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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
76F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 28m 37s
Overall Rank = 2553/3137
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 240/266
Pre-race routine:

My girlfriend and I got to Washington DC around noon and made our way to the Host Hotel. We could not find street parking so we decided to park in the Hotel Lot which was actually a good deal because it was $10 flat rate for Nations Participants. Went inside to the Expo and picked up our packets, shirts and a ton of free stuff and walked around for a bit, exploring the Vendors. G/F bought 2 bathing suits for super cheap and I got a pre race look over by a PT because I was having some foot pain from taper week. Went to a course breifing where they told us the water temp was 84 so I knew that I was not going to be wearing my new wetsuit I had ordered. After the expo, we went down to rack our bikes and got caught in the HUGE thunderstorm that hit the area. we waited in out in our car and when it cleared up we walked about 1/2 mile to the mud pit called transition and racked our bikes. I felt bad for people who had racked earlier because I saw alot of racks on the ground and bikes too. We then went to our friends house who we were staying with for the night, had some pasta and salad for dinner, watched college football and in bed by 10pm.
Event warmup:

Not too much. Woke up around 4:30am, got changed and drove to the race site. We listened to one of the volunteers at the expo who said not to try and park at one of the parking lots but rather park by the National Mall because its free on sunday and we could get out right away. We did and it was great. ABout 3/4mile walk to transition but worth it. We arrived, got body marked, set up our stuff and took a picture with the Washington Monument in the backround and then set off for our swim corrals.
Swim
  • 38m 19s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 20s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was really hoping to wear a wetsuit for this race. I had been training in one and felt alot more comfortable about covering the distance with one on. I could have wore it but would have been in the last wave and with a race this big, I did not want to be in the last wave. TT start which was nice. On the way down the ramp I saw a great sign "Chuck Norris never did a triathlon" which made me laugh. we got on the platform and jumped into the 81 degree water.The bouys were huge and easy to see which was nice. Right as we started I could feel that I was swimming against the current. This lasted the first 600m. In that time period I was punched in the face 2x, my goggles knocked off by some guy who decided he wanted to swim over top of me, and I got kicked in the groin area by breatstroke guy who seemingly came out of nowhere. The current was with you on the way back and I felt much more comfortable and faster but I still got stuck behind people and with so many people in the water, it was difficult to navigate around. I got stuck behind a lady wearing a snorkle but couldnt pass her until other swimmers passed first. I also bumped into this guy 2x who was treading water and waiting for someone to catch up to him. OVerall I enjoyed the swim but I know my time could have been much faster but for my first OLY I just wanted to pace it out slow and save some for the rest of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Not too much. I took the swim slow on purpose since it was my first race at this distance. Without a wetsuit and with all that happened to me/traffic in the water, I felt like I had a good swim even though I had to stop a few times. I propbably could have shaved a few minutes off this time but I will go harder at my next OLY.
Transition 1
  • 03m 50s
Comments:

Not too much here. The transition area was huge and the run from swim to T1 was long but not too bad. My bike was racked at the back of T1 so I had a real long run from swim exit to my bike.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I could have gone faster but I wanted to catch my breath and get a drink of water before I hopped on the bike.
Bike
  • 1h 37m 49s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 15.24 mile/hr
Comments:

So nobody told me this was the race of the fastest cyclists in the world! seriously though, I got onto the bike feeling great and started out with about a 17mph average which is what I was hoping for. Throughout the race, I just kept getting passed and I mean by everyone. It seemed like some of the fasted cyclist in the world were out on the course with me but I realized I am just slow. The course was well marked and I loved how it was completely closed to traffic! there was a good amount of shade on the course as well. IMO, the course was not fast and flat like advertised. I know they say some rolling hills but to me, the entire course was rolling hills. Despite all my weight loss, I am still a big guy and struggle with the hills. I felt like for my first OLY I did good with my pacing and nutrition (1 bottle water, 1 bottle of EFS). I probably could have pushed harder on the bike but I wanted to save it for the run. Nothing too exciting on the bike course but I enjoyed it.
What would you do differently?:

train more and increase my leg strength and power output. This is what I seriously need to do to start being more competitive with my times. I know I was not undertrained for this race but I was also not as trained as I should have been due to alot of work travel over the summer and missing key workouts.
Transition 2
  • 03m 54s
Comments:

