Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon

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Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

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Benton, Louisiana
United States
Sportspectrum
90F / 32C
Sunny

Total Time = 1h 58m 14s
Overall Rank = 704/1022
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 10/27

Pre-race routine:

Got to Shreveport on Saturday afternoon. Took a little longer than expected because I was suffering from LBS (Little Bladder Syndrome) and had to stop a few times. At least know I was hydrated. Went to packet pick-up part one at a local hospital. Very efficient system and there was no line. As advertised, the schwag was great. Got a tee shirt, tech shirt, towel, socks, sunglasses, hat and a great transition backpack. After that had to go to Packet pick-up part 2 at Sports Spectrum. It was very obvious that you had to go there in the hopes that you would spend money. There is really no reason that you could not have gotten the numbers at the same place. Not a real problem. Sports Spectrum was only about a mile from the hospital. Got to the hotel and checked in. There was some screw-up and they did not have any king rooms so we got a double but they only charged us half. They said that there was a continental breakfast in the morning. More on that later! Rested for about an hour and then went to meet some of the "crew" for dinner. Back to the hotel early. Got ready for the morning and were in bed by 9:30. At 1 am, I decided that a double bed and an Athena and Clydesdale racer do not go so I moved over to the other bed and we both slept great.

Up at 5:30 and went to the lobby for the continental breakfast at 6. I have stayed at lots of hotels, and a continental breakfast is usually bagels, muffins, cereal and other assorted carbs. Well, their idea was a dozen donuts and a carafe of coffee. Guess we are stopping on the way to the site! New pre-race breakfast of champions...blueberry Pop Tarts and Gatorade.

Event warmup:

Took about 20 minutes to get into the site. Parking was about 3/4 of a mile away but it was still cool out so not an issue. Racking was assigned and was easy. Found my spot, got set up and waited on the beach for my wave.

Swim

22m 14s
880 yards
02m 32s / 100 yards

Comments:

I am wondering if this swim was long. I was thinking that I should have been out of the water in about 18 and I think I was over 22. I felt good in the water. Me and warm water get along really well. I did not sight very well today and kept drifting to the right. At least if I am going to go off course I did not go wide. I also think I am a draft repellent. I could not find anyone to catch. Maybe because I was drifting and swimming alone. Regardless, I felt good in the water. Past a lot of people from the wave in front of me.

What would you do differently?:

Learn to draft and figure out why my sighting was off. That is the one area of the swim that I am usually good at.

Transition 1

01m 46s

Comments:

Decent run from the beach to the transition area but I am happy with the transition. Business as usual.

What would you do differently?:

Still have to learn the shoes on the bike thing.

Bike

59m 2s
18.2 miles
18.50 mile/hr

Comments:

LOVED LOVED LOVED this course. It was not as easy as it looked when we drove it on Saturday. The course was pretty rolling. No real steep hills but the rollers kept you pedaling constantly. I was worried about the new fit, as I had not been really happy with it on my rides on Thursday and Friday but in a race situation, it was good. Only issue is that I think when I changed the tilt of the saddle I tilted it just a smidge too high as my lady parts were getting numb. (Yes, that can happen to lady parts too!). I probably passed 100 people and was passed by a few. Got out of my pedals WAY too early. When we drove the course, we did it from just outside the park and when I left on the bike, I was too busy getting settled in to pay attention to how long we were in there so I probably rode about a half a mile with my feet on top of my shoes.

Took my caffeine GU at 50 minutes in the hope that it would give me a kick in the run

What would you do differently?:

Know when to get my feet out of my shoes. Other than that, I was really happy with this ride.

Transition 2

01m 45s

Comments:

Great flying dismount. Ran with the bike, racked with no problem. The only issue was that I had a hard time getting my right shoe on. I put Body Glide in my shoes and my heel kept slipping out. When I did get it on, the tongue was was down in the shoe so I had to take it off again and back on. I am sure that cost me a few seconds but other than that, I was happy.

What would you do differently?:

Learn how to put my shoes on!

Run

33m 30s
3.11 miles
10m 46s min/mile

Comments:

Not bad for me! It was hot but the majority of the run was shaded so it did not seem so bad. For the first half mile I had a hard time taking a deep breath but tat went away and I just plodded along. There were 4 aid stations and they each had water with ice and cold towels. The towels were wonderful! I took one at each station and then exchanged it with a new one at every opportunity. Not a bad run!

What would you do differently?:

Keep getting faster

Post race

Warm down:

Crossed the sand pit at the finish line, chugged a bottle of water in about 5 seconds. Caught up with the rest of the crew. Waited for Steve to cross. I saw him on the run as I was coming off the trail section I saw his back as he was on the road. I figured he was about 15 minutes back.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat, poor swim and slow run but I was not unhappy with my times!

Event comments:

With all the hype over this race, they have a lot to deliver, and they did!! From start to finish this was an awesome event. Organized, great schwag, nice venue. I think this was the 28th year of the race so they obviously have gotten it right.

2 complaints...They did not write ages on your leg. I like being able to see people in my AG as I pass them :). Also, they did not split Athena by 0-39 and Masters. In masters I would have been 4th, 3 minutes out of third so no hardware. I am happy with 10th out of 25 though.

We will be back next year!

Last updated: 2008-04-19 12:00 AM

Swimming
00:22:14 \| 880 yards \| 02m 32s / 100yards
Age Group:	16/27
Overall:	0/1022
Performance:	Average
Suit:
Course:	square route keeping bouys on the right
Start type:	Wade	Plus:
Water temp:	90F / 32C	Current:	Low
200M Perf.	Good	Remainder:	Good
Breathing:	Good	Drafting:	Bad
Waves:		Navigation:	Below average
Rounding:

T1
Time:	01:46
Performance:	Good
Cap removal:		Helmet on/ Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck?		Run with bike:	Yes
Jump on bike:	Yes
Getting up to speed:	Average

Biking
00:59:02 \| 18.2 miles \| 18.50 mile/hr
Age Group:	9/27
Overall:	0/1022
Performance:	Good
Wind:	Some
Course:	Square course around the lake
Road:	Smooth Dry	Cadence:
Turns:	Good	Cornering:	Good
Gear changes:	Good	Hills:	Good
Race pace:	Comfortable	Drinks:	Not enough

T2
Time:	01:45
Overall:	Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes		Good
Jumping off bike		Good
Running with bike		Good
Racking bike		Good
Shoe and helmet removal		Below average

Running
00:33:30 \| 03.11 miles \| 10m 46s min/mile
Age Group:	10/27
Overall:	0/1022
Performance:	Good
Course:	Through the park with a little bit of trail thrown in for good measure.
Keeping cool	Average	Drinking	Not enough

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]	4

{postbutton}

dodgersmom

2008-08-03 8:01 PM

Pro

4174

Keller, Texas

Subject: Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon

Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon

Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

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