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Tri-Miami - TriathlonOlympic


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Key Biscayne, Florida
multirace
70sF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 55m 18s
Overall Rank = 99/176
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 15/22
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:20am, went silently into the kitchen and had some cereal, a glass of orange juice and a granola bar. Had packed everything the night before so kissed the wife goodbye and snuck out of the house withough waking the kids.

Rode the bike a few blocks over to the race site (I live in Key Biscayne, so this was home turf for me! Nice because I got to sleep in...)

Got there around 5:40, still night time, but plenty of people there. Got marked, racked the bike, set everything up, and went off to say hi to some friends.
Event warmup:

Some last minute stretching in the sand before the swim wave went off, but nothing more. In my previous two sprint tris I had gotten in the water to swim a bit, but this time I was too cold, and maybe a little anxious, since this was my first Oly.
Swim
  • 34m 25s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 06s / 100 yards
Comments:

I lined up on the far left on the advice of a friend that had swum the course before. The idea was a)to not be fighting it out in the pack, and b) to let the current drag you in towards the buoy at the end, instead of fighting it the whole way there. It worked just as advertised, although I may have lost a minute or so of time.

I swam fairly unperturbed and with good rythm I breath to my right so the swells were coming in behind my head as I came out for air, so there was no trouble with swallowing water in the current. Got into a nice gliding rythm, but must admit when I crossed the buoy which marked the turn for the sprint distance, I looked at it with longing...The damn turnaround point looked far away!

Kept my groove, and rounded the buoy no problem. The way back was a)easier because the current was slightly in my favor b)harder because the rising sun was directly in my eyes as I came up for air, not to mention the swells. Did ok but had more trouble navigating, I was fighting the current to not get grounded ashore, and I may have zig zagged a bit. A pretty lonely, somewhat smooth afair, until the end when a few of us converged on the exit point. Was happy to get out of the water!

My real time was about 2 mins less, but they count the part where you have to slog through the deep sand for like 300 meters all the way to the transition area. Not that much fun!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really, maybe work on speed. But my main goal was not to blow all my energy in the excitement of the swim, and overall things went as planned. (although internally I was bitching about how long the swim was seeming!)
Transition 1
  • 03m
Comments:

Kind of a pain here because of the whole shoe situation. I like my new bike shoes and I got them on sale so even better, but they have laces and a velcro strap over them, and the whole process takes a while. Cleaning the sand of the feet, drying them, putting on socks, tying the shoes, etc. I was going to put on a shirt for the bike, but decided against it since I was already feeling like it was taking too long.

Had a PowerGel (strawberry banana) and took off. Can I just say that this flavor and brand of gel is delicious? I could practically have it for dessert!

By miracle, I was able to clip in instantaneously and I was off (still getting used to clipless)
What would you do differently?:

Practice. There has to be a faster way. How I'm not sure, because I'm not riding with sandy feet, not riding without socks, etc.
Bike
  • 1h 23m 31s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 17.82 mile/hr
Comments:

Got off to a quick start, probably due to the adrenaline of the race. I kept checking my cadence counter because I was at around 100, and normally I'm at around 90-95, I kept thinking the thing was maybe busted!

Passed quite a few people and got passed by some as well. It's hard to tell who was who because by now there were people on the course doing their Sprint race (1 loop instead of 2).

Got the bike tuned last week and the fron derailleur is testy. Changed from the large ring down to the other one and the chain came off! Had to stop to the side to fix it. A pain, but luckily it took all of 10 seconds, AND I was able to clip in right away for my second minor miracle of the day!

The way out we had some tailwind, so I booked. The hill (bridge) I just killed, but of course then there's payback. Had to turn around and go back up the other way, wind in the face. The ride back in was into the wind, so I tried to stay aero and do the best I could.

One the second loop I started getting a sore feeling in my adductors (sp?), I had to come off the saddle for a few secs and then it would go away. I told myself to not go nuts and pace myself, I still had much race ahead. So in general on the second loop I tried to ride smooth and even with the first, without and crazy hammering.

One the uphill of the second climb I noticed a course photographer sitting off the side, right at the top of the hill. Good place to catch people in their moment of suffering!
What would you do differently?:

I feel like I trained enough to have gotten a faster time, but this was my first Oly and I didn't want to make the mistake of burning out on the bike, since the run is the hardest part for me by far. So I was being a teeny bit conservative, running my own race.

