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Kisakata Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Kisakata, Akita
Japan
JTU
89F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 09m 28s
Overall Rank = 82/132
Age Group = 50-59
Age Group Rank = 17/28
Pre-race routine:

Alarm set for 5, but woke up at 4. Ate breakfast - a couple cups of coffee, yogurt drink, banana, two slices of bread. We left the hotel by 6:15 and drove to the swim location to drop off my T1 stuff (wet suit, running gear). From there we drove to the T2 area where I set up my bike while my wife headed off to find parking. Sound strange? After the swim, there is a 1.5 km run to where the bikes are racked. They included those 1.5 km into the bike distance, i.e., the actual bike route was 38.5 km long.
Event warmup:

I rode my bike for 10 minutes prior to racking it and then I walked the 1.5 km back to the beach. I walked because my right knee was sore. It had been bugging me most of the week. The only good thing about that was that it helped me to stick to the taper plan.
Swim
  • 27m 21s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 49s / 100 meters
Comments:

I took one powergel about 45 minutes before the start.

Beach start. I was one of the last 15-20 people into the water. I started out deliberately slow and did my best to stay relaxed. I sited frequently and tried my best to stay away from people jams. I still hit a few, but I stayed relaxed and worked through them. I was slowly passing people - a new experience for me. At the end of the first lap, I walked the last 10 meters in and first 10 meters back out. There were a good 15-20 people right in front of me at that point. For the second lap I focused on keeping my recovering arm relaxed, my stroke long and on hitting a constant rhythm. I started passing more people and my stroke stayed strong all the way to the end. I was kind of slow getting from the water to the timing station and I guess 3 or 4 people got passed me.
What would you do differently?:

For this particular race, nothing. I could have started further up in the crowd, but that might have been a mistake. Staying relaxed at the start helped me a ton.

I still have lots of room for improvement and need to spend more time focused on my technique and on increasing my speed.
Transition 1
  • 01m 10s
Comments:

This was a swim to run transition. I took my time and everything went smoothly. I hit the start button on my Garmin when I left transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing yet. I may have been able to go faster, but we're talking 10-20 seconds and it was more important for me to catch my breath from the swim.
Bike
  • 1h 42m 46s
  • 40 kms
  • 23.35 km/hr
Comments:

In my 10 minute bike warmup I ended up going up the first 12% grade. Seeing it from the bus the day before, I wasn't sure how to handle it. It turns out that I have ridden some similar slopes near my house and doing it pre-race gave me some confidence that I could make it up. Nevertheless, it was really tough to get through the 2km to 4.5km section of the course. I saw one guy sitting on the side of the road at the top of the first hill taking a rest. I saw another guy walking his bike up. My buddy saw one guy unable to continue forward motion on the slope just fall over. I know there are much tougher courses, but this was an eye opener for me. My first tri had a finish point that was 300 meters lower than the start and my second tri was just flat.

The first good downhill was at about 5km into the course. When I hit 45 km/hr, I also hit the dreaded speed wobble - scared the heck out of me and I ended up braking to get it to stop. I tried easing up my grip first, but that didn't help. I definitely need to figure out what is causing the wobble before my last tri which has lots of downhill. Anyway, the rest of the bike was fairly uneventful. I pushed hard the whole way (hard for me)and kept my heart rate up over 140. I eased up on any steep downhills to avoid the wobble.

I ended up drinking my whole bottle which was a watered down sports drink and also caught one cup of water at the single aid station. I did not handle grabbing the cup very well and I am pretty sure that half of the water ended up on the poor girl handing it to me. I put two powergels into a 7 ounce powergel bottle and then topped it off with water. It was much easier to get down while riding.
What would you do differently?:

Get the wobble sorted out, practice more hill climbing, ride more.
Transition 2
  • 01m 21s
Comments:

I took the time to put more sunscreen on my face and arms because I knew I was going to get cooked on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Again, I could have moved faster, but was satisfied with my time through T2.
Run
  • 59m 20s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 56s  min/km
Comments:

Note that there was not a cloud in the sky for the entire race and I'm pretty sure that the reflected heat put the temperature at about 95 or so. I ended up walking 10 seconds or so through every aid station so that I could get a cup of water or sports drink into me. I also grabbed sponges at every station to use on my head, etc. Even though I have done quite a bit of running in the warmer weather to try to acclimate, this was a level of hot beyond what I was ready for. I ended up just hanging on from aid station to aid station.

My legs/hips felt tight coming off the bike and my stride was definitely stiff. My wife told me later that I looked like a penguin...an old penguin or a baby penguin, not an athletic penguin. I laughed and told her thanks.

Note: my right knee felt fine after the bike and hasn't really bothered me since. Go figure.
What would you do differently?:

I need to spend more time on my cycling (longer rides and more hills) and on my running (longer runs in the warmer temps). All told, I was okay with my time for the run. I know I am a lot slower when it is hot.
Post race
Warm down:

Kept drinking. Ate some watermelon while waiting for my buddy to finish. Turns out he was having stomach problems from the swim onwards which explains why he didn't catch/pass me on the bike or run.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

T.I.T.S. is probably the biggest factor and something I will be working on through the off season.

Event comments:

They had tons of volunteers everywhere and they did a great job. The course had lots of turns and was really well marked and staffed. I'll definitely be back.




Last updated: 2010-07-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:21 | 1500 meters | 01m 49s / 100meters
Age Group: 8/28
Overall: 43/132
Performance: Good
Suit: Full DeSoto
Course: Ocean swim on a triangular course 750 meters long. The point closest to the beach was about knee deep.
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 22C / 72F Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:10
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:42:46 | 40 kms | 23.35 km/hr
Age Group: 20/28
Overall: 28/132
Performance: Below average
run to bike 7:48 transition 1:53 bike 1:31:43 (26.2 km/hour)
Wind: Some
Course: I purposely took it easy on the 1.5 km run from the beach to the bike area. I was still not sure my knee was ready to play for the duration. It held up fine. The 1.5 km run took me 7:48 (5:31 per km) and my stride felt loose and relaxed. I ended up taking 1:53 in the run to bike transition. I think that was a little slow and there is room for improvement. The bike course itself was quite challenging. On the previous day, they ran three bus tours to drive the course. Two kilometers from the start of the course, the hills start. The first slope is a 12% grade followed by a short flat before a 10% grade, another short flat, another 12% grade, some up and down action and another 10% grade. In 2.5 km we went up 170 meters. There was more up and down action after that with the high elevation for the course at 230 meters at about the 20 km mark. The second half of the course has lots of short ups and downs, but gradually takes you back down to sea level. The course winds through a bunch of rice fields and has gorgeous views of a nearby mountain. Towards the end, it follows the seashore for about 5 km and there are also some great views.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:21
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:59:20 | 10 kms | 05m 56s  min/km
Age Group: 17/28
Overall: 28/132
Performance: Below average
Course: Nice course with quite a bit of up and down action, but nothing serious.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
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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2010-07-25 2:32 AM

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Master
1841
100050010010010025
Sendai, Japan
Subject: Kisakata Triathlon


2010-07-25 3:54 PM
in reply to: #3002697

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Subject: RE: Kisakata Triathlon
Awesome job!
2010-07-25 7:47 PM
in reply to: #3002697

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Expert
1146
100010025
Chugiak, Alaska
Subject: RE: Kisakata Triathlon
wow - I am impressed!  Great job!  The T1 does sound weird - never heard of a 1.5 km run to T1. Even though you said you were dissapointed with the run- I would kill for even a fraction of your speed.  Also, great job on what sounds like a very difficult bike portion.
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