
2018-08-26 11:12 AM in reply to: reecealan |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by reecealan 3 weeks ago I placed 2nd out of 20 in my AG which should qualified me for AG nationals for 2019. The margin was less than one second! The 3rd place guy spent like 50 or so more seconds in transition than I. One second! |
2018-08-26 1:22 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Wow--congrats! I should study your transitions.... They've never been my forte, especially in sprints. I am just kind of slow and spacey (probably more suited for long course), my hands tend to shake with cold water and/or adrenaline, and I keep fumbling and dropping things. I once went from 3rd to 7th overall in a sprint, just on the basis of crap transitions. (Admittedly, not entirely my fault. Somehow a couple of bikes had fallen into the "lane" I had to run through to access my bike. But still--yuck! ) |
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2018-08-26 2:34 PM in reply to: Hot Runner |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions I don’t know if my transitions are worth studying but I do enjoy them and practice them, something the lady in question obviously didn’t, as over 2 minutes each seems an awful long time for a sprint, especially for T2. Do you try to rush through them in a sprint, knowing every second counts? Maybe that’s why you fumble and drop things? |
2018-08-26 3:47 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions LESS than one second, it was 0.92 seconds. If I were to guess it was wetsuit related. I beat him by 53 seconds in T1 but I wore a swim skin even though it was wetsuit legal. His T2 time was around 15 seconds faster than mine. |
2018-08-26 4:05 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
55 | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions It's always felt weird to me that I ended up spending so much effort in a sport where an intrinsic part was skill at changing clothes. I don't mean to denigrate transition skills. I've just always found it a funny thing to contemplate. I'm horrible at transitions. 15 minutes, easily, from swim to bike. Luckily for me I'm so slow it barely matters |
2018-08-26 6:42 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Sometimes, yes. I am usually in contention for AG podium in the events I do. I'm a better swimmer than most of my AG competitors and trying to use that to my advantage, so in a sprint, I'm swimming at a pretty high effort level. Fatigue, plus adrenaline makes my hands shake. I also tend to get chilled easily in colder races once I take off the wetsuit. Sometimes my hands are numb or cramping and I just have trouble getting things done. I try to do the best I can by setting everything up well and assuming my dexterity is going to be shot at that point, especially in cooler conditions. (No laces, no gloves, calf zips on my wetsuit, etc.) Two minutes--I can see that for me for a sprint--just under or over would be typical. But it really would depend on the size of the transition area, where one is within it, and length of the run from the water. Actually in some of the big sprints I've done in Singapore (over a thousand people/bikes) that would be an okay time. I think my best have been just a bit under that. I tend to have better T2's (under 2 minutes, at least), when I am warmer. |
2018-08-26 8:53 PM in reply to: #5248530 |
16 | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Congrats |
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2018-08-27 12:17 AM in reply to: Rtmatlin |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by Rtmatlin Congrats Thanks . Feels good to win something, even a small Village race like this. First time since I won some soccer cup as a teenager... |
2018-08-27 12:22 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by Hot Runner Sometimes, yes. I am usually in contention for AG podium in the events I do. I'm a better swimmer than most of my AG competitors and trying to use that to my advantage, so in a sprint, I'm swimming at a pretty high effort level. Fatigue, plus adrenaline makes my hands shake. I also tend to get chilled easily in colder races once I take off the wetsuit. Sometimes my hands are numb or cramping and I just have trouble getting things done. I try to do the best I can by setting everything up well and assuming my dexterity is going to be shot at that point, especially in cooler conditions. (No laces, no gloves, calf zips on my wetsuit, etc.) Two minutes--I can see that for me for a sprint--just under or over would be typical. But it really would depend on the size of the transition area, where one is within it, and length of the run from the water. Actually in some of the big sprints I've done in Singapore (over a thousand people/bikes) that would be an okay time. I think my best have been just a bit under that. I tend to have better T2's (under 2 minutes, at least), when I am warmer. I see, not easy with shaky and numb hands! Yes, depending on the transition area, 2 minutes could be a good time but this was a small race with about 150 people in total (incl the oly starting 15 minutes later) and the area was small. If you just had to run through it without doing anything else it would not take more than 30-45 seconds, if that. |
