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Toyota US Open Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Dallas, Texas
United States
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 04m 18s
Overall Rank = 56/304
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 7/31
Pre-race routine:

Woke up, showered, Body Glided, dressed, drove to American Airlines Center. Ate a Honey Stinger dark chocolate almond coconut bar on the way and a bottle of water.
Event warmup:

Didn't really warm up. Race was point to point and I didn't have running shoes at T1 to warm up with. It felt really cold to me, and I didn't want to do the swim warm up and wait around for an hour for my wave to start. Sat huddled next to my bike until T1 was closed, then stood by the shore and watched the Pros, Elites and Olympics take off. Temperature improved as sun came up.
Swim
  • 21m 8s
  • 830 meters
  • 02m 32s / 100 meters
Comments:

Started off feeling pretty good - start was time trial, 4 swimmers every 10 seconds - made for a very smooth start. Started off second out of the four swimmers I was with. Didn't feel like I was pushing myself, and the only one from my group ahead of me had a west suit (the rest of us didn't) Did catch some swimmers and got bogged down a little. Ok to the first turn, missed the second turn and got called back by a kayak. Heading east on the way back I totally lost my sighting ability - trying to spot orange buoys against a bright orange sun just over the horizon with slightly fogged goggles. Continued to get off course, water support had to steer me back a few times. Stroke stayed ok, but had to stop multiple times to figure out exactly where I was on the course.
What would you do differently?:

Hmm...maybe need to get a better set of goggles that won't fog. Need to actually train in open water to figure out navigating better. Should probably switch to bilateral breathing - may help my sighting ability as well as be more efficient. Need to get some swim lessons to improve my stroke. Sun position and buoy color may have been difficult, but it obviously didn't hinder others.
Transition 1
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

Age group 6/31. Slowed by very rough pavement - sore even on my alligator calluses! Found my bike quickly, did not feel like I was fast, but time was ok. Took a few extra seconds to make sure my bag was transported to the finish in one piece. A little slow to get bike and into shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Not much - need to practice getting my feet into the bike shoes more quickly. Overall pretty happy with the time compared to rest in my age group.
Bike
  • 1h 15m 59s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 19.58 mile/hr
Comments:

Really felt like I was lagging at the beginning - had a hard time in the park. I expected the course to be a lot more flat - not really sure that it had a lot of hills but it seemed like it at the time. Lost focus in mid-section and caught myself not pushing as hard as I should have. Had a rental bike (sparkly purple, no less) - nice bike, but I wasn't as comfortable with it as with my own. Also didn't have a bike computer, so found it hard to know how fast/hard I was pushing. Very happy with overall time - about 10 minutes faster than my best training session.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure...really did much better than I thought I was going to. Would consider bringing my own bike next time, although I think the rental was supposed to be an upgrade over my own and may have partially contributed to the time.
Transition 2
  • 02m 38s
Comments:

26/31 in age group. Not sure what happened here. Dismount line snuck up on me - only had time to get one foot out of my bike shoes before hitting the line. Felt really slow getting my bike helmet/gloves off and shoes/race belt on. Was ready to experiment with a no-tie lace system, but I broke it while trying to assemble it the night before, so did have to actually tie my shoes. Did take a few seconds to eat a Hammer gel and swig from my water bottle before heading out.
What would you do differently?:

Move with a bit more alacrity....get a better lace system....eat/drink on the run.
Run
  • 21m 42s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 06m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Holy crap!! I set a new PR for 5k!! I've never run below 7 min miles before even (although I just barely did here) One of my shoes came untied about 3/4 mile in, so had to stop and re-tie. My right shoe also felt a bit uncomfortable - I thought maybe I had tied the laces too tight during my lace debacle the night before (see T2 comments). After the race when I took my shoes off to put on my Chacos, I found a Bic pen (without the cap) lodged along the lateral side of my right shoe. I have no idea how it got there or why it didn't bother me more. I saved it just in case its a good luck charm. Run felt very good - was running hard, but felt like I had a bit more in reserve.
What would you do differently?:

I suppose I would try to run without a pen inside my shoe. Buy some Yankz or double knot my laces.
Post race
Warm down:

Light stretching, drank some sports drink, banana and chocolate chip cookie.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mostly my poor swim time. Shaving a few minutes off my swim would have put me close to medal contention for my age group. I was disappointed with it given that in training in the pool I could do that distance in 17 minutes. I was very happy with the bike - room for improvement, but better than in my first tri. T2 needs to get faster.

Event comments:

Very well organized race - very happy with how well the point to point worked out. I was worried my equipment left at T1 would be lost forever, but race organizers did a very good job.




Last updated: 2008-08-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:21:08 | 830 meters | 02m 32s / 100meters
Age Group: 14/31
Overall: 166/304
Performance: Below average
Suit: Tri top and shorts
Course: Rectangular course due west, right hand turn with short north stretch, then turned back due east
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 02:54
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:15:59 | 24.8 miles | 19.58 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/31
Overall: 62/304
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Began with 3 miles in Cedar Hill State Park - narrow, winding roads with some hills. Then out to highway, mostly rolling ups and downs back to Dallas. Some of city streets very rough - sections of very uneven pavement and potholes.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:38
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:21:42 | 03.11 miles | 06m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/31
Overall: 15/304
Performance: Good
Course: Loop around the American Airlines Center then up for flat out and back on the Katy trail.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-10-08 4:18 PM

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Subject: Toyota US Open Triathlon
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