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Redondo Beach Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Redondo Beach, California
United States
TC Tri Productions, LLC
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 35m 51s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Drank a smoothie and water during the 45 minute drive to the event. Found a spot to set up my transition area and don my wetsuit.
Event warmup:

Didn't do much. It was a bit of a walk from the transition area to the beach, and I got into the water a bit to prevent the initial shock that comes with getting into the cold ocean.
Swim
  • 36m 49s
  • 804 meters
  • 04m 35s / 100 meters
Comments:

I am a pretty good swimmer. I've been told that I have good form, and I can swim laps and laps in the pool without getting tired. I have attempted two open water swims, but didn't actually swim much as I was focusing on trying to get comfortable in the ocean. The idea of swimming alone (I am faster than my training partner) scares the crap out of me, so I was relying on the security of being surrounded by my fellow triathletes on race day to keep me calm. Most of my training was in the pool, but I definitely had the distance down. Surely I'd be fine.

Boy was I wrong.

When the race started, I made it out to the first buoy without much problem, but I didn't feel comfortable putting my face in the water at that point so I did alot of back and also something that was a cross between free and doggy paddle(?). I felt ok so far, but when I started on the long stretch toward the buoy in the middle, I felt like most of my wave was leaving me behind and I hate to say that I panicked a bit. My wetsuit felt too tight and constricting (borrowed from a friend for my first race without enough body glide around my neck), and I felt like I couldn't breathe (also from the panic and cold water). There was no WAY I was putting my face in the water. Freestyle was out of the question. I couldn't see any of the guards on boards that I KNEW were out there in the water, and so I just stayed on my back and kept going toward the buoy while trying not to think of sharks. The whole time I was thinking "what did I get myself into" and "maybe I should just stick to duathlons" and "I hate the ocean." I think I swallowed about a gallon of saltwater.

I thought that I was swimming in a straight line, but then I noticed that everybody was to my left and I was swimming OUT TO SEA!!! I quickly adjusted my course to get closer to the shore, and made my way to the first guard I could find. I hung out on her float for a bit, and contemplated taking her up on the offer to tow me back to shore. Quitting was not an option for me, so I held on for a bit until she had to leave to help somebody else. Then I slowly made my way to the next guard.

He was very friendly and did a good job at calming me down. He also had to leave to help somebody else (why did so many people need help!), but said he'd see me in about 50 yards. I made my way over to him and another woman from my wave was clinging to his board. We held on for a bit and realized that we had to keep moving, so she suggested that we go for it together. That was fine by me! We made our way toward the finish, stopping at a couple more guards along the way. When we got close to the final buoy, we just went for it and I had never been so happy to get out of the water. I staggered and stumbled to the shore, and my legs felt like noodles as I made my way through the sand and to the transition area. A horrible “swim,” but I finished it nonetheless.

On the plus side...I didn't really get kicked or jostled around by the other swimmers. Everyone in my wave was really polite...apologizing to each other for accidental bumps. The guards were friendly, and it was great to have somebody to swim with through the last half.
What would you do differently?:

More open water training. Get more comfortable with the ocean. It frustrates me that I didn't even really get to use any of my physical ability for the swim, I was mostly kicking and floating. All of those freestyle laps at the pool didn't seem to matter one single bit!
Transition 1
  • 06m 26s
Comments:

There was a long walk from the beach to the transition area. That added the time, but it did help get most of the sand off my feet.
What would you do differently?:

Not be so tired from the swim! haha
Bike
  • 27m 9s
  • 6 miles
  • 13.26 mile/hr
Comments:

When I arrived at the transition area, there were people from my wave who were already getting ready for their run. Crap!

Still...I had never been so happy to get on my bike. This was more of a recovery period than anything else. I didn't push too hard because I used my legs more than I should have during the swim and they were tired. I felt pretty nauseous from all of the saltwater I swallowed during the swim. That seemed to pass when I got in the groove, and I was able to put the swim behind me and enjoy myself.
What would you do differently?:

I'd like to have pushed harder, but I was pretty much exhausted from the swim and took it pretty easy.
Transition 2
  • 01m 12s
Comments:

I wasn't using clipless pedals (I'm not that hardcore yet), so I didn't have to worry about the shoe change. It was an easy transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really.
Run
  • 24m 17s
  • 2 miles
  • 12m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

People were out early, and one guy did a bad job getting out of my way and I ended up running into him because his movements were unpredictable and he wasn't paying attention. My legs felt better by the run, but all of the saltwater was swishing around in my stomach so I had trouble keeping up my pace and had to walk a bit. I thought I was going to throw up a couple of times. At this point I just wanted to finish.
What would you do differently?:

Not drink as much ocean water during the swim!
Post race
Warm down:

Walked through the expo and tried to find some vegan eats.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

If you haven't noticed the theme of this race report, the swim was my limiting factor. I wasn't as mentally prepared as I should have been, and I let the ocean psych me out. It took too long, and I used my legs the whole time which left very little energy for the bike and run.

What's most maddening is that I know that physically I could have taken this course without most trouble. It was the mental aspect of the swim where I had the problem.

Ocean...you win this round. Next time you won't be so lucky!




Last updated: 2009-05-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:49 | 804 meters | 04m 35s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Suit: Orca
Course: The course consisted of about 100 meters from the shore alongside a jetty, 600 meters parallel to the shore, and then the rest of the way back in. The water was cold, dark, and choppy.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Bad Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 06:26
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:27:09 | 06 miles | 13.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Double lap course that was pretty flat with a hill at the end.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:12
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:24:17 | 02 miles | 12m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Course: An interesting run through a restaurant area near the pier. I did not appreciate the smell of fried food and smokers when I was already feeling nauseous.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2009-06-18 6:01 PM

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Subject: Redondo Beach Triathlon
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