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Laguna Lang Co Triathlon and Duathlon - DuathlonStandard


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Lang Co (resort area between Danang and Hue),
Vietnam
Laguna Lang Co
72F / 22C
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 46m 49s
Overall Rank = 13/41
Age Group = 40-49 W
Age Group Rank = 3/6
Pre-race routine:

The usual, up to a point.... Up at 5:30, oatmeal, coffee, half of a Mojo bar, small banana. Took bike to transition (I was staying 100m or so away, so not hard.) We'd been told the night before there was only a 10% chance of the swim going on due to high surf, so wasn't sure which race I was doing. Arrived to find swim was on but conditions still were poor, so they were making people go early to the swim warmup, get in and try before committing; if we weren't good with it they would shuttle us back for the du. Swim also shortened to 900-1000m.

Went to swim warmup but surf still quite high; some of the rescue jet-skis were capsizing. Started to get in and found water colder than yesterday (quite cool then). Surf very erratic--periodic high waves at break, substantial undertow. Just didn't feel like freezing my butt off and getting tossed around; worried about cramping on bike due to cold, and struggling with swim. (Connected to my cycle--I'm extremely sensitive to cold for a few days each month.) So switched to the du, shuttled back, re-did transition.
Event warmup:

About ten minutes running--easy jogging, stretching, and some strides. Never actually got in the water above my knees so didn't cramp.
Run
  • 26m 42s
  • 6 kms
  • 04m 27s  min/km
Comments:

Good run for me. The fourth is overall, including guys. First for women and age group. Felt relaxed and fast. Never did a run-bike-run du (nor run 6K) in a race before so unsure how hard to take it out. Tried to stay a notch below open 5K effort.
What would you do differently?:

Probably nothing.
Transition 1
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

Slow due to my own stupidity. I accidentally left my bike gloves in a ziplock plastic bag in transition and had to undo it to get them out. Didn't want to do without gloves due to length of race and lingering nerve issues with my left hand--it sometimes goes numb on long rides.
What would you do differently?:

Put gloves on bike, in helmet or somewhere obvious!
Bike
  • 2h 13m 42s
  • 62 kms
  • 27.82 km/hr
Comments:

Ugh. Hard to describe. The course was very "busy" and it was hard to hold a steady speed; wind also contributed to this. I was riding by myself with no one else in sight probably 80-90% of the time. There were only 41 people in the du; the tri people were mostly on the course already due to their start time and the shortened swim, and there just weren't people near me riding close to my pace. For the first 40 km, people appeared out of nowhere (it was somewhat foggy, so they really seemed to), zoomed past, disappeared into the fog. I did pass quite a few people in the last 20 km, mostly guys who seemed to have given up. Quite a few people walking on the last hill.

Felt queasy for first 20 km; couldn't get gu or energy bar down. Then started to feel weak and woozy, probably from lack of food. Had to slow down and take tiny bites/squeezes with lots of water; finally managed to get down one gu and a few bites of bar. Only really felt good the last 20 km--not sure why.

On the plus side, I stayed in aero almost the whole way except for hills and encounters with farm animals and small children. Given that I'd never done a race in aero before, or ridden in aero on a road anywhere, I was pretty happy with that!
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. I think at this time of the month, when nausea can be a big problem for me, I need to carry a thinner gel, probably the kind I use for running, or some kind of liquid calories on the bike. Gagging while racing is just not cool, and it's not the first time it's happened. But in a race this long it was a disaster.

