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Big Kahuna Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Santa Cruz, California
United States
Firstwave Events
53F / 12C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 25m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up 4:30. Ate banana and oatmeal. Arrived at transition area at 5:00. Noticed a freshly wrecked car that had knocked down a light pole and was smoking in the bushes. Wife called the police while I checked to see if anyone was in the car (there wasn't). The police station happens to be on the same block, so they arrive within a minute as we unload. The driver later shows up to turn himself over. Little did I know this was a sign of things to come today on what I thought was going to be my first 1/2 IM distance.
Event warmup:

Ran for 15-20 minutes.
Swim
  • 00m
  • 2310 yards
  • / 100 yards
Comments:

Did a warm up swim in the near dark at 6:30 to be ready for race briefing at 6:45. At this point the fog bank that was off the pier began moving on to shore. Waited around for nearly an hour before the decision was made to cancel the swim due to the fog. This would now be a duathlon.

The race started on the beach where we would have exited the water. Run time from there to T1 was 2:25.

What would you do differently?:

Brought some old shoes to wait around in. Waiting in the sand was colder on the feet than being in the water.
Transition 1
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Knowing that we would be running from the beach to T1, I went ahead and ditched my wetsuit prior to the start as many others did.

My bare feet did start hurting a bit towards the end of the run, but after getting on the bike, it was no longer an issue.
What would you do differently?:

Covered sunglasses with a towel or put in a bag. The moisture in the air covered the lenses with dew, so when it was time to put them on, I had to clean them. Also, should have not wasted time with arm warmers.
Bike
  • 3h 07m 2s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.96 mile/hr
Comments:

Bumped into someone the day before who commented on how many flats she's seen during this race. Should have better prepared with such knowledge as I flatted within the first 5 miles. This was a huge dissappointment as the bike is my strength and I knew my time goals were blown at this early point in the race. Nevertheless, I repaired the flat and while blowing up the tube, notice the bead did not quite seat perfectly near the tube stem. I spun the tire and things seem to turn pretty smoothly, so decided to motor onward, besides I had only brought one CO2.

After a few miles I start to notice a rubbing sound. At first I think it is the front tire hitting the brake pads. I fiddle with the brake release and the sound persists. After a while it gets louder. I finally stop next to two other guys who have mechanicals and check the rear tire. I discover the tread of the tire is rubbing on the frame. The bead has pushed out further and the tire will not spin freely. I have no choice but to deflate and ask other riders for a CO2 cartridge.

People are quick to help out. I make sure to shove the stem all the way into the tire and back out before inflating this time and every thing looks good (or so it seems as I will find out).

At this point, I resign myself to just focus on hitting my avg. mph goal shown on my bike computer (it only calcs time while moving) to get a sense of what I could do without all the mechanicals.

After a few more miles, I get that feeling again that something is wrong. As we head up another hill I notice my rear tire has gone flat again. At this point, I'm quite frustrated. I pull over next to more people who are also fixing flats. Again, a fellow rider gives me a tube and someone stops to let me use their air. As I put the tire back on to get ready to inflate, I notice the stem of the new tube is not long enough for my rim and I can't inflate. Aarghh!!!

I see a Big Kahuna truck driving southbound and he stops about 300ft down the road. I walk down to him and he asks if I need a ride back. At this point I'm about ready to go, but as I walk back to my bike, I decide that I need to just continue on and finish. I ask one more time for another tube and air which again, people are so gracious to help in providing.

As I inflate, I'm caught by suprise as a bunch of air escapes from the valve stem. At first, I think all of the air is lost, but as I remove it, the tire feels inflated enough to ride. I run back to the truck and tell him I'm good to go and will pass on the ride back.

I reach the turnaround with an avg of 21.5 showing on the bike computer. My goal was to do at least 22.0 which I figured I could hit with the wind now at my back.

I pedal hard back to town, but to my dissapointment, I make up no time. I still end with an average of 21.5 (bike computer time). I later find out my tire pressure on the rear tire was actually extremely low. This would later come back to haunt me due to the extra work I was putting in trying to hit that bike avg. goal.



What would you do differently?:

Instead of 1 tube/air, carry 2 or more. Take the time to ensure tire/tube are seated properly before inflating.
Transition 2
  • 01m 15s
Run
  • 2h 13m 24s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

Started first 2 miles of run at approx 8:15 min/miles. This would steadily degrade to 9:45 miles up until mile 10 at which point the leg cramps hit. I think I startled the person next to me when I suddenly froze up and grabbed the fence next to me. The remaining 3+ miles would be a painful shuffle.
What would you do differently?:

Pace way slower at the beginning even though I know I already overworked on the bike.
Post race



Last updated: 2009-07-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:00:00 | 2310 yards | / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 57F / 14C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:52
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:07:02 | 56 miles | 17.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 93/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Wind: Little
Course: Out and back to Pigeon Point.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:13:24 | 13.1 miles | 10m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 62/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized?
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2009-11-26 3:11 PM

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