Next time, beyond further training amd miles under my belt, I think I'll have a better feel for how far I can push it and still have enough in the tank for the run.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

The rolled T2 time into the bike measurement, for some reason. Here I had a repeat of T1. Seemed like it took a while to take off the shoes and put on the running shoes! In reality it wasn't bad, and at least I didn't have to deal with socks (already had them on). Had another one of those yummy gells, made sure to take of my helmet, put on my hat, and off I went!
What would you do differently?:

I guess just practice, I must try to shave about 1 min from each transition.
Run
  • 54m 22s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 46s  min/mile
Comments:

I ain't going to lie, the beginning of the run was hard. As I was going off on my lonely first mile, I was alternating between three thoughts: "What the &$%* were you THINKING?", "And you were even thinking of one day doing a 1/2IM? Yeah Riiiiight!!!", and "Now, would it really be a big deal if I walked for a few yards?"

Turns out it got better, and I was just suffering until I got used to the transition from the bike. But that first mile I wasn't a happy camper. Then things got normal, as I went into somewhat of a groove. I ran a pretty even pace the whole distance, about 8:45 per mile. I've never been a runner in the least, so I was happy to be below 9. Passed some people, coincidentally most of them had race numbers in the 60s and 70s painted on their calf...;)

It must have been like 9:30am in the morning, but it seemed like the sun was just searing, thank god for my little hat. As mentioned before, it was torture to go by the transition area on my first loop, especially because the majority of people (half the Olys and most of the Sprints) had already finished. Hey, leave some bagels for me dammit!

But on the second loop, the sense of just having run that loop was comforting. Did it once, will do it again. It's that moment when you know you're going to finish, no matter what. And no walking!

What would you do differently?:

Not much, I rand the race I needed to run, and I was pretty even in my speed all throughout. With training hopefully I will improve my times.
Post race
Warm down:

Very brief. My wife was great because she brough both kids in the double stroller to see me finish. But I was pretty tired and hot, couldn't find water, and just decided we were better off just going home. So I did not partake in any festivities, and walked home with them. It's just a couple of blocks, but it seemed like forever! Guess that was my warm down.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

I guess lack of speed training (I'm working on just building a base), and since this was my first time a lack of knowing where my limits are, and when to push or not.

Hopefully this will all improve with practice.

Event comments:

They gave us a medal! Very cool, as I crossed the finish line, someone was waiting to put it around my neck. I felt very professional!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-05-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:25 | 1640 yards | 02m 06s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/22
Overall: 87/176
Performance: Average
Suit: None
Course: Damn those buoys looked far away! An out and back course parallel to the shoreline, with a fair amount of current pushing towards the beach. Sun was rising over the water line.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:00
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:23:31 | 24.8 miles | 17.82 mile/hr
Age Group: 14/22
Overall: 95/176
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Two loops along Rickenbacker Causeway, with a detour into Virginia Key and a back and forth climb over "the bridge", like a small but steep hill. Very scenic, no traffic on the road, a pleasure. This is my normal route, so I knew every crack and turn along the way, not to mention the bridge, which after a long acquaintance period I now consider my friend:)
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:54:22 | 06.2 miles | 08m 46s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/22
Overall: 92/176
Performance: Average
Course: Two loops around Crandon park. Very scenic in some parts (along the beach), mostly sunny with some shade. Mental torture in other parts, (eg, when you finish your first loop you run 10 yards away from the finish shoot, everyone is done, happy, etc., and you have another loop to go!)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 4

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2005-05-18 1:26 PM

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Member
52
2525
Chicago, IL
Subject: Tri-Miami


2005-05-18 1:32 PM
in reply to: #159593

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Subject: RE: Tri-Miami

Congrats!! Nice race report, well done

Chris

2005-05-18 7:58 PM
in reply to: #159593

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Expert
1049
100025
Jacksonville, FL
Subject: RE: Tri-Miami
Great first oly. I did Huntington's Disease there a few years back and the tri-America oly last August. That one goes over the bridge 3 times. At least you live there and get to practice the ridge.
2005-05-18 9:57 PM
in reply to: #159593

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Extreme Veteran
527
50025
Jacksonville, FL
Subject: RE: Tri-Miami
Congrats on your 1st Oly!
2007-05-21 7:51 PM
in reply to: #159593

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Hawai'i
Subject: RE: Tri-Miami
nice race, great report. My head plays the WTF are you doing card to me as well. Each time I go out it is a battle to see who will win.
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