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The Nation's Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
United States
The Nation's Triathlon
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 29m 14s
Overall Rank = 226/3137
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 29/330
Pre-race routine:

2 cups of coffee, 2 eggs on toast, greek yogurt, and a banana. Sip water until 30 mins before race start.
Event warmup:

Weather actually turned from 90 deg the day before the race to mid 60s on race morning
Swim
  • 28m 42s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 45s / 100 yards
Comments:

I should have noticed the current, which after seeing the times, apparently was significant. This would have encouraged me to work harder on each upstream segment of the swim. Made a couple of navigational errors which resulted in 3 slight pauses to sight the buoys.
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
Comments:

Decent T1. Could have been faster grabbing the bike and putting on helmet. Calves tightened up while running through T1.
What would you do differently?:

Practice putting on aero helmet more.
Bike
  • 1h 11m 9s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.96 mile/hr
Comments:

This course is reasonable when you're in one of the first waves and towards the front of the swim. I didn't have any issues (wave 5) with any sort of traffic and as such was very lucky in that regard. Clearly, this will change as I age up. There are a number of dangerous turns and road narrowings and I really wish that something could be done to give this large race some more of a buffer when it comes to putting 5k+ people out on the road.
What would you do differently?:

I really need to stay in the aerobars more on climbs and actually have a bike plan. I started realizing that I was probably working the rollers too much during the first half of the bike and eased up after that.
Transition 2
  • 01m 27s
Comments:

Fairly systematic T2.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been quicker getting the shoes on
Run
  • 45m 52s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

Its good to see that the race organizers added an out and back to get the run as close to 6.2 mi as the previous year (2011) seemed short. Due to an injury earlier in the year, I wasn't expecting much on the run and was hoping to split 7:30's on a prayer. Luckily, I paced off of a TnT runner who was getting 7:20's pretty consistently for the better part of 3 miles and hung on till the end.
What would you do differently?:

Didn't have much else to give. Maybe aim the Gatorade better into my mouth so I didn't end up a sticky mess.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Early season injury, no bike plan, & realization of current and adapting race strategy towards that.

Event comments:

The only reason why this race gets a 4 is because of the bike course. If you're contemplating doing this race, realize that this race is a very large race and you'll have to adjust your expectations to accomodate all of the seemingly extra people on the course with you at the same time. Otherwise, this is a great race, put on by a great organization staff, and staffed with great volunteers.




Last updated: 2012-09-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:42 | 1640 yards | 01m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 34/330
Overall: 282/3137
Performance: Good
Suit: DeSoto 78deg top & Forza shorts
Course: Single loop in Potomac River going under the Memorial Bridge with 2 sharp turns.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 81F / 27C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance:
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:11:09 | 24.85 miles | 20.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 59/330
Overall: 432/3137
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: 1 loop out and back down Clara Barton and a short out and back on Rock Creek Park. Some headwind on the way out (west) down Clara Barton.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:27
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:45:52 | 06.21 miles | 07m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 64/330
Overall: 335/3137
Performance: Good
Course: Down Independence Ave to Maine Ave, left onto 15th St, left to an out and back along Independence, left onto 15th again to a U turn all the way back to Maine Ave, left onto Ohio Drive, around Haines Point to the end. Minor 'hill' on 15th and mostly flat and fast the whole way.
Keeping cool Good 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 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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2012-09-10 10:31 AM

Subject: The Nation's Triathlon


2012-09-10 1:42 PM
in reply to: #4403402

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Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon
Great race! I agree with you about the size of the race and adjusting expecations. The swim was crazy crowded for me and I got hit alot, the current for the first 600m was no joke either. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and a nice run course.
2012-09-11 11:55 AM
in reply to: #4403905

Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon
Thanks! Glad you had a good time, too.

Unfortunately, with the time trial start, swim contact is almost unavoidable as there's a steady stream of people both fast and slow leaving the dock. If you want to avoid contact in the first 600m, consider that most people take a straight line from the dock to the first slight left turn. If you angle in left towards the buoy line earlier, you can avoid a bunch of contact (but also give up the possibility of a draft). Along the back side of the swim, if you go a little bit wide (towards the middle of the river) you'll also avoid much of the contact as most people bunch up around the 500M, 600M, and 700Mbuoys to make the turns.
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