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Triathlon at Pacific Grove - TriathlonOlympic


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Pacific Grove, California
United States
Tri-California Events, Inc.
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 11m
Overall Rank = 671/1154
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 84/109
Pre-race routine:

Friday night - Big pasta dinner with fellow BT'ers madkat (plus BF Eric) and old lady, J.P., Steve & Emma. Thanks for the cookies and ice cream!!

0515 Breakfast - oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, milk, ~6 oz of water prior to the race. This worked out well - I wasn't hungry when the race started or udring the race.
Not a great pre-race, I got there around 0615, so no time for a warm-up ride and hardly a warmup swim. I need extra time.
I packed up the night before (fortunately I had everything I needed).
Need to air up the tires two days before (to observe for leaks!).
I "tapered" for the preceeding 10 days. Bad timing for a race, thesis and family emergency all right before the race.
I think I was a little uncertain how I'd perform today because of the long layoff and how few rides over 25 miles I'd done.
Event warmup:

Getting in the cold, cold water and holding my head under for a little bit.
Kicking a rock and really jacking up two toes on my right foot (not a great warmup).
Swim
  • 41m 17s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

I know I can swim faster...this fit what I did in the Sandman, I swim at a pace that guarantees I won't bonk on the swim. I started at the back of the pack and stayed out of most of the swim fight. I went through all the kelp on the first lap, but did a much better job avoiding it on the second lap. I think my swim splits were about the same.
What would you do differently?:

Pickup the pace on the swim. Look out for rocks! Take the extra leak before the race, even if it means getting part way out of the wetsuit.
Transition 1
  • 05m 22s
Comments:

T1 was not sped up any by my stop to take a leak, but that did let me get my head together before jumping on the bike. My gear was ready for me.
Grassy transition area was great, beat the Sandman transition by a mile.
What would you do differently?:

Pee earlier.
Bike
  • 1h 24m 31s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.64 mile/hr
Comments:

The course was pretty empty early on (probably based on my slow swim), but got crowded by the end. Drafting penalty didn't help me any. I rode the first lap a little harder than I felt I could maintain for the whole ride. I tried to keep my cadence up for the ride to save my legs for the run. I think that worked out well.
My average speed was about as fast as I've ever ridden a long workout, so that was a plus.

Hydration/Food - I had a sip of water (only drink on the bike) ~every 15 minutes until the last 30 min of the ride. I had a cliff shot about 45 min into the bike. No problem eating or drinking on the ride.
What would you do differently?:

Ride more and ride faster in training. Now that I've built a riding base, it's time to think about speed workouts.
Transition 2
  • 04m 22s
Comments:

I'm surprised it was so slow (where the timing pads were maybe?).
Things that were slow...
- re-racking my bike
- tightening my laces
- toes were not feeling good at this point
What would you do differently?:

Get some lace replacements? Run more through the transition?
Run
  • 55m 41s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Foremost - going into this I was expecting 9 - 10 minute miles for the run, so I beat my expectation by a little.
I started to get a little hot during the run (sun was out, didn't run with my cycling glasses). I ran the first four miles without too much pain. I walked 3 times in the last 2 miles (once on the way out, once up the "hill," and the final time coming down the cutout.

Hyrdation/food - I drank gatorade at the lap point (2 mi) and intentionally did not at the turn-around. I didn't eat, although it was really tempting to grab an orange slice or banana.
What would you do differently?:

Run more during training (duh). I should have done that while I was home...
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around with the family and chowed down! Last race, my stomach was pretty messed up after the race (it got really bad after ~2 hours). This race I ate pasta with marinara sauce, bread, carrots, strawberries, apple pieces, and power bar (I think) recovery drink. That all went down pretty easily and my stomach was OK later in the day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim pacing (I need to speed up my internal clock) and run endurance. It's not the the bike was so great, but I could have gone faster on the swim and I just haven't put in the running mileage.

Event comments:

First Olympic tri - done. I had a great time at the race and I wish I could do it again.




Last updated: 2005-09-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:41:17 | 1640 yards | 02m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 87/109
Overall: 814/1154
Performance: Below average
Suit: Orca S1
Course: 2 loops of a rectangular course. Lots of kelp on the surface. Giant orange triangles and cylinders as course markers (very easy to see over the kelp (ha ha!).
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:22
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:24:31 | 24.85 miles | 17.64 mile/hr
Age Group: 79/109
Overall: 564/1154
Performance: Average
My approx 3 mi splits (by lap): 10:55 9:59 10:47 9:43 11:16 10:16 11:11 10:07
Wind: Little
Course: Very light, rolling course. 4 loops on the two lane road. My usual training ride area.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:22
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:55:41 | 06.21 miles | 08m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 78/109
Overall: 558/1154
Performance: Average
1 mi splits: 8:40 9:01 (first time was from the run out point) 8:08 9:34 9:42 11:31
Course: A little longer back than out. Back route had two minor hills (which didn't seem so minor at the time).
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2005-09-11 10:50 PM

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