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Memphis in May - TriathlonOlympic


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Memphis, Tennessee
United States
Start 2 Finish, Inc.
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 10m 24s
Overall Rank = 104/800
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 12/90
Pre-race routine:

I did this race without a support crew or group of friends, so I just drove 7 hours to Memphis on Saturday, picked up my packet, and then settled in at the hotel. I woke up about 4:45 on race morning, drank some coffee, ate a granola bar, and headed over to the race site. The nice part about traveling alone is that you don't have to coordinate with anyone else's schedule, so I was able to get there really early, get a primo transition spot, and have plenty of time for warm-up. The bad part about traveling alone is that it's a lot less fun by yourself.
Event warmup:

I rode for about 20 minutes, ran for about 10, but didn't swim at all. I didn't want to stand there shivering waiting to start.
Swim
  • 22m 13s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 21s / 100 yards
Comments:

The run into the water was a bit of a shocker as it was colder than I expected. I was wearing my DeSoto wetsuit pants, but nothing on my torso except a tri jersey. Still, after a few strokes I never noticed the cold. I had a really good swim, sighted pretty well, and kept my focus the whole time. Other than a few people doing breast stroke who nearly broke my nose, it was a pretty uneventful swim. I did get stuck in the muck a little bit when exiting the water.
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing.
Transition 1
  • 01m 36s
Comments:

I tend to take a pretty minimal approach to transitions. All you need to do is take off the wetsuit, put on the helmet, sunglasses, and bike shoes and hit the road. I used to do the flying bike mount, but have decided it's really not worth it, especially if the bike course starts up hill like this one.
Bike
  • 1h 01m 52s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 24.10 mile/hr
Comments:

This is by far the flattest bike course I've ever done. Living in northeast Tennessee, we don't have anything like this. I felt strong for about 20 miles or so, but started to falter a little bit at the end. I've been training pretty hard on the bike, but I don't think I've done enough longer quality-type workout (2x20min, 2x30min, etc.) Still, with as much wind as we had, I'm relatively happy with this bike split. I would have loved to have broken 1 hour, but it just wasn't meant to be.
What would you do differently?:

Longer duration at high intensity during training.
Transition 2
  • 01m 25s
Comments:

I like my new Zoot shoes. The make transition pretty easy.
Run
  • 43m 20s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 06m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a much tougher run course than I expected and was also the longest run I've done in the last 6 weeks. I'm just getting over an achilles injury and only started running again last weekend.

The first mile was good (6:20), but the next 5 were pretty tough, but relatively consistent. I never really bonked, just didn't have the snap in my legs that I needed. I think with better training leading up to the race I could have gone closer to 40 instead of just over 43. Still, all things considered, this was a decent run for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Wow, I had forgotten how much an olympic distance race hurts at the end. I staggered around for a while, drank my gatorade, found some shade, and just chilled out. After a little more recovery I had some really good barbeque before getting on the road for the 7 hour drive back to Kingsport.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Had I not been injured over the last 6 weeks my run would have been better. Still, a good race at a nice venue.

Event comments:

This was my first time at this race. I was really impressed with the organization. It went off without a hitch. You would never know that there were close to 1700 people racing. It may be a bit far to drive for me to do it again, but I'm glad I made it to Memphis at least once.




Last updated: 2008-05-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:13 | 1640 yards | 01m 21s / 100yards
Age Group: 14/90
Overall: 0/800
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:36
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:01:52 | 24.85 miles | 24.10 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/90
Overall: 0/800
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:25
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:43:20 | 06.21 miles | 06m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/90
Overall: 0/800
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2008-05-20 11:23 AM

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Veteran
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Subject: Memphis in May


2008-05-20 11:39 AM
in reply to: #1413636

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Champion
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Menomonee Falls, WI
Subject: RE: Memphis in May
Holy cra**. If that's how you perform after being injured, I can't imagine what you'd do if you were healthy leading up to raceday. That's just smokin'. Stellar race, and hope to see you there next year!
2008-05-20 12:34 PM
in reply to: #1413699

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Regular
122
100
Subject: RE: Memphis in May
Sorry about the breaststroke! Actually it couldn't have been me since I started way behind you and finished way WAY behind you. Awesome race! If i can just shave an hour off my time by next year, I might be able to challenge you!
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