Also, enter races with more people. I ride faster when I have people to chase/sight off of. There just weren't enough!
Transition 2
  • 01m 32s
Comments:

About average for the field.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure.
Run
  • 1h 02m 53s
  • 12 kms
  • 05m 14s  min/km
Comments:

Felt okay until 2-3 km to go, when I cramped quite badly--whatever muscle is at the front of your shins. Have had this issue after long rides--I think my bike cleat needs adjusting as the toes on that foot also tend to go numb. Made it very difficult to run normally but kept going, much slower. Felt a little bit better when we had a short segment on the road before the finish. Very glad to see the finish line!
What would you do differently?:

Figure out what is making my toes go numb and shins cramp during/after long rides and solve it. (This also happened at Pac Crest Du and my HIM, both in the final two miles of the run.)
Post race
Warm down:

Not much of one! Just too tired. Long race on maybe 200 calories, plus whatever's in the Revive (Vietnamese sports drink) I sipped on the run. Walked around a bit and stretched; about 600m of swimming later but the water was too cold to enjoy it.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

*Not having anyone in sight on the bike. I don't naturally do a fast pace and I really need people to go with/after. Often I wasn't even sure I was on the course as some sections weren't well marked and officials were very spread out.

*Nutrition issue on bike. Didn't take in enough calories. I had a thinner gel for the run which I took soon after T2 and this kept me from a total bonk. Need to take same gel on the bike if nausea could be an issue.

*Cramping on run. Possibly nutrition related but as it's happened in two other long races and associated with numb toes, quite sure it's an issue with bike cleat/pedal on that side.

Event comments:

It's the first year.....hate to judge too harshly. I wouldn't do this race again unless it attracts a lot more people (see bike comments). The location is inconvenient--1:30 drive from the Danang Airport, and the logistics are difficult unless you stay at the pricey sponsoring resort. Also, Central Vietnam is famous for weird weather and this weekend featured unseasonably cold temps, cold, choppy surf, nightly rain/wind storms, and fog. It was actually too cold to swim in the resort pool! The awards banquet required you to pay an additional $45 for a very mediocre meal served outside in the rain.

On the plus side, it was fun to watch Belinda Granger, Macca, Chris Lieto, and two European pros try to use table napkins as raingear. Also got to make weird juice mixes with Belinda at breakfast and eat several meals one table over from the stars.

The du was insane--only 41 people in all but women in my age group were #2 and 5 overall, counting guys. Seeing nobody on the bike course (plus much of it was through very thinly populated areas) was disconcerting and kind of creepy. It really seemed more like two cross country meets with a very strenuous bike tour in betweeen than a race.




Last updated: 2013-04-27 12:00 AM
Running
00:26:42 | 06 kms | 04m 27s  min/km
Age Group: 1/6
Overall: 4/41
Performance: Good
Not sure how accurate course was as all times quite slow, even pros. It was on a golf course with lot of loops and turns, so maybe that slowed it down.
Course: Gravel paths (with a few paved segments) and greens on a golf course. Very nice green surroundings--reminded me of a HS or college cross-country meet.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
T1
Time: 02:02
Overall: Below average
Run with bike? Good
Jump on bike? Good
Getting up to speed and into shoes: Average
Biking
02:13:42 | 62 kms | 27.82 km/hr
Age Group: 3/6
Overall: 21/41
Performance: Below average
No splits. Just pretty much in a daze the whole time.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Up a ginormous hill (about one km long) shortly out of transition; two more big rollers after that. Then basically flat until another big hill at about 20 km (about 2 km long). Small local roads with rough surface and some farm animals in road, lots of corners between transition exit and second big hill. Screaming bumpy downhill on a curve to windy road along a bay and fishing villages. A few km on National Highway One with no traffic control, through big roadside market village with no trafffic control. Onto quiet country road again, joined into first flat part of course without re-doing the second big hill. Lots of turns. Back over rollers, up ginormous hill, back down to transition. Yes, complex!
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:32
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:02:53 | 12 kms | 05m 14s  min/km
Age Group: 2/6
Overall: 4/41
Performance: Good
Again, I think the course was not accurate. Top guy only 2 minutes ahead. Was on a faster pace until I cramped badly with 2 km to go.
Course: Two loops of golf course, as described above.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2

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2013-04-27 8:34 AM

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Subject: Laguna Lang Co Triathlon and Duathlon
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