Hard time putting socks and shoes on for the run because my feet were so sweaty. Had to sit down to get them on which caused me some time.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, go faster but that will come with practice.
Run
  • 1h 04m 47s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew that I just wanted to pace out this run and go a little slow and treat it as a long jog. This was my first OLY so no need to push the envelope, just a nice steady run to the finish and we can adjust for the next race. I ran out of T2 and was hungry so I know I needed a few calories. At the first aid station I grabbed a GU which helped. My stratagy for this run was to see how I felt after the first mile. I felt good but legs were a little heavy so I decided to walk a little. I would run for 4 mins then walk for 35seconds and when I got to an aid station, I would walk for 45seconds while getting water/nutrition. Worked very well for me and I did not feel tired for the remainder of the run. At about mile 3 I saw that I had a chance of beating my goal time of 3:30:00. I was a little tired but I kept at it. Last week, a good friend of mine and mentor unexpectantly passed away in a car accident while at work. IT really hit me hard to the point where I almost didnt go to DC to race because I just couldnt get the thought out of my head and I was depressed. At the mile 3 mark, I knew I had to finish under my goal time for Charlie and that he would expect me to finish under my goal time. For the last 3 miles I kept thinking about him and increased my pace a little more each mile. At the end of the race with about 300yrds to go, I could see the finish line and saw that I had 4mins left to come in under my goal time. I knew Charlie was looking down over me and cheering for me so I ran like the wind despite how bad my legs were burning and I finished in 3:28:00 and beat my goal time. As I was crossing the finish line, I looked up at the sky and pointed to my friend who I knew guided me to a safe and successful finish. I teared up after crossing the finish line and getting my medal because I know this race is something I would have called him and told him about but I knew I would never be able to call him again. As sad as that was, I started to think that even though I couldnt talk to him about this race, it didnt matter because I knew he was there watching me.
What would you do differently?:

I felt great on this run and passed alot of people in my AG which gave me a lot of confidence. I could have ran faster but decided not too and just stick with my race plan. Next time I will go a little faster.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my medal, ice cold water and gatorade and hung around the finisher area for about a half hour to watch the G/F finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This was my first OLY distance and I was happy with it. I had beaten my goal time and finished feeling good, able to walk and not like I was dying. That is a good sign that I have the ability to go harder and faster which I will do at my next race. I need to buckle down a little more consistency with my training and that should help alot.

Event comments:

So I would like to say a few things about this race. Overall, the race was amazing! great location, very well organized with a ton of volunteers and support everywhere. I loved the closed bike course, running past the monuments was pretty cool and just the vibe of a huge race in a major city made me feel really good. One thing I was dissapointed in was the after race party. I looked on the website and I guess they never updated it because it said the after race party would have burritos from Qdoba and the band Kristen and the Noise was playing. For me and the G/F, we love Qdoba and Kristen & the Noise is a favorite band of ours that we see every summer we are down at Dewey Beach. The combination of those 2 in an OLY race so close to home was a no brainer for us. Unfortunately, that didnt happen. No Qdoba, No Kristen & the Noise. All we got was a half a turkey sandwich, chips and a bottle of water. No post race beer either which I would almost expect from a race this size which advertised a rocking post race party. I just thought the post race activities were dull and nothing worth while to stick around for. We drove home and got ourselves some Qdoba to celebrate our race. I still thought it was a great race and I would definately do it again.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-03-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:19 | 1640 yards | 02m 20s / 100yards
Age Group: 173/266
Overall: 1799/3137
Performance: Below average
Suit: Tri Kit
Course: OUt and back in the shape of the Washington Monument
Start type: Wade Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 81F / 27C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:50
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:37:49 | 24.85 miles | 15.24 mile/hr
Age Group: 263/266
Overall: 2870/3137
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: OUt and back on Clara Barton Pkwy and some through the town near the water. Rolling hills the entire way, not as flat as people make it out to be.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:54
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
01:04:47 | 06.21 miles | 10m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 234/266
Overall: 2365/3137
Performance: Good
Course: Out around the washington monument and then 1 big loop around Hanes Point and the water. Very flat and nice course, well marked and staffed.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-09-11 10:06 AM

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Master
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Crab Cake City
Subject: The Nation's Triathlon


2012-09-11 9:39 PM
in reply to: #4405478

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Master
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Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon
Sounds like a great confidence builder, and a solid run at your goal. Congrats all around.
2012-09-12 4:55 AM
in reply to: #4405478

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Master
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University Park, MD
Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon

Good job on your first Oly. Based on your description of how strong you felt on the run, it sounds like there will be more to come next time around.

(And you weren't missing anything with the post-race Qdoba -- they had that for the post race food at the DC Tri last year, and it wasn't anything like regular Qdoba.)

2012-09-12 12:13 PM
in reply to: #4405478

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Regular
477
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Washington, DC
Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon
Nice work on your first Oly! I'm sorry about your friend.
2012-09-14 3:22 PM
in reply to: #4405478

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Expert
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Falls Church
Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon
Nice first Olympic triathlon.  Congratulations on beating your goal time.  The thoughts of your friend were touching.  
2012-09-14 6:10 PM
in reply to: #4405478

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: The Nation's Triathlon

Very touching race report. Congratulations on beating your goal time. 

The swim sounded vicious! 



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