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Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Camp Pendleton, California
United States
Y-Events
hotF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 45m 8s
Overall Rank = 382/673
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 14/36
Pre-race routine:

Went down to Pendleton alone and quickly found a few of my teammates at the transition area. Drank some Gatorade, took my Sportlegs, and commented on how my 1/2 bagel didn't want to sit too well.
Event warmup:

I sat on the beach for 47 minutes and watched the boys do their thing. At one point I went into the water and dove under a few waves for practice, but that was it.
Swim
  • 14m 32s
  • 500 yards
  • 02m 55s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my worst swim ever. In fact, I don't even like to call this swimming. It was more like surviving. I have to admit, I've never surfed and I rarely spend time in the ocean. My open ocean swims are in a somewhat protected area, so I dive under a wave or two and then I'm on my merry way. This swim was difficult for me because it combined a strong current and multiple wave breaks en route to the buoys, in addition to waves that were over my head. Gnarly for the surfer types, but not so good for me.

When the countdown went to zero, I sprinted to the water and enjoyed my first few moments of dolphin diving. I had not paid attention to the swimmers in the other waves (stupid me!) and started too close to the buoy...if I'd started left, the current would have pulled me out to sea in easier waters without as much effort. At any rate, I was doing fine until I realized that the waves were not stopping. I didn't appear to be making much progress, and I was exhausted diving under waves and tense just waiting to be nailed. No, I never got tossed, but I swallowed a crapload of saltwater and really, truly almost pooped my pants I got so scared out there. It was tempting to wave to the rescue boat and fake a cramp, for sure.

When I finally hit the first buoy (and I literally hit them all), I was able to finally swim my stroke. I pushed it hard, because I knew I was really far behind.....I managed to pass quite a few people as we swam parallel to shore, but then when we turned for the beach, the freakshow returned. I was praying that the waves would leave me alone, but I kept stopping and looking behind me. I failed in riding the waves in, and I really, truly was absolutely exhausted from my ordeal.
What would you do differently?:

Not sign up for this race? No, seriously, I could stand to take my pale butt to the beach and spend some time playing in the surf with the kids. I need to observe the water more closely and learn to keep my wits about me.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

T1 included in bike time.

I walked out of the ocean, totally knackered and burping up saltwater. Once out, I did run up the beach and into transition. From there, it's all a little bit blurry. I kept it simple in transition this time and it seemed to be pretty fast, so who knows?
What would you do differently?:

Remember where I am?
Bike
  • 1h 02m 29s
  • 18.64 miles
  • 17.90 mile/hr
Comments:

I clipped in on the hill and just eased my way up and out of ACU-5. I was not feeling very well, and my legs and back ached. The first 9 miles were difficult for me. I knew what pace I needed to maintain, but I struggled to get there because of fatigue. I also kept spitting up saltwater, which really made me nauseous. Fortunately, this started to clear up at the turnaround and I began to push it a little harder. I passed lots of girls who ended up in front of me after my disastrous swim, and I got passed by a lot of fantastic girls in their goober helmets. My climbing was not as comfortable as it was in the International course 3 weeks prior..... I don't know if it was the swim, or if my body just didn't fire, but I was really struggling during this ride. I'm just glad I negative split the return trip.
What would you do differently?:

There was nothing more I could have done-- I pushed it as much as I physically could.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

Time included in bike split. Made a fast transition here. Opted not to drink, apply chapstick, or sunscreen.....I needed to make up a LOT of time. This was my best transition yet. And based on my Garmin time for the bike, it was probably sub 1-minute because the swim to bike transition was surely close to 2.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 28m 7s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Yeah, yeah....I know, I suck at running. It was painfully obvious that this was going to be painful as I headed up the ramp out of transition. It was sweltering hot, and I was still spitting up saltwater despite having downed a bottle of water on the bike. It didn't help that my in-laws were yelling "faster! faster!" from the hill. Just a nightmare. I had looked at my watch and seen for the first time how pathetic my race was going, and I seriously lost all fight. I stopped and walked at every aid station, dousing myself with water and just thinking I should have stayed in bed. My legs were recovered by this point, though, and I did manage to finish fairly strong despite being beaten by 4 girls in my age group by less than 1 minute. Finished in a sprint and then walked up and over the LCAC to finish my last race at Camp Pendleton before moving.
What would you do differently?:

Running is my off-season goal. I'm going to find my chi. I'm also going to rearrange my head and really gut these runs out a little more. If I had not walked, I would have been higher up in the results. I didn't need to walk-- it was all mental. So, lots and lots to work on, but I have plenty of time.
Post race
Warm down:

I stretched and consumed massive quantities of Gatorade and water. Then hung out with my friends and cheered on our last teammate in.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

3 races in 4 weeks is not going to give me perfect performances. That, coupled with a swim where I got scared to death and probably swam twice as far as the advertised 500 yards, probably didn't help me too much. But I only had 2 more weeks in California, and I am all about the whole "carpe diem" thing. I learned a lot about myself, and that made it worth it in the end.

Event comments:

Well, we all know the Marines run a great race. Sure, there are no splits, but you know that going into a Pendleton race so what can you do? I think the course is great, and I do enjoy the somewhat odd distance with the longer bike leg. Overall, they are really consistent and do a nice job. I just wish that there were better arrangements for spectators. It would have been nice to see my husband before I hit the water, but he was stuck on a hill far above me. It was my in-laws' first triathlon, and I felt bad that they missed out on seeing transition.....it's a fun place to be!




Last updated: 2008-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:32 | 500 yards | 02m 55s / 100yards
Age Group: 14/36
Overall: 36/673
Performance: Bad
Suit: Blueseventy reaction full
Course: Rectangular course with beach runs on the entrance and exit. Sandbar offshore created weird breaks in the waves and it was pretty choppy out there.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: High
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Bad
Waves: Bad Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:02:29 | 18.64 miles | 17.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/36
Overall: 36/673
Performance: Below average
Garmin recorded my actual riding time as 59:26 for 18.96 miles, which is a 19.1 mph average.
Wind: Headwind
Course: Same course as International, only no Vandergrift or big Stuart Mesa hill.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:28:07 | 03.11 miles | 09m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/36
Overall: 36/673
Performance: Below average
Course: Convoluted out-and-back around the ACU-5 base.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-08-13 8:50 PM

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Subject: Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon


2008-08-13 9:07 PM
in reply to: #1602124

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