2018-08-27 9:05 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Elite 7783 PEI, Canada | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by Rollergirl Especially in sprints I guess. Won my first race yesterday. My local small race, in my little village. 76 participants, 19 of which females. The one who came second had approx the same times as me on the bike and swim (half a minute slower swim and half a minute faster bike) but a much better run (2 minutes). Yet I won because she spent 4 and half minutes in transition vs under 2 min for me. Glad I practiced them this week! (Or rather, glad she didn’t, obviously) Not just in sprints either. I have a friend who missed a qualifying spot for Kona in an Ironman because she spent several more minutes in transitions than someone who finished ahead of her. |
2018-08-27 9:22 AM in reply to: d.rock90 |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by d.rock90 It's always felt weird to me that I ended up spending so much effort in a sport where an intrinsic part was skill at changing clothes. I don't mean to denigrate transition skills. I've just always found it a funny thing to contemplate. I'm horrible at transitions. 15 minutes, easily, from swim to bike. Luckily for me I'm so slow it barely matters Yip, I am best at putting my shoes on! if you told my mum when I was a toddler that one day I would win at that, she would not have believed you! |
2018-08-27 9:47 AM in reply to: d.rock90 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by d.rock90 It's always felt weird to me that I ended up spending so much effort in a sport where an intrinsic part was skill at changing clothes. I know this isn't really a thread about the nitty gritty of fast transitions, but I can't resist a quick comment about the above: try to minimize any clothes-changing (to zero if possible, shoes excepted of course). Leaving aside wetsuits, here's my plan: Anything shorter than an iron distance race: S/B/R in the same tri suit (top and bottom, or one piece). Helmet on in T1. Hop on the bike. Helmet off in T2, shoes on (no socks). Shoes are pre-tied with elastic laces so they slip on in 2 seconds. For an iron distance race I will put on socks in T2. Also maybe put on a different shirt and a running hat, depending on weather and how I'm feeling. As OP said, practicing these things makes it easy. (Also practice by occasionally training in the same clothing that you'll wear on race day, including sockless running.) |
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2018-08-27 10:00 AM in reply to: Experior |
1891 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Not sure about sockless running. I can't do it. especially if the run is partly or all on trails. there is Always sand or small gravel finding their way in there. I Think the 3 seconds I spend putting socks on in T2 are Worth it. |
2018-08-27 10:23 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions I would also definitely put on socks if the run was on a trail. But I never wear them on the road, even when training. |
2018-08-27 10:30 AM in reply to: 0 |
1518 Cypress, Texas | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions My race strategy at my last race (70.3) was to walk through the aid stations on the run. I usually try to get through the transitions pretty quick but with cramping at the end of the swim and again at the end of the bike I walked through the T1 & T2 too. My transition times were pretty slow but I was curious if anyone walks through the transitions as a pacing strategy. When I was living in the Austin, TX area I followed a local AG competitive athlete who was the first place overall Age Grouper at the Ironman Texas. I was suprised to see that his T2 was close to 8 minutes. He still went under 9 hours so while I agree that is is much easier to shave off 2 minutes in Transition than it is to shave 2 minutes off a run leg I am curious about how pacing through Transitions plays into things. Edited by BlueBoy26 2018-08-27 10:39 AM |
2018-08-27 2:40 PM in reply to: BlueBoy26 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions I wouldn't think of it in terms of 'pacing', really. The distance that you cover in a transition is a tiny portion of the entire race, even in a sprint. Pacing is more about how you distribute your effort over that whole distance. BUT, especially in a longer race such as IM, there may be good reasons, in the specific context of a race, to take it easy, or to take some 'extra' time, in transition. Maybe something bad happened out there in the swim. Maybe you just need a mental check. Maybe you just want to enjoy the moment. There are a million things that can happen and a million reasons to pause in transition. But, assuming that the goal is to finish the race as quickly as possible, I wouldn't slow down in transitions on purpose for the sake of 'pacing' alone. If you've burned yourself so badly on the swim or bike that you cannot afford to at least jog through transition then you've got real pacing issues! |
2018-08-27 5:39 PM in reply to: Experior |
55 | Subject: RE: Do not underestimate transitions Originally posted by Experior I know this isn't really a thread about the nitty gritty of fast transitions, but I can't resist a quick comment about the above: try to minimize any clothes-changing (to zero if possible, shoes excepted of course). Agree, I have yet to spring for a tri suit, and I haven't found a suitable cheap substitute. And my arse is so big I probably need to wear real bike shorts anyway. I did once forget to take them off and ended up running the marathon in big black padded bike shorts, though